Canada poses a real threat to the balance of power in one of weightlifting's most competitive Women's categories, thanks to 19-year-old Charlotte Simoneau.
- Zoom In: On May 3, Simoneau won the Women's 71-kilogram event at the 2025 Youth & Junior World Weightlifting Championships in commanding fashion.
Simoneau's win in Lima, Peru, marked her fourth consecutive international gold medal. She went six-for-six and finished with a personal record — about the best day you could ask for on the platform.
Let's compare Simoneau's trajectory to another athlete who dazzled similarly in her Junior career. As of now, it looks like Simoneau is headed for the Senior international podium and, potentially, an Olympic medal.
Catch Up: 2025 Youth & Junior World Weightlifting Championships Results
Charlotte Simoneau | 2025 Junior World Weightlifting Championships
Simoneau was one of only two athletes in the Women's 71-kilogram event to go six-for-six on the platform:
- Snatch: 106, 109, 111
- Clean & Jerk: 127, 131, 134
- Total: 245
While Simoneau's lifts did fall short of the Junior world records — 115, 147, and 262 from Olivia Reeves — she finished a full 10 kilograms ahead of silver medalist Olivia Selemaia of New Zealand, who also had an all-white-light day.
Consistency seems to be the name of the game for Canada's flourishing Women's team. Simoneau's platform precision echoes teammate and two-time Olympic medalist Maude Charron (2020, 2024), who is known for her bullseye attempt selection and dialed-in technical prowess.
Despite her age, Simoneau already boasts a veteran's resume. She's competed in 13 international meets since 2021, making the podium eight times. Her best total has spiked year-over-year as well:
- 2021: 167@55
- 2022: 190@59
- 2023: 213@64
- 2024: 240@71
- 2025: 245@71
But to get an idea of where Simoneau is going, we need to compare her to her colleagues.
Charlotte Simoneau's Upward Trajectory
There are no true apples-to-apples comparisons between weightlifters. However, we can place two athletes' performances side-by-side and get a rough idea of where they might end up.
Simoneau's trajectory mirrors that of Team USA's Kate Vibert-Davis. Vibert-Davis had a stunning Junior career, culminating in a Senior World title win in 2019 and, two years later, an Olympic silver medal — all in just five years after starting the sport.
- Getting Specific: At roughly the same age as Simoneau (19 years 11 months), Vibert-Davis (20 years, 3 months) won the 2019 Pan-American Weightlifting Championships with an identical 245-kilogram total.
Beyond finishing with identical totals, Simoneau almost perfectly mirrored Vibert-Davis. Simoneau lifted 111 and 134 in the snatch and clean & jerk, while Vibert-Davis hit 110 and 135.
- One Big Thing: The IWF will enact its new weight categories in June. Simoneau is expected to move to the new 69-kilogram division and contend with athletes like USA's powerhouse Reeves, who also hit her first 245-kilogram total at 19.
Two other of the world's best 71-kilogram lifters, Angie Palacios-Dajomes (ECU) and Liao Guifang (CHN), both passed the 245-kilogram mark at age 21; both went on to set world records. Simoneau is ahead of schedule.
Vibert-Davis ended up winning Senior Worlds in 2019 at just 20 years old, bagged silver in Tokyo in the 76-kilogram event in 2021, and set a career-best total of 254@71 in 2023. Based on our napkin math, it looks like Simoneau has the potential to do just as well or better.
You can find Charlotte on Instagram @charlotte.simoneau.
