Laura “Lu” O’Keefe can officially call herself a regional powerlifting champ.
The Whistlerite hefted a total of 332.5 kilograms at the Western Canadian Powerlifting Championship on Oct. 1 in Saskatoon, Sask., including a 145 kg deadlift and 112.5 kg back squat. She was especially pleased with her 75 kg bench press, as it was the first time she’d ever benched with a red plate on both sides of the barbell in competition.
O’Keefe also registered a Good Lifts score of 80.19. This metric is essentially a strength-to-weight coefficient, and it ranked her third among all masters women in the field.
“And that’s it, 2026 meets are done! As I’ve shared, I have since registered to compete in [Canadian Nationals] in 2027, and I’m sure February will be here quickly enough!” O’Keefe wrote on social media. “All things considered, I’m really stoked with my progress and growth this year. In, and out of the gym. However, I think mostly I’m just honestly really proud of myself and am surprised once again, proving I’m made of tougher stuff. The horrors persist, but man, so have I.
“I have literally zero expectation of what is next. I’m not fixated on a total goal, or what anyone else is doing. I’m not inspired to compete because I’m ‘competitive’. I just want to stay in my lane, enjoying the journey and what the lessons strength training has taught me. Mainly, my frequent mantra of, ‘you can do hard things.’ And that applies to so many areas of my life. It’s building confidence, self-respect, and trust in myself and the ‘process’. As a woman over 40 who has worked since I was 13, multiple countries, various industries, traveled extensively, had a baby during the COVID years, lost family, lost friends, started a business, the list goes on…I’m wholly in my ‘I don’t have any [expletive] to give’ era as I enter perimenopause.”
Click here to view O’Keefe’s results and more from Western Canadians.
