Russel "Russ" Prior (July 11, 1949 – February 17, 2017)[2] was a Canadian weightlifter, who represented Canada at international competitions.
Born in Hamilton, Ontario,[2] Prior first became interested in weightlifting at the age of 15, after reading about the lifting performance of a local resident in a newspaper. His father built a gym in their house's basement, and Prior won multiple events at the CANUSA Games. Three times – in 1970, 1974, and 1978 – Prior won gold medals at the Commonwealth Games, along with those titles, he earned three Pan American Games gold medals.[3] After not being able to compete at the 1972 Summer Olympics due to a back injury,[3] he won the bronze medal in the 110 kg snatch at the 1976 World Weightlifting Championships, lifting 167.5 kg. He participated at the 1976 Summer Olympics in the 110 kg event,[4] and is credited with a ninth-place finish.[2] In 1978, Prior became the Commonwealth record-holder in the 110+ kg clean and jerk, by successfully lifting 210.5 kg.[5] Prior retired from the sport and moved to Winnipeg, where he became a high school teacher.[3]
^ abcFitz-Gerald, Tony (27 September 2000). "Tired of weighting; Hamilton Olympian Russ Prior is happy to live his life in obscurity". The Hamilton Spectator. p. C4.
