Weightlifter Boady Santavy was the first Canadian to sign for the Enhanced Games, the controversial competition set to take place in Las Vegas in May.
Read on to discover three interesting facts about the double-Olympian.
He comes from a weightlifting family
Boady Santavy’s weightlifting success was probably somewhat inevitable, given his family history.
His grandfather, Bob Santavy, competed for Canada at the 1968 and 1976 Olympic Games and medaled at the Pan American Games.
And his father, Dalas Santavy, was also an international competitor and later became a national-team coach.
He’s a truly world-class athlete
Boady Santavy debuted internationally at the 2015 Pan American Games in the 85kg class, later moving up to 94kg and 96kg.
He steadily progressed throughout his career, ultimately breaking Canadian and Commonwealth records. He won silver at the 2019 Pan American Games and also medaled at the Pan American Championships.
His standout performance on the world stage came at the 2021 World Championships in Tashkent, where he earned silver in the snatch in the 96kg division, finishing fifth overall – the first World Championships medal for a Canadian man in decades.
Boady Santavy is a two-time Olympian
Santavy represented Canada at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games (held in 2021). Competing in the men’s 96kg event, he finished fourth overall, missing the podium by just one kilogram despite lifting the heaviest snatch of all the competitors.
He qualified again for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, this time in the men’s 89kg event after adjustments to weight classes in international competition.
Santavy was unable to register a total, placing ninth in the snatch portion and failing to complete a clean and jerk due to injury.
SEE ALSO: 2026 Enhanced Games: When, Where, and Who’s Competing?
