‘Best shape of my life’; Sarnia's Boady Santavy can’t wait to lift the weight at Olympic Games

Boady Robert Santavy of Canada celebrates after a lift at the 2020 Summer Olympics, July 31, 2021, in Tokyo, Japan. (Source: AP Photo/Luca Bruno)

Boady Santavy has dreams of the Olympic podium.

“I’m in the best shape of my life, and there is no words for me to describe how excited I'm feeling right now,” said Santavy.

“I'm more excited than I was for Tokyo and I don't think I've ever been this happy in my entire life.”

The Sarnia, Ont. native has arrived in France in preparation for his second Olympic Games.

“I do Olympic weightlifting, the two competition lifts are the Snatch and the Clean and Jerk,” Santavy told CTV News from his gym in Sarnia before leaving.

“The Snatch is a wide grip from the floor overhead into a squat position. The Clean and Jerk is a narrow grip where you bring it to your shoulders and you basically push it over your head”.

The 27 year old will compete in the men’s 89 kilogram event.

In 2021, he competed in the 96 kg event, and finished fourth. He missed the podium by just one kilogram.

That category was eliminated, so he has transitioned to the lower class.

He qualified based on his world ranking, after another country was unable to fill its athlete quota - breaking Canadian records along the way.

“I broke the record a couple times on both lifts. The Snatch, Clean and Jerk and total. I did 172 kilos in the Snatch, and I did 200 kilos in the Clean and Jerk”.

The Santavy family is no stranger to the world stage.

“My great uncle Joe Turcotte started weightlifting for our family in the 1940’s,” said Santavy.

“My grandfather, Robert Santavy did two Olympic Games (1968 and 1976) then my dad was an alternate but never ended up going to the Olympics”.

Robert Santavy - grandfather of Boady Santavy- was a member of the 1968 and 1976 Olympic Weightlifting teams. (Source: Boady Santavy)

Working out in a small gym in Sarnia, he has recovered from a 2023 Tommy John surgery and is ready to take on the world.

“Canadian records are for sure what we're going for at bare minimum,” said Santavy.

“Medal wise, you never know what will happen, on the day.”

The 2020 Olympics were impacted by the pandemic, so very few people were in attendance during his first games.

He does believe he received an “Olympic experience,” but this time, he expects the venue to be sold out for the 89 kilogram class.

“I'm in the most popular men's weight class and maybe the most popular weight class in, in weightlifting,” said Santavy. “A big crowd does help a lot. I found a couple of times where the crowd is just packed, full and super loud. It just gives you the chills and, helps the adrenaline.”

Santavy, with his father by his side as coach, will compete on August 9.