Gold Medals Don’t Retire: How Beacon Helps Champions Keep Winning
September 4, 2025
At 77 years old, most people are thinking about slowing down. For Frank Barosky, slowing down isn’t an option. The retired Air Force fighter pilot, environmental professional, and lifelong weightlifter still thrives on competition, and thanks to the physicians at Beacon Orthopaedics & Sports Medicine, he’s not done yet.
Frank’s love for weightlifting began in 1963, when he was a teenage paperboy who happened upon a neighbor training in his backyard. “It was kind of like love at first grip,” Frank recalls. From that day forward, he pursued weight training with passion, competing at the national level in both Olympic-style weightlifting and powerlifting.
But years of training eventually took its toll. Shoulder problems forced Frank to step away from Olympic style lifting in his youth, only to return in his fifties after modern medicine and renewed determination gave him a second chance. It was then that his long relationship with Beacon physicians began.
Dr. Peter Cha repaired his shoulders, correcting a genetic defect that had plagued Frank since his teenage years. “I was amazed,” Frank said. “My shoulders were better than when I was a teenager.”
Later, Dr. Nicole Goddard, one of Beacon’s Primary Care Sports Medicine specialists, helped him manage the aches, pains, and smaller injuries that come with years of heavy lifting. “She was very helpful in keeping me going before anything major came up,” Frank said.
When a torn bicep threatened his training, Frank turned to Beacon once again. Orthopedic surgeon Dr. Drew Burleson performed the repair, getting him back on track with the same mix of precision and encouragement that Frank had come to expect from Beacon physicians. Thanks to that surgery, Frank was able to return to the gym and continue pursuing the lifts he loved.
The Comeback Built on Titanium
Then came the biggest challenge: his hips. By 2023, the pain was so severe that Frank could barely squat. He thought his last competition had come and gone, until he met Dr. Haleem Chaudhary, one of Beacon’s fellowship-trained joint replacement surgeons.
Dr. Chaudhary performed Frank’s right hip replacement in February 2024, and Frank was stunned by the outcome. “I woke up from the surgery, got up, and walked unassisted. No pain. It felt like a miracle.” Later that year, his left hip was replaced with equal success.
Within months, Frank was back to training and competing. At the Ohio Championships in August 2025, he not only returned to the platform but broke all the state records in his division (75–79 years, 88 kg bodyweight). He admits that often he is the only lifter in his weight and age class, which means the gold medal is practically guaranteed. But Frank doesn’t take the easy wins lightly. He still trains, still competes, and still pushes himself to lift more than he did the year before.
Today, Frank continues to train with his eyes on upcoming competitions, including the Arnold Sports Festival in 2026. “At my age, most people just try to slow the decline,” he said. “But I’m optimistic that I can still improve.”
Looking back, Frank says he owes his ability to keep chasing his passion to the Beacon physicians who supported him through each stage of his journey. “Everybody I’ve dealt with at Beacon has just been outstanding. The competence, the professionalism, it’s all top shelf. They’ve given me a new lease on life.”
For Frank, Beacon Orthopaedics wasn’t just about surgery or recovery. It was about staying connected to the sport he loves and proving that age doesn’t have to mean giving up on dreams.
Update: Frank completed in the American Masters Weightlifting Competition in Louisville, KY in December 2025 and received the gold medal in his age/weight division. Frank will be training for the 2026 Masters World Weightlifting Competition, and plans to compete at the Arnold Sports Festival in Columbus, OH in March 2026. Congratulations, Frank!