The Canadian weightlifting team has potentially qualified two women for the 2008 Olympic Summer Games in Beijing, based on their performances at the senior world weightlifting championships this past week.

The 2007 senior worlds were held in Chiang Mai, Thailand from Sept. 16-26.

Yukon weightlifter Jeane Lassen led the charge for Canada, breaking a national record in the women's 69-kilogram class for her snatch of 105 kg. Lassen also clean and jerked 128 kg for a total of 233, which was good enough for sixth place overall.

Another top-10 finish for Canada was posted by Christine Girard in the 63-kg class. Girard snatched 95 kg and clean and jerked 126 for a total of 221 kg.

The Canadians won't know until competition ends tomorrow whether they have officially qualified two female lifters for the Games, but it would be the first time in history if that happens. It's possible they could have even earned three spots.

Meanwhile, on the men's side Francis Luna-Grenier took down two Canadian junior records during his performance in the 69-kg class. Luna-Grenier snatched 127 kg and clean and jerked 162 for a total of 289. Both the clean and jerk and total were junior records.

The previous records 161 in the clean and jerk and a total of 288 were set by Luna-Grenier himself at the junior world championships in Prague last June.

The Montreal lifter ended up 33rd overall in a field of 62 competitors in Thailand.

'My weight class was the biggest one. It was crazy competition,' said Luna-Grenier, back at home Monday. 'The rankings were very close. If I would have lifted one kilo more, I would have gained five ranks, from 33rd to 28th.'

Luna-Grenier said he was hoping to lift a little more, but considering some issues he had with making weight, he's pretty happy with the result.

On the day of his weigh-in, which was scheduled for 7 p.m., he woke up weighing 73-kg.

'So I had four kilos to lose in about 10 hours. It was a pretty rough day in the sauna. But I was able to perform and meet my best total.'

Despite his personal best, the Canadian men's weightlifting team is in tough to even earn one Olympic berth. They haven't done it yet and the Continental Championships next March will be their last chance.

Luna-Grenier said his goal is to stay the top male senior lifter in the country, which he accomplished in Thailand.

Other Canadian results at the world weightlifting championships were as follows:

Women

48 kg Class

Maryse Turcotte, 17th

53 kg Class

Marilou Dozois-Prevost, 26th

58-kg Class

Jacinthe Deschenes, 28th

63 kg Class

Tania Whalen, 24th

69-kg Class

Marie-Eve Beauchemin-Nadeau, 23rd

Men

62-kg Class

Jasvir Singh, 32nd

85-kg Class

Serge Tremblay, 38th

94-kg Class

Sacha Amede, DNF

105-kg Class

Akos Sandor, 16th

The coaches for the Canadian squad were Guy Greavette, Pierre Bergeron and Simon Marcil-Demers.

Paul Barrett served as team leader.

After the closing of the 2007 senior world championships on Sept. 26, the next world championships will be the junior event in June 2008, which will take place in Whitehorse (www.2008jwwc.com).

'It is exciting that weightlifting is becoming such a recognized sport in our country,' said Moira Lassen, secretary general of the Canadian Weightlifting Federation and president of the 2008 Junior World Championships Host Society.

'The ongoing successes of our women's team and the successful hosting of the 2000 university worlds in Montreal and the 2003 senior world championships in Vancouver will complement the 2008 junior worlds in Whitehorse.

'This also keeps up the momentum for our team going to the Beijing Olympic Games.'