Meet Powerlifting athletes, Sophia Allen and Cameron Gordon

This weekend Special Olympics PEI has 2 Powerlifting athletes competing at the PEI Powerlifting Association’s Provincial Championships. Sophia Allen and Cameron Gordon will be representing Special Olympics Team PEI at this Provincial Games event.

Sophia Allen

Sophia has been participating in Powerlifting with Special Olympics PEI for 4 years. Following in her sister’s footsteps, she started lifting in high school at Francois Buote. The school’s coach, Mitchell Cassie thought Sophia would be a great fit for the sport, which Sophia fell in love with thanks to his guidance and support.

Reflecting on the Provincial Championships, a highlight for Sophia is always getting to see her friends from the PEI Powerlifting Association. Sophia was equally excited to have her Special Olympics Team PEI Powerlifting coach, Ellen Murphy, encouraging her along the way.

Powerlifting runs in the Sophia’s family. In addition to her sister, both of Sophia’s parents compete in Powerlifting. In fact, her dad, Richard Allen, also competed at the Provincial Championships in the Masters 4 division this weekend.  Sophia very much looks up to her sister, Katelynn, wanting a get a medal and wear the Maple Leaf singlet like her.  Katelynn has been a great support to Sophia, helping her to train. When Katelynn competed at the Worlds in 2022 in Tukey, Sophia cheered her on from home.

In 2024 it was finally Sophia’s chance to wear that Maple Leaf singlet when she competed at the International North American meet in the Special Olympics division. In a field of 30 Special Olympics lifters, Sophia was the only Canadian. With support and cheers of here fellow lifters, Sophia had a fantastic competition, earning a silver medal in the All Around.

Looking ahead to the potential opportunity to represent PEI at the Special Olympics Canada Summer Games, Sophia’s mother, Faith MacIntyre reflects on how far Sophia has come: “Sophia has grown a lot from when she first started competing (in other sports) with Special Olympics. She has been to a few Special Olympics Provincial Games now, and is building her independence to her ability. National Games could be where she is going. Sophia thrives on Special Olympics competitions, and really enjoys being apart of it.

Cameron Gordon

Cameron has been Powerlifting for 11 years. His vast experience has seen him compete in over 25 meets, all across Canada. At competitions from St. John’s to Vancouver, Cameron has earned over 65 medals, over half of which are gold!

Cameron tells of how the sport makes him feel good, and how he is happy to be able to inspire others to be strong. He encourages others to join Special Olympics too. Cameron’s message: “You just need to believe in yourself”.