The 17-year-old took gold at the Sub-Junior Provincial Powerlifting Championships
TIMMINS — A year and a half ago, a Timmins teen was looking for a way to challenge himself at the gym. Now, the 17-year-old has brought home a provincial powerlifting title and is setting his sights on records.
Nicholas Bouchard, a Grade 12 student at École secondaire catholique Thériault, won first place at the Junior and Sub-Junior Provincial Championships in Bowmanville earlier this month.
Bouchard — who competed in the 83-kilogram-and-below weight class — recorded a 415-pound squat, a 305-pound bench press, and a near 500-pound deadlift.
He competed in his first powerlifting meet in May, finishing second.
Bouchard said his interest in strength training began when he was younger and looking to become more active. At first, he was focused on improving his physique, but eventually became more interested in increasing the amount of weight he could lift.
“I enjoyed the feeling of being able to progress the numbers as opposed to progressing the physique,” he said.
He began taking powerlifting more seriously about a year and a half ago.
“It feels like powerlifting is something that I really have a chance at,” he said. “Maybe one day being the best at kind of thing.”
Bouchard trains five days a week, spending roughly two hours in the gym each session. His routine focused on the sport’s three main lifts: squats, bench press and deadlifts.
Following the provincial competition, he also began working with a coach after training independently.
Despite coming down with an illness in the weeks leading up to the championships, Bouchard said he was pleased with his performance.
His 415-pound squat improved by 17.5 kilograms over his previous competition. He was particularly pleased with his bench press, which was the heaviest paused repetition he had successfully completed in competition.
For Bouchard, the competition was the culmination of months of preparation.
“It was a year straight of consistent powerlifting, and it all leads up to nine minutes of action,” he said, referring to the three attempts athletes get for each of the three lifts.
“It’s a crazy feeling because all your hard work can be summarized in nine minutes.”
He said he realized he had won after completing his final deadlift attempt. He stepped into the hallway and became emotional as he began messaging family and friends.
“I was like, we did it, guys, we won this,” he said. “It wasn’t just my win, you know.”
Representing Timmins was also important to Bouchard, who said he feels a strong connection to the community because of the support his family received during difficult financial circumstances when he was younger.
He said he wanted to recognize that support and show that people from the community are accomplishing things worth celebrating.
“I feel very proud to be representing the community that helped us through our rough times,” he said.
Bouchard is already looking ahead to his next competition in 2027.
He hopes to work with his coach toward provincial and national bench press records.
Longer term, he wants to become a recognized competitor in Canada’s powerlifting community and eventually reach the top of the sport.
In the meantime, he said he is grateful to the family and friends who have helped him get to competitions and encouraged him along the way.
“Without that support system, I wouldn’t be able to go to these competitions, or I wouldn’t have the drive to go to these competitions,” he said.
