Gladiator family: Chicago police officer, sons triumph at Las Vegas weightlifting competition

OAK LAWN, Ill. — Weightlifting continues to be a way of life for one veteran Chicago police officer and now he’s passing that love on to his sons.  

At LA Fitness in Oak Lawn, you’ll likely find Gladiators in the form of Tommy Harrison, his son Tommy, who goes by Tre, and his younger brother Timothy. The blood, sweat, and tears each have invested in this small corner of Chicagoland recently paid off big time under the big lights of Las Vegas: newly crowned champions at the 2024 World Association of Benchers and Deadlifters. 

Harrison, a 51-year-old CPD veteran, introduced his sons to weightlifting in their early elementary school years to spend time with them and make them strong inside and out. 

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“Weight training, it does a lot — mentally, physically, and emotionally — if you are stronger, you are more confident,” Harrison said.

At the annual competition, the Harrisons were an unstoppable force of nature.

• Tre deadlifted 314 pounds to set a new world record in the Special Olympian category. 
• Timothy deadlifted 407 pounds and bench-pressed 275 pounds. They are both new world records. 
• Tommy Jr. set a new all-time bench press record of 925.9 pounds. 

Timothy said that while he gets nervous, he learned early in his weightlifting journey that life can be unfair—one day, you’re stronger than ever, and then another, you’re not.

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“That’s how life goes,” the young Timothy said. “When you’re down on your knees, you got to get up. A true failure stays on their knees. They don’t just get up. So, if you’re a winner, you get back up on your feet and you keep pushing.” 

Tommy and other like-minded dads formed a weightlifting club called Gladiators, which aims to involve kids and help them stay on the right track. 

“We have all these kids, junior Gladiators and we have meets throughout the year in the city of Chicago,” Harrison said. “This gives kids something to aim for. To start at this level, and then when they see consistency, it’s just like with anything in life, as long as you consistent and you follow the program, whatever it is that you are trying to do is going to happen.”

So, the question is, will the Harrisons try to retain their crowns in 2025? For the moment, the trio says they are enjoying a well-deserved victory lap.