Daughter. Father. Olympic dream. 19-year old weightlifter Maya Laylor snatching 91 kg/ 200 lbs in this photo, breaking a 21-year old record of 87.5 kg / 193 lbs. Maya went 85 kg, 88kg, 91 kg in the snatch. Then she went on to break the clean and jerk record of 107.5 kg/ 237 lbs with 110 kg/ 242 lbs. She went 105 kg, 110kg and attempted 115kg / 253 lbs; she got the clean but missed the jerk. Maya...
For this particular competition I did not worry or stress about the meet at all. My dad told me it’s not an important one, so I won’t have to lose weight to be in my 69kg weight class. I was happy about that because as you already know, losing weight is not my forte. So, I went on with my usual training, not stressing myself over competition matters. The night before I to a comedic movie at the...
Originally on Thestar.com
Maya Laylor is a shy, soft-spoken teenager with a rather dainty handshake.
But once the weightlifter wraps her pink fingernails around a bar she can throw more weight above her head than NHL hockey players who would loom like giants beside her.
Soon after the Winter Lift, I had received email after email from the Share newspaper which is Canada’s largest ethnic newspaper, The Toronto Star, and CBC news. They all wanted to interview me and hear about my story as a young and upcoming female Olympic weightlifter. The Ward and Al Show on SiriusXM Satellite Radio also contacted me and asked if I will be able to talk on their show this coming...
When CBC contacted me and said they want to interview me for a film they were making called “The New Upcoming Trailblazers” for Our Toronto, I was ecstatic! I couldn’t believe CBC wanted to interview me and feature my story in their black history special airing on February 28! So many things were running through my mind. Surprisingly though, it wasn’t that bad having a huge camera shadow me for...
Three years ago, Maya Laylor took up her father’s suggestion to try weightlifting at a competitive level. Just 16 at the time and still in high school, the teenager figured she had nothing to lose. She loves exercising and would often use Clance Laylor’s downtown gym to work out. “I used to work out at home with kettlebells,” she said. “When my dad asked me one day if I wanted to be a high...
