Northern Ont. athlete places first at Strongwoman World Championships

Northern Ontario athlete Breanne Tessier took home first place at the Strongwoman World Championships earlier this month in Columbus, Ohio.

While she’s a champion today, Tessier said she has overcome several challenges in her life, including drug addiction.

“From doing 20 Percocets a day for almost two years to winning a world championship, that’s a huge 180,” she said.

Tessier grew up in Terrace Bay playing sports, but stopped when she left post-secondary school. That’s when her struggle with addiction began. In 2020, she was introduced to Strongman competitions but didn’t take them seriously until she got sober three years later.

“I think we had the regionals in Elliot Lake,” she said.

“The atmosphere was amazing. Like, I cannot describe the strongman atmosphere to anybody. It is so crazy, like the vibe, the confidence, the energy in there is unreal.”

Tessier won regionals and has now gone on to win on the world stage – and has even broken world records.

“I did actually recently set a world record for the log … and that one was 167 pounds,” she said.

“I also do hold the world record for … the axle deadlift. So that is 374 pounds. I weigh 125 – like, I’m almost hitting four times my body weight.”

Tessier said if her story inspires even one person, that is her goal.

As for competitions, she’s preparing for regionals later this spring and will continue her strongwoman journey as long as her body allows.

“I’ve only been sober, like, three years now. So, you can turn things around so quickly. Like, you just have to work at it,” Tessier said.