Doug Tran can now officially be called a “master” weightlifter.
Not bad for a 50-year-old doctor who only recently completed his second competition.
Tran, whose competitive weightlifting journey was featured in a recent Naperville Sun story, finished bronze in his weight class for 50- to 54-year-olds at the April 22 National Masters Weightlifting Championships in Salt Lake City. He also earned a bronze medal in the snatch lift.
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It was the culmination of months of training but a hobby he only recently picked up during the pandemic.
The Naperville resident said he was a little nervous at the start of the competition, causing him to miss his first lift, but he was especially proud of his last one, the snatch, where he hoisted a personal record of 196 pounds.
“What I got out of this competition is just trusting the process,” Tran said. “I trained for about 11 weeks prior, setting goals each week on what I wanted to try to achieve in technicality and speed and strength. It was nice to be able to see all that come together at the end of the day.”
For now, he said, “I’m going to work on my golf swing a little bit,” but then start preparing for an upcoming Illinois state weightlifting meet. He’d eventually like to participate in the Pan American games.
Tran, an internal medicine physician with Edward-Elmhurst Health, said coworkers and patients have contacted him since the story came out, with some even asking for weightlifting tips.
“This is going to be something that can get the community moving and getting stronger, which can only benefit our community,” he said.
Giles Bruce is a freelance reporter for the Naperville Sun.