Northwestern Ontario

A Dryden resident will be inducted into the Northwestern Ontario Sports Hall of Fame tomorrow. (Saturday, September 27th)

This week we have been taking a close look at the Class of 2019 and today we feature Paul Wragg.

Hall of Fame Executive Director Diane Imrie says Wragg was a dominant power lifter.

“He set records. He set world records and he always came with Gold, including from two of the Special Olympics World Summer Games.”

Imrie says “At the 1999 competition that was held in North Carolina, he won three Gold, and in Dublin in 2003, he also won three Gold’s. Just an amazing athlete. So we are very proud to be recognizing him.”

She says Wragg is the most decorated Special Olympic athlete in northwestern Ontario.

All Hall of Fame inductees are nominated.

Here is the submitted resume for Dryden’s Paul Wragg:

Special Olympic athlete Paul Wragg took up the sport of powerlifting as a teenager when a friend introduced him to powerlifting coach Ray Musely in his hometown of Atikokan.
That was the beginning of a relationship that would last for more than a decade and produce a two-time world champion!
Under Musely’s tutelage, Paul trained three times a week, first in the basement of a local arcade, then in the Atikokan Moose Hall.
Paul had no local competition, but travelled across to province to compete, accompanied by his manager Albert Clement.
Armed with a positive attitude and dogged perseverance he quickly shot up the ranks among Ontario powerlifters.
Though he stood just five feet tall, and weighed 57 kg., Paul had a big heart and was driven to succeed. And succeed he did!

Competing in the 60 kg. weight class, Paul qualified to represent Northwestern Ontario in the 1997 Special Olympics Ontario Summer Games in Chatham, advancing to National Games a year later. There he continued to establish himself among the nation’s premier powerlifters. At the 1998 nationals in Sudbury, Paul qualified to represent Canada at the 1999 Special Olympics World Summer Games in Raleigh, North Carolina. These games featured 7,000 athletes from more than 100 countries. At the age of 22, Paul won gold medals in the dead lift (150 kg.) and the bench press (102 kg). To put the latter result into perspective, the current Ontario high school record for this event is 106 kg. In addition, Paul was awarded the gold medal as the best overall lifter in the competition. Upon his return from the World Games, Paul received a full police escort from Thunder Bay to Atikokan where he was treated to a hero’s welcome. The town of Atikokan later erected a sign welcoming visitors to “Atikokan, the home of Paul Wragg.”

In 2000, at a gala ceremony held in Toronto, Paul Wragg was named Special Olympics Ontario Male Athlete of the Year.

Paul repeated his performance at the 2003 Special Olympics World Games held in Dublin, Ireland. These games held special significance since they were largest ever held up to that time, featuring athletes from 168 countries. They were also the first Special Olympics World Summer Games ever held outside the United States. The opening ceremonies, held in Dublin’s Croce Park, attracted 80,000 spectators and a global television audience. Nelson Mandela declared the games officially open.

Now 26, Paul again swept the medals and won best overall lifter, with a bench press of 90.237 kg. and a dead lift of 128.910 kg. His combined total of 219.147 kg. placed him 95 kg. ahead of the silver medallist from Poland.

Having accomplished virtually everything he could in his sport, Paul retired from competition after the 2003 World Games.

Paul Wragg is a remarkable athlete who represented Special Olympics and all it stands for with dignity and pride.