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Athlete Spotlight: Donald Bryant

Washington, USA | Multnomah County Sheriff Corrections Deputy - Retired

Weightlifter Enjoys Camaraderie as Much as Competition

While every athlete comes to the World Police & Fire Games for the opportunity to compete on an international stage, most also enjoy other aspects of their experience. For six-time participant Donald Bryant, it’s equally the camaraderie and making international friends.

Bryant, a retired Corrections Deputy for Multnomah County in Vancouver, Washington, has faced off with some formidable opponents and emerged with two Gold and four Silver medals. Yet some of his best memories have happened off the mat with his new mates. “One time this big officer was in the locker room, and he took his shirt off. He stood over me at 6'7 or 6'8,” he recalls with a smile. “My friend from Norway ran over to me and said, ‘Look at him Don! He's white as a ghost, pot belly, no definition, he's just a bigger version of you.’ The whole locker room fell out laughing.”

The burly Bryant, 68, has been a weightlifter for 46 years and loves training teens and adults in his sport. This desire to help others goes back to his childhood. “I always wanted to be in law enforcement. I grew up in Chicago and I wanted to be like Officer O'Mally the beat cop in my neighborhood,” he says. “It’s been hard work, but I feel I made a difference in some peoples’ lives.”

The 2025 World Police & Fire Games in Birmingham will bring more WPFG memories. “I will again enjoy seeing my fellow police and fire officers from all over the world that I have made friends with.”

By Del Moon

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