One of the world's strongest men born and raised in northeastern Ontario
Lifting, pushing and throwing hundreds of pounds is no easy feat — but a man born and raised in Kapuskasing, Ont., made it his mission to become one of the world's greatest.
Maxime Boudreault came closer than he expected to his goal at the 2021 'World's Strongest Man' competition in Sacramento, Calif., last week.
The Thunder Bay man took home bronze, beating out many of the world's top athletes.
"It's still surreal, I wasn't expecting that," said Boudreault, of his second time competing in the world championship.
"My goal was only to make the finals this year. I never visualized going to the podium until next year and I made it this year. It means a lot. It's special. It's a dream come true."
He also beat out Canadian legend Jean-Francois Caron — who took last year's bronze medal — although the Quebec man was grappling with an injury during the competition.
Boudreault powered through 12 events across five days, demonstrating his strength in challenges including deadlifts, lifting atlas blocks, and pushing a train.
He also set a new Canadian record for log lifting, raising up a 574-pound log.
Having competed against major names for around five years in competitions like the Arnold Strongman Classic — as in Schwarzenegger — American sportswriter Phil Blechman said specialists in the world of strongmen had high expectations for Boudreault.
"You're in the range of 30 to 35 guys that are the best in the world and Maxime was able to compete not only with them, but beat them to a third-place finish," said Blechman, senior writer at BarBend.com.
"He lived up to the expectations, which is really tough to do."
Blechman said if Boudreault had performed better in some of the other events — his deadlift game suffered after his record-breaking log lift — he could have placed higher on the podium.
Reaching a world championship final is a feat on its own, Blechman said, adding that Boudreault's confidence amongst the world's greats was admirable.
No room for nervousness
For the 330-pound Canadian, Boudreault said there was no room for nervousness and that's he's grown familiar with his fellow competitors over the years.
Ever since his first step into strongman-ship more than 10 years ago, he said the key to achieving success is unwavering focus and commitment.
"I've never missed a week of training, it's just something that I was passionate about and just keep going," Boudreault said. "It's a long process and it's hard, it's fun, it's a big challenge."
Blechman added that strongman competitions reward consistency across challenges and that Boudreault's performance has been remarkably so.
If he can keep it up and not get injured, Blechman said the northern Ontario man has the potential to become a household name in the world of strongmen.
"I think he's going to have a career where he's going to be in podium contention every year he is able to compete," Blechman said.
As for Boudreault, he said the plan is to continue training for competitions to come throughout the year, including a national competition and the Arnold Classic.
He's also been invited to the next World's Ultimate Strongman championship, he said.
Boudreault said he also wants to become a role model for people in the north and support people who hope to achieve strongman greatness.
"It's all about discipline, it's more than motivation," said Boudreault. "Everyone has times that they don't want to wake up in the morning to do it, but if you do it every day, it's better than the next day."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Maple Leafs fall to Bruins in Game 3, trail series 2-1
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.