member spotlight
HAC MEMBER
ANTHONY V . FIDANCE JR .
by Sasha Reddy
At 77 years old , Anthony V . Fidance Jr . has become a frequent competitor and familiar face at the Delaware Senior Olympics deadlift , bench press , and press for reps events . He has brought immense strength to the table year after year , setting state records in the 165-pound weight class . And with seventeen gold medals to show for his achievements , he proves a tenacious force to be reckoned with .
Almost 50 years after the end of his navy service , competitive weightlifting was introduced into his life .
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Anthony ’ s dedication to fitness goes way back to his teens . As a youth , his weight lingered around a mere 130 pounds . This meant that joining his high school ’ s football team was not an option . Determined to prove his potential despite his small stature , he joined the Navy in 1957 after completing high school . It was the next four years of Navy training and the motivation of his close friend Ron Machaud that brought weightlifting into his life for good . For the next several decades , Anthony stuck to his military discipline , training diligently to keep his body strong . Finally , almost 50 years after the end of his navy service , competitive weightlifting was introduced into his life .
Now it seems difficult for Anthony to imagine a life without competition . During his first Senior Olympics back in 2010 , Anthony earned one gold medal in the deadlift event , one in the bench press , and one gold medal in press for reps . Since then , he has racked up eighteen medals in total : seventeen gold and one silver . And all those medals are not just for show ; two of Anthony ’ s state records , set in 2012 and 2015 , remain unbroken to this day . He hasn ’ t competed every year since his first event , though . After experiencing a hernia earlier in 2016 , Anthony was unable to compete in the deadlift event this past September , but he maintains high hopes of lifting over 265 pounds this year around .
Anthony ’ s everyday routine has come to revolve around preparing for his next competition . He must pay close attention to diet and take supplements to keep his weight under 165 pounds . This is the difficult part , he explains , as not many men are able