N.L. powerlifter Daniel Moores wins 4 medals at Special Olympics

Daniel Moores, 38, of Corner Brook surprised himself and his family when he brought home three bronze medals and one silver in powerlifting from the Special Olympics World Games in Berlin last month.

Corner Brook athlete has been training for years

Colleen Connors · CBC News · Posted: Jul 20, 2023 4:30 AM EDT | Last Updated: July 20, 2023

A man in his 60s smiles big as he stands next to his 38 year old son. His son is smiling and he has four medals around his neck. — Len Moores, left, and his son Daniel Moores. Daniel recently won four medals at the Special Olympics World Games in Berlin. (Colleen Connors/CBC)

Daniel Moores of Corner Brook surprised himself and his family when he brought home three bronze medals and one silver in powerlifting from the Special Olympics World Games in Berlin last month.

The 38-year-old Moores, who is autistic, has been training for 12 years in the sport and has competed on a national level in the past, but never on the international scale.

"He really enjoys it," said his father, Len Moores.

"A lot of times when he goes out to do his lifts, he has a big smile on his face and after he lifts there are lots of pictures with big smiles on his face. I asked him if he enjoys doing that in front of everyone, and he says yes."

Daniel trains at the Humber Community YMCA in downtown Corner Brook, five days a week, for up to two hours at a time.

Away from home

His father — who was not expecting him to win so many medals — tears up when he talks about his son's most recent major accomplishment.

"He went away for 16 days on his own. That was a big challenge for him and for us," said Len.

"But they sent us pictures of how he was doing and he was really enjoying the experience. I think watching his teammates compete all week — when it was his turn to compete on Friday, he was more than ready to try and show what he is able to do as well."

A man in his 30s is pushing a very heavy weight above his head at a powerlifting competition. His face is grimacing from the pressure. — Daniel Moores competes in the squat category at the Special Olympics World Games. (Special Olympics Canada)

Daniel competed in the squat category, lifting 170 kilograms — a personal best — and won bronze.

Then, he won another bronze medal for his bench pressing, pushing 112.6 kilograms over his head. He won a silver medal for the deadlift category, lifting 180 kilograms, and took home another bronze for overall competition.

"I'm really proud of Daniel for the hard work and success," said his coach and mentor, Jackie Barrett. "I'm really happy that Daniel won four medals. For Daniel, I would say his future looks bright."

Barrett has competed in the worlds before, and trains with Moores at the YMCA.

A man in his 50s smiles. He is large man wearing a dark tshirt. Another man in his 30s is smiling at the camera next to him, wearing four medals around his neck. They are in a workout facility surrounding by exercise equipment. — Jackie Barrett, Moores's coach and mentor, is a competitive powerlifter who trains Moores at the Humber Community YMCA. (Colleen Connors/CBC)

"To get to the top calibre of Special Olympics competition you are dealing with some world-class athletes, and in order to be top class to win the medal, you have to put the commitment in."