By Dan Plouffe 2026 is the year Rory van Ulft has been waiting for. The 12-year-old has already been lifting weights at a world-class level for several years. That’s no secret to anybody who’s seen her win numerous junior and senior Ontario weightlifting titles in recent years, including those in Stittsville who witnessed her most recent victory at the junior provincials hosted by Landmark x JustLift in December. But this year, van Ulft is ready to officially show the world what she’s capable of, having overcome one obstacle she couldn’t previously push her way past – the minimum age 13 requirement for Canadian and international competition. But van Ulft will meet that threshold come the June 22-28 IWF World Youth Championships in Colombia, where she’s eager to test herself alongside the planet’s best under-18 lifters at last. “The goal this year is to go to worlds,” underlines van Ulft. “I was kind of annoyed because I was doing more than the people at worlds or the same amount and I wasn’t allowed to compete.” Weighing in at 44.85 kilograms at December’s Ontario Juvenile, Youth and Junior Weightlifting Championships, van Ulft lifted a combined total of 153 kg for the snatch and clean-and-jerk events, which was 1 kg better than the winning mark in the 45 kg category at last year’s U18 worlds. “Rory’s calibre of weightlifting has been at an international level for the past two years,” signals her coach at the CanAm Barbell Club, Spencer Moorman. “We’ve had to just kind of bide our time and be patient with (the restrictions). “It’s like, ‘Listen, you’re gonna reach there eventually and it’s our job just to be ready when we finally get that opportunity.’” Rory van Ulft. Photo: Dan Plouffe Van Ulft has been training in weightlifting for more than half her life, beginning at the former JustLift facility, which closed during COVID but now has a home at Landmark Strength. Van Ulft initially took up gymnastics next door to Landmark on Iber Rd. at Olympia, and still trains in her first sport for 20 hours a week at Edge Gymnastics in Kanata. Moorman marvels at the dedication of the Frank Ryan Catholic Intermediate School student, who also studies a year above her age in Grade 8. “It’s exciting anytime that she steps onto a platform in a competition,” highlights the past two-time U.S. national champion. “I’ve seen Rory show up to training sessions and you can just tell that with school, with gymnastics, now showing up to a weightlifting training, that she’s just tired, she’s exhausted and just kind of struggling to get through the day. “And then we’ll get to a competition platform, and it’s just a complete 180 turnaround. She couldn’t be more excited, couldn’t have more energy, and these are those kind of days that are really special, because you are in the trenches for so long.” Spencer Moorman and Rory van Ulft. Photo: Dan Plouffe Moorman is eager to see van Ulft emerge from CanAm’s corner unit on Colonnade Rd. in Nepean out into the global spotlight later this year. “Knowing Rory and knowing the progress that we can make, I think Rory’s just gonna be a real problem for everybody else by the time we get to youth worlds,” he indicates, noting that van Ulft can still grow into the 48 kg category they’ve got their eye on. The local crowd was treated to a spectacular scene on a smaller scale at the junior provincials. With athletes appearing as weights were added to the bar, eyes turned as van Ulft entered, ready to attempt to lift more than anyone else in her session, which included mostly competitors in higher categories. She successfully pressed 83 kg and then 87 kg over her head to establish Ontario juvenile, youth and junior records for the event along with her 153 kg total. Van Ulft left with a big bang too as her 90 kg attempt dramatically crashed down on top of her before she quickly jumped up with a smile and a wave. Van Ulft finished first by a long-shot in the competition’s Sinclair rankings, which compares athletes’ performances across weight divisions. A month earlier at the senior provincials in Toronto, van Ulft placed second in the women’s Sinclair rankings, followed by two other local lifters – Kristen Pearn (CanAm) and Katrina Wright (Landmark x JustLift). Landmark x JustLift’s Nicolas Munro was third in the men’s Sinclair rankings and now has his eye on competing internationally.
L.A. 2028 Olympics another target on the horizon
Rory van Ulft. Photo: Dan Plouffe As much as she’s been waiting for the calendar to turn to 2026, 2028 looms even larger for van Ulft. That’s the year she’ll turn 15 and become eligible for senior international competition, and it doubles as an Olympic season. Plans are already in motion to make a push for an appearance at the L.A. 2028 Games and that roadmap included a trip to the Caribbean a week before the junior provincials. Van Ulft has dual Dutch-Canadian citizenship through family lineage, and she intends to compete internationally for the island country of Aruba, which is part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Olympic qualification could become a little more easily attainable for van Ulft in a region without as much representation in international weightlifting. Spencer Moorman and Rory van Ulft. Photo: Dan Plouffe “I think Rory has a really good shot of getting a quota spot and not just being a body (at the Olympics), but also having a real presence there,” Moorman indicates. The Aruba nationals weren’t as strong a performance for van Ulft, who only had one successful lift in both the snatch (64 kg) and clean-and-jerk (84 kg). “It was really nice. They were very welcoming,” van Ulft recounts. “But it’s also super hot there, so it’s hard to focus, and you’re definitely way more tired.” Moorman says it was a valuable experience to face adversity in a setting that wasn’t quite as conducive to top performances as an Ontario event. “There were a lot of compounding things that made that meet tough,” he notes. “It showed a lot of character for her to kind of take that meet on the chin, and to keep her head up and her perspective up, not being down, because that could have easily affected her performance (at junior provincials). “To come and have a good experience here, it couldn’t have been better.”Ottawa showcases sport’s local growth with provincials
2025 Ontario Juvenile Youth Junior Weightlifting Championships at Landmark x JustLift. Photo: Dan Plouffe From her first Ontario junior competition with no more than half a dozen females, Van Ulft was impressed by how many girls are now into weightlifting. There were 29 females entered at the provincials, just shy of the 31 males who all hailed from clubs outside of Ottawa. “I think my favorite part is probably meeting new people that got into weightlifting because of me,” reflects the past Canada’s Got Talent participant who has a half-million followers on the Instagram account devoted to her pursuits. “And I also like winning,” she adds with a laugh. Rory van Ulft folds under her final 90 kg clean-and-jerk attempt. Photo: Dan Plouffe Van Ulft appreciated the chance to compete at a championship meet in her hometown for the first time. “I definitely like it better,” she states. “I don’t have to drive really far and get all tensed up and stuff. I also like being at home because then my family and friends can come and watch.” It’s been more than a dozen years since a provincials was hosted outside of the Toronto area. “This is great,” Moorman echoes. “It really sets the tone for the rest of Ontario that Ottawa has an established weightlifting community now.” Renata Dimo. Photo: Dan Plouffe JustLift head coach Greg Chin understands that the GTA’s population density naturally pulls Ontario sport there, but he’s keen to see provincial competitions move to other sites in order to make it easier to attract new weightlifting participants without adding the extra commitment induced by travel. Rookie Ontario Championships competitor Renata Dimo of Landmark x JustLift has only competed in town thus far. It was just as easy to jump into a provincials as it was for her to get into Olympic weightlifting after first taking up crossfit at Landmark Strength. “I just came to try and fell in love with it,” recalls Dimo, who now trains five times a week. The Grade 9 Sacred Heart Catholic High School student says she also really enjoys the people involved in her sport, who gave her a critical boost at the provincials. Dimo missed the first two attempts at her 52 kg clean-and-jerk lift, but the crowd gave her extra encouragement before her last try and she managed to get on the board. Renata Dimo reacts to her successful lift on her final clean-and-jerk attempt. Photo: Dan Plouffe “It definitely always helps,” she says of the support. “Unfortunately it was less than my 90%, so I know I can do much better.” Behind the curtain, Dimo had missed three more attempts at the weight that was effectively intended as her warm-up, but she came through in the do-or-die scenario. “Yes, I am a performance coach, but what matters more to me is what sport reveals about someone’s character,” Chin highlights. “I told Renata, ‘I’m far more interested in seeing how you act when you’re losing than when you’re winning.’ “I was really, really proud to see that. She wouldn’t quit. She kept fighting.” Landmark x JustLift head coach Greg Chin (left) congratulates Karina Dimo. Photo: Dan Plouffe Dimo saved her place atop the women’s 53 kg division with her 91 kg total, good for 17th overall, while Landmark x JustLift’s Brooke Mayo and Kate Murty recorded ninth and 10th rankings on the Sinclair chart. Dimo’s younger sister Karina won the 40 kg division as the lone entrant in the lightest weight class. “Our juniors are doing really well,” notes Chin, who’s revelled in seeing the camaraderie built between among training partners at Landmark x JustLift. “It’s a team sport in the training environment, but in competition, you’re on your own – it’s you and the bar,” he adds. “Those girls really embody what the sport is about. Something is literally trying to crush you and your job is to find a way anyway. They’re very, very motivated.” Ottawa is set to welcome another weightlifting competition on Jan. 31. The 2026 Landmark x JustLift Winter Open will serve as a qualifying event for future provincial and national championships, and for Chin, it’s another opportunity to showcase the sport that’s been his passion for over 20 years. “The club exists to teach people that they’re better than they believe, that they’re tougher and stronger than they believe,” Chin underlines. “With the barbell in their hands, they’re proving it to themselves. That’s what it’s all about.” HELP SHINE A LIGHT ON LOCAL SPORT! You can offer valuable support for our not-for-profit organization to provide a voice for local sport with a tax-deductible charitable donation to the Ottawa Sports Pages Fund via OCF-FCO.ca/Ottawa-Sports-Pages-Fund today.Related
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