Beyond the Mat: Meet Ray Fougnier, the 79-year-old Powerlifter Who Just Set 27 World Records
11/07/2022
In honor of Native American Heritage Month, the AAU is proud to spotlight Fougnier’s story. Fougnier is a member of the Oneida Indian Nation.
By Kelsey Burr
LAS VEGAS (November 7, 2022) – At 79 years old, Ray Fougnier isn’t slowing down – in fact, he’s taking the AAU Strength Sports world by storm.
At the 2022 AAU World Powerlifting, Weightlifting and Feats of Strength Championships in early October, Fougnier broke 27 world records and took home eight gold medals. He was named both the AAU Powerlifting Senior Male Athlete of the Year and the AAU Strength Sports Overall Male Athlete of the Year – the latter including all competitors, regardless of age. He’s even been featured in a Men’s Health magazine article.
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Fougnier’s powerlifting journey started about 10 years ago, at the age of 70, which he admits “is a bit unusual.” A stranger, who happened to be a retired powerlifter, watched as Fougnier was working out in a gym, and later approached him and asked if he’d ever considered powerlifting. He hadn’t, at that time.
“About a month or two later, I said ‘maybe I will check it out.’ It sounded interesting and might be a challenge,” Fougnier said. “When I was young, I had thought about doing the Olympic weight lifting, but it never happened. Life got in the way.”
Fougnier ended up winning his very first event, and from then on, he was hooked. It wasn’t just the powerlifting – it was that he had a desire to stay as fit and healthy as possible. Both of his parents were sick during their retirement years, preventing them from taking advantage of their new free time.
“I said, ‘I really don’t want to have that happen to me and my family.’ So, I made a vow to myself that I would stay in shape when I entered my retirement years. I wanted to enjoy that period of time,” Fougnier said.
Everything Fougnier does is with intention. He’s a goal-setter who makes detailed six-month training plans for himself. The 27 world records he broke at the AAU World Championships were no accident.
“Most (of the 27) were my own. When I turned 75 (75-79 is the age group breakdown), I looked at the records at that point and said ‘ok, I can set these records.’ I wanted to then increase those records as I went up through the years, so that by the time I was 79, I would be able to have a great weekend. So, I planned it that way. I plan ahead,” Fougnier explained. “I’ve already been looking at the records of the 80-year-olds.”
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While breaking world records is an incredible accomplishment, Fougnier says one of the proudest aspects of his powerlifting career is being able to represent the Oneida Indian Nation, of which he’s a member, on a national and international stage.
“My grandmother, my aunt and uncle worked very diligently to get the Oneida Indian Nation established and recognized in New York. There’s been some great success with that,” Fougnier said.
“The Oneida Indian Nation is proud to sponsor Fougnier at powerlifting events across the country as a strong advocate for his inspiring mission to promote healthy living and exercise for Native Americans of every age,” said Oneida Indian Nation in a press release.
Fougnier hopes his legacy will leave a positive mark on the lives of Native Americans. He’s talked with Martin Drake, Chairman of AAU Strength Sports, about establishing programs for Native American youth.
“Native youth in the Midwest and southwest, where they’re located on rather isolated reservations, have limited opportunities to get involved in things like this. I would like to be able to see if we can accommodate and present some strategies for programs,” Fougnier said.
His heritage is important to him – and teaching is something he has a lot of experience in. He was the first director for the American Indian Program at Cornell University, and also served as a teacher and administrator through the years at various school districts.
Fougnier’s advice for anyone who wants to get involved with strength sports is to have a plan.
“You need to be consistent. You need to work at it very hard, and it can pay off. The shape that I’m in now… it’s really kind of outstanding in terms of my age,” Fougnier said.
Native American Heritage Month celebrates the rich histories, diverse cultures and traditions, and important contributions of our nation’s Indigenous people. For the Oneida Indian Nation, Native American Heritage Month provides an opportunity to teach new generations of Americans the role that the Oneida people played in the founding of America. Learn more from the Oneida Indian Nation here.
LAS VEGAS (November 7, 2022) – At 79 years old, Ray Fougnier isn’t slowing down – in fact, he’s taking the AAU Strength Sports world by storm.
At the 2022 AAU World Powerlifting, Weightlifting and Feats of Strength Championships in early October, Fougnier broke 27 world records and took home eight gold medals. He was named both the AAU Powerlifting Senior Male Athlete of the Year and the AAU Strength Sports Overall Male Athlete of the Year – the latter including all competitors, regardless of age. He’s even been featured in a Men’s Health magazine article.
Fougnier’s powerlifting journey started about 10 years ago, at the age of 70, which he admits “is a bit unusual.” A stranger, who happened to be a retired powerlifter, watched as Fougnier was working out in a gym, and later approached him and asked if he’d ever considered powerlifting. He hadn’t, at that time.
“About a month or two later, I said ‘maybe I will check it out.’ It sounded interesting and might be a challenge,” Fougnier said. “When I was young, I had thought about doing the Olympic weight lifting, but it never happened. Life got in the way.”
Fougnier ended up winning his very first event, and from then on, he was hooked. It wasn’t just the powerlifting – it was that he had a desire to stay as fit and healthy as possible. Both of his parents were sick during their retirement years, preventing them from taking advantage of their new free time.
“I said, ‘I really don’t want to have that happen to me and my family.’ So, I made a vow to myself that I would stay in shape when I entered my retirement years. I wanted to enjoy that period of time,” Fougnier said.
Everything Fougnier does is with intention. He’s a goal-setter who makes detailed six-month training plans for himself. The 27 world records he broke at the AAU World Championships were no accident.
“Most (of the 27) were my own. When I turned 75 (75-79 is the age group breakdown), I looked at the records at that point and said ‘ok, I can set these records.’ I wanted to then increase those records as I went up through the years, so that by the time I was 79, I would be able to have a great weekend. So, I planned it that way. I plan ahead,” Fougnier explained. “I’ve already been looking at the records of the 80-year-olds.”
While breaking world records is an incredible accomplishment, Fougnier says one of the proudest aspects of his powerlifting career is being able to represent the Oneida Indian Nation, of which he’s a member, on a national and international stage.
“My grandmother, my aunt and uncle worked very diligently to get the Oneida Indian Nation established and recognized in New York. There’s been some great success with that,” Fougnier said.
“The Oneida Indian Nation is proud to sponsor Fougnier at powerlifting events across the country as a strong advocate for his inspiring mission to promote healthy living and exercise for Native Americans of every age,” said Oneida Indian Nation in a press release.
Fougnier hopes his legacy will leave a positive mark on the lives of Native Americans. He’s talked with Martin Drake, Chairman of AAU Strength Sports, about establishing programs for Native American youth.
“Native youth in the Midwest and southwest, where they’re located on rather isolated reservations, have limited opportunities to get involved in things like this. I would like to be able to see if we can accommodate and present some strategies for programs,” Fougnier said.
His heritage is important to him – and teaching is something he has a lot of experience in. He was the first director for the American Indian Program at Cornell University, and also served as a teacher and administrator through the years at various school districts.
Fougnier’s advice for anyone who wants to get involved with strength sports is to have a plan.
“You need to be consistent. You need to work at it very hard, and it can pay off. The shape that I’m in now… it’s really kind of outstanding in terms of my age,” Fougnier said.
Native American Heritage Month celebrates the rich histories, diverse cultures and traditions, and important contributions of our nation’s Indigenous people. For the Oneida Indian Nation, Native American Heritage Month provides an opportunity to teach new generations of Americans the role that the Oneida people played in the founding of America. Learn more from the Oneida Indian Nation here.
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