Hot weather and bad event organization made for a less than ideal situation at this past weekend's World University Weightlifting Championships in Villeneuve-Loubet, France.

Despite all of the Outside factors, Yukoner Jeane Lassen proved she's not only a good athlete, but mentally tough as well, bringing home three gold medals in the 69-kilogram weight class.

'It was really, really bad conditions,' said Lassen in an interview from Montreal this morning, where she lives and trains during the school year. 'It was super hot and I thought it would be better organized than it was. The transportation was horrible, and they didn't have a scale at our hotel, which is a pretty big thing.'

In fact, not having a scale in the hotel may have affected Lassen's performance at the championships. She snatched 94 kg and clean & jerked 122 kg for a total of 216 kg, but both lifts were five kilos below personal bests. Lassen had just completed a one month training stint in Fiji in Australia, and was right on her weight when she left.

'I left Australia on a Sunday and wasn't able to make a scale until Thursday,' she explained. 'I had some problems with my weight because of this. I ended up two kilos over on Thursday, but luckily I didn't have to compete until Saturday, so it wasn't too bad.'

Still, Lassen ended up losing too much weight three kilos and that probably had an impact, said her coach, Simon Demers.

'What's clear is that Jeane could have been almost one kilo heavier, so that could have affected her performance,' he stated.

'It's just annoying, because it's such a small but important thing (having a scale),' added Lassen.

Usually, she said, athletes keep track of their weight on a daily basis around the competition, so they know what they can eat and how much water to consume each day. Lassen also admitted living in hotels for the past month made it hard to keep good nutrition habits before the competition. Still, she certainly won't turn her nose up at three gold medals.

'I didn't lift what I could have lifted,' said said. 'The team in general, we didn't have many successful attempts. It's kind of a perfectionist thing. We always want to do our best, but it's the end result that counts.'

Demers said it was hard for Lassen to stay motivated at the championships, since she was so far in front of the competition. But, he said, she did very well considering.

'I haven't had a chance to see her train lately, because she's been in Australia, but her technique is fine. There were a lot of external factors that affected her.'

With those three new medals to add to her total, Lassen believes she may now be the most decorated athlete in the world in the university competition. Two years ago, she read in a magazine that she had one of the highest medal counts at the championships when she had nine. The three silvers last year and the three gold this year make 15, which should put her on top, although she hasn't heard anything official.

When asked how many medals she now holds in all international competitions, Lassen estimated 30, although she admitted she doesn't tend to keep them all. Instead, she gives them to officials from the Canadian Weightlifting Federation (CWF) and the youngsters who train at her gym, Les Geants de Montreal.

'It's always nice to get that medal when you first win it,' she said. 'But after that, you remember the memories more than anything.'

If Demers has his say in the matter, Lassen will have many more memories in weightlifting over the coming years. He's only been Lassen's official coach for three months, but has been helping her with her training program for the past three years, so he sees the potential that even now lies within the veteran athlete.

'Jeane had been training for a long time alone in the Yukon, so just by herself she's a great athlete. What I can do as a coach is keep her in a highly motivated state for competitions and also help her with training programs, writing them up. That way, she doesn't have to worry about anything but getting ready for the competition.

'That was the problem she had with other coaches in the past she had to do her own training programs.'

The first order in training for the next few months is a bit of a break from the gym. In a sport that doesn't really have an off season, Lassen said, you need to get creative with some other things you can do in the summer, just to get out of the same room. With things like biking and sprints on the agenda, Lassen will still go to the gym a couple of times a week, but not eight or nine times a week like she has been lately.

Demers agreed that Lassen needs a break, pointing out her next big event will be the senior world championships in November, where she could possibly qualify for the Commonwealth Games. Athletes can qualify up until the end of December.

The 2006 Commonwealth Games will be held in Melbourne, Australia, and after her time training in the country last month, Lassen has been invited back to train for a couple of weeks prior to the Games. That way she can get acclimatized.

Right now, there are three spots open on the Canadian women's weightlifting team for the Games, although there could be up to five spots by December. Lassen is ranked second on the team, behind Olympian Maryse Turcotte. While being number two would be good enough to qualify, Demers has a higher goal in mind.

'If all goes well, Jeane could be the best female athlete on the team,' he said. 'And if that happens, I get to go as the head coach of the Canadian women's team. Maryse Turcotte is a strong contender for being the best female on the team, so Jeane will have to do better than her (in competitions leading up to the Games).

'Only one coach for three women will go and it will be the coach from the best athlete.'

If Lassen makes the team for the Commonwealth Games, she won't be the only Yukoner at the event in Australia. Her mother, Moira, who is the secretary general of the CWF, has been invited to take part in the Games as a technical official.

Moira was team manager at the 2002 Games in Manchester, where fellow Yukoner Scott McCarthy won two bronze medals. Although McCarthy is now retired from competition, Jeane and Moira may also be joined by teammate and Yukoner Emily Quarton.

'If either of them make the team, I hopefully won't officiate their sessions,' said Moira. 'It's far too nerve-racking. I may have to work for Em's session, but I think the organizers would understand my preference not to work Jeane's.'

Quarton competed in the 63 kilogram class at the university championships last weekend, snatching 77 kg and clean & jerking 103 kg, for a total of 180 kg. It was Quarton's best performance in a competition, which counted as a qualification for November's world championships in Qatar.