Chilliwack乌鸦传媒檚 Justin Hancock didn乌鸦传媒檛 let pain stop him at last month乌鸦传媒檚 Canadian Arm Wrestling Championships.

The 36-year-old battled through a painful elbow injury, muscling his way to a third place finish and doing far better than he thought he would with a wounded wing.

乌鸦传媒淔rom thinking at one point that I wasn乌鸦传媒檛 even going to be able to compete to hearing my name called for a bronze medal, that was a great feeling,乌鸦传媒� he said.

Hancock tore the bicep tendon in his right arm last year. Surgery and recovery kept him out of the gym for several months.

When he returned to competition, he used his left arm. At a fundraiser tournament in Burnaby in April, Hancock injured that arm too.

There乌鸦传媒檚 video of the match and you can actually hear it happen.

乌鸦传媒淚 was arm wrestling a guy I know, and he hit and I kind of caught his hit and he went with a flop wrist press,乌鸦传媒� Hancock recalled, using some arm wrestling jargon. 乌鸦传媒淲hen he did that, we both heard this 乌鸦传媒榩op pop pop乌鸦传媒� sound in my inner elbow.

乌鸦传媒淲hen I went to provincials one month later I was still feeling pain in the elbow and forearm. I had one match where I didn乌鸦传媒檛 do much of anything. Any time he hit on my arm I felt this click, click, click in my forearm and I pulled out of the competition.乌鸦传媒�

Hancock, who trains with the Vancouver Arm Wrestling Club, got the injury checked out.

乌鸦传媒淭here wasn乌鸦传媒檛 any bruising and I still had movement, so my doctor said, 乌鸦传媒業f it does persist or the pain gets worse we乌鸦传媒檒l send you in for an MRI,乌鸦传媒� he said. 乌鸦传媒淢aking it worse was definitely a concern and that乌鸦传媒檚 why I pulled out of provincials.

乌鸦传媒淚 wanted to make sure that if there was still time to heal that it would be healed by nationals.乌鸦传媒�

When nationals rolled around in mid-July, the three time B.C. champion wasn乌鸦传媒檛 liking his chances.

乌鸦传媒淚 figured I乌鸦传媒檇 try anyways and see what happens,乌鸦传媒� he reasoned. 乌鸦传媒淚f I did feel any major pain I乌鸦传媒檇 have to stop, or let myself get pinned.乌鸦传媒�

The event was held at West Edmonton Mall.

To compete in his desired weight class (100 kilogram), he had to lose four pounds in a hurry.

Any boxer or wrestler or mixed martial artist will tell you weight cuts aren乌鸦传媒檛 easy, but Hancock dropped eight pounds (224 to 218), weighing in at 99kg.

Still plagued by uncertainty, he went into his first match.

He lost, and felt the familiar pain.

乌鸦传媒淚 got put in a position where I was holding, and normally I乌鸦传媒檇 have the strength to get more of an inside position and pull through,乌鸦传媒� he said. 乌鸦传媒淏ut when I tried to do that, I could still feel the issue when he was hitting on my arm.

乌鸦传媒淏ut it wasn乌鸦传媒檛 that bad, so I thought I乌鸦传媒檇 keep going and I started winning some matches.乌鸦传媒�

While the same guy that beat him in the first match got him twice more, Hancock won four matches.

乌鸦传媒淏ut the way it was set up, I wasn乌鸦传媒檛 sure what my placing was and I thought I was maybe fourth or fifth,乌鸦传媒� Hancock said. 乌鸦传媒淲hen they were calling people up for the medals and they called my name for the bronze I was like, 乌鸦传媒榃ow.乌鸦传媒�

乌鸦传媒淚 was not expecting that.乌鸦传媒�

Hancock won bronze at the 2015 nationals, but this was a little more special because he had to fight through a whole lot more.

乌鸦传媒淓ven within a matter of days before nationals, I was saying to my wife that I wasn乌鸦传媒檛 sure I could compete,乌鸦传媒� he said. 乌鸦传媒淚 noticed at the gym doing certain exercises, I still felt a sharp pain when I went over a weight that I could normally do easily.

乌鸦传媒淥n the first day in Edmonton, they started at 10 a.m. and I didn乌鸦传媒檛 end up competing until 3 or 4 p.m., so I was sitting there waiting and watching most of the day with that concern.

乌鸦传媒淲hen I lost that first match I thought, 乌鸦传媒極K. This is how it乌鸦传媒檚 going to go. I乌鸦传媒檓 going to lose three matches and be out.乌鸦传媒�

乌鸦传媒淪o when I got through all of the matches and I received that medal, that was a great feeling.乌鸦传媒�

One wonders how Hancock might have done with a healthy arm.

乌鸦传媒淚t乌鸦传媒檚 hard to say if I would have placed first or not, because the guy who did place first is quite good,乌鸦传媒� Hancock said. 乌鸦传媒淏ut I would have liked my chances of finishing second a lot better.乌鸦传媒�

For full results from nationals, check