Powerlifting stands as a testomony to human power, resilience, and focus. Athletes check their limits in three core lifts: the squat, the bench press, and the deadlift. Every lifter should safe a sound try in every class to compile a complete rating.
Competitions are tense and exact, the place a single missed raise can erase a competitor’s standing. The game calls for not simply bodily prowess however unwavering psychological fortitude.
For girls in powerlifting, the journey is each an athletic pursuit and a problem to societal perceptions of power. Their record-breaking lifts do greater than push private boundaries; they redefine expectations for feminine athletes worldwide.
1. Wendy Chan
This Australian athlete has established herself as a high lifter within the 48kg class. On the 2020 Oceania Powerlifting Championships, she set information with a 136kg squat, a 168kg deadlift, and a 380kg complete.
Her lifts stood as each a testomony to her method and her preparation. Nonetheless, Wendy’s record-breaking didn’t begin or finish there.
Earlier in her profession, on the 2017 Oceania Powerlifting Championships, Wendy competed as a Junior lifter at a body weight of 46.65kg. She went 9-for-9, setting Junior World Data within the squat (132.5kg), deadlift (150kg), and complete (355.5kg). Her Wilks Rating of 480.6 at that meet highlighted her excellent strength-to-weight ratio.
| Occasion | Report |
| Squat | 136kg (Senior) |
| Squat (Junior) | 132.5kg |
| Bench (Commonplace) | 90kg |
| Bench (Junior) | 73kg |
| Deadlift | 168kg (Senior) |
| Deadlift (Junior) | 150kg |
| Whole | 380kg (Senior) |
| Whole (Junior) | 355.5kg |
| Wilks Rating (Junior) | 480.6 |
Chan’s consistency and willpower display that champions are constructed over years of competitors and progress. She transitioned from Junior to Senior classes whereas sustaining high performances.
Her information function a blueprint for the subsequent era of lifters, particularly within the Asia-Pacific area, the place she has impressed many to enter the game.
2. Elizabeth Craven
The achievements within the 53kg class are nothing wanting spectacular. Holding the squat document at 157kg and the deadlift document at 185kg, she has achieved a mixed complete of 427kg. These information, set in Virginia Seaside in 2018, display constant excellence and mastery within the sport of powerlifting.
She holds the squat document at 157 kg and the deadlift document at 185 kg, leading to a complete of 342 kg mixed. These information had been set in Virginia. Febrose Tsiode’s outstanding 110kg bench press at simply 17 years previous additionally provides to the importance of this class. Nonetheless, Craven’s legacy extends past these numbers.
In August 2023, Craven added one other spotlight to her lifting profession by setting a brand new IPF World Report within the -52kg uncooked no-wraps class on the Pacific Invitational in Sydney, Australia. She squatted 155.5kg with out wraps, marking the best squat recorded on this class throughout all federations.
This achievement positioned her firmly on the high of the -52kg girls’s rankings in Australia and globally. Craven’s document got here after months of exhausting work, having narrowly missed the document with a 154kg squat on the Arnold Basic earlier that yr. Her willpower to return stronger paid off, leaving her mark in powerlifting historical past.
| Occasion | Report |
| Squat (53kg class) | 157kg |
| Deadlift | 185kg |
| Bench | 110kg |
| Whole | 427kg |
| Squat (-52kg uncooked, no-wraps) | 155.5kg |
Craven’s journey reveals how persistence, strategic coaching, and competitors expertise can result in world information. Her focus is on holding information and claiming a world championship.
Along with her current squat document and place among the many world’s top-ranked lifters, Craven is ready to proceed pushing the boundaries.
3. Jess Sewastenko
Dominance within the 58kg class comes by a 193kg deadlift and a 436kg complete, set in Sydney in 2019. These achievements underline her spectacular power and ability in powerlifting.
Sewastenko later shifted focus to weightlifting, however her powerlifting information stay a benchmark of what’s attainable on this class. The power to adapt between sports activities speaks to her broad athletic functionality and willpower.
| Raise Kind | Weight (kg) |
| Squat | 160 (Commonplace) |
| Bench | 120 |
| Deadlift | 193 |
| Whole | 436 |
Her lifts signify greater than uncooked power—they display an athlete’s deep understanding of steadiness, method, and timing. Sewastenko’s success reveals the significance of leveraging psychological readability alongside bodily coaching.
Her transition to weightlifting suggests her journey in power sports activities continues, maybe with future returns to reclaim previous information.
4. Karlina Tongotea
A uncommon mixture of power, intelligence, and cultural pleasure has made her one of the vital revered athletes in powerlifting. Her achievements within the 72kg class, together with a deadlift document of 228kg and a complete of 533kg set in Auckland in 2021, mark her as a number one determine within the sport.
These information display technical means and dedication to coaching and preparation.
At simply 28 years previous, she has redefined the concept of “magnificence and brains” by balancing a demanding medical profession along with her powerlifting pursuits. Initially drawn to sports activities like netball throughout her youth in New Zealand, she discovered that powerlifting supplied a solo problem, the place efficiency was completely in her arms.
Beginning in 2017, she transitioned from informal gymnasium periods to aggressive lifting, recognizing her innate expertise and the fun of testing her limits.
| Occasion | Report |
| Squat | 191kg |
| Bench | 125kg (Commonplace) |
| Deadlift | 228kg |
| Whole | 533kg |
Tongotea’s dedication to excellence is mirrored not solely in her lifting achievements but additionally in her tutorial {and professional} life. She is a registered Basic Practitioner, having realized her childhood dream of following in her grandfather’s footsteps. Her grandfather was a health care provider in Tonga, and his dedication to serving others impressed her to pursue medication.
Tongotea is pleased with her means to steadiness affected person care along with her demanding coaching routine. She views her powerlifting periods as a strategy to refresh and reset, enabling her to return to her medical observe with renewed focus and power.
Her cultural heritage performs a central position in her id as an athlete. Tongotea embraces her Tongan, Māori, and Kiwi roots, acknowledging that her genetic heritage doubtless contributes to her power. Nonetheless, she emphasizes that success can also be about exhausting work, self-discipline, and dedication.
She feels privileged to signify her heritage and nation, carrying the silver fern of New Zealand proudly in worldwide competitions. Her gold medal efficiency on the World Championships 2019 and her Oceania Championship title illustrate her constant excellence and management within the sport.
Tongotea’s story illustrates how ardour, heritage, and willpower can forge a path that mixes bodily {and professional} aspirations. Her journey conjures up athletes and non-athletes, exhibiting that private objectives and group service coexist harmoniously.
5. Yan-Fei Zhao
A narrative of outstanding pace and success emerges from Field Hill, Australia. She started her aggressive powerlifting journey in January 2014, launched to the game by the Melbourne College Powerlifting Membership. Prior expertise in health, bodybuilding, and CrossFit laid the groundwork for her fast transition into powerlifting.
In simply 18 months, she superior from gymnasium coaching to world-class competitors, demonstrating a pure expertise for the game and a fast rise that displays her dedication and potential.
By July 2015, at solely 19 years previous, Zhao clinched the ladies’s junior world championship title within the under-84kg division in Finland. Recognized to her teammates as “Yani,” she lifted a remaining deadlift of 182.5kg to safe first place in a tightly contested competitors the place all high 5 lifters had been inside 7.5kg of each other.
Her win on the junior world championships clearly confirmed her potential and willpower. Zhao credit her coach, Robert Wilkes, for serving to her develop the talents and confidence to succeed on the highest degree.
| Occasion | Report |
| Squat (84kg) | 203kg |
| Squat (100kg) | 221kg |
| Whole (100kg) | 565kg |
| Junior World Championship Deadlift | 182.5kg |
After this early success, Zhao didn’t decelerate. She set senior information, together with a 203kg squat in 2020, a 221kg squat in 2024, and a 565kg complete. These lifts mirror her dedication to steady enchancment and mastery of method.
Regardless of contemplating switching to Olympic weightlifting, her choice to remain targeted on powerlifting has paid off with record-breaking performances that encourage athletes throughout Australia and past.
Zhao’s fast rise from a health fanatic to a world champion powerlifter highlights the ability of mixing pure expertise with structured teaching and targeted ambition. Her story demonstrates that even with restricted aggressive expertise, a lifter can obtain elite ranges by dedication, technique, and a profound ardour for the game.
Along with her sturdy information and vivid future, Zhao stays a job mannequin for powerlifters and health lovers.
6. Deana D’Andrea
A complete of 1,791 kilos (812kg) on the WPO Tremendous Finals in 2021, with a 330kg squat, 217kg bench press, and 265kg deadlift, showcases dominance within the 181lb outfitted class. This success represents the height of focus and preparation.
Breaking Laura Phelps Stackhouse’s long-standing document by 21 kilos, these lifts show that willpower and the correct teaching can produce world-class outcomes.
| Raise Kind | Weight (kg) |
| Squat | 330 |
| Bench | 217 |
| Deadlift | 265 |
| Whole | 812 |
D’Andrea’s story of bouncing again from a missed meet to interrupt a world document captures the spirit of powerlifting. Her journey displays the game’s calls for: overcoming setbacks, focusing below strain, and lifting with precision.
7. Tamara Walcott
A journey in powerlifting marked by resilience, willpower, and record-breaking lifts has established her as a formidable competitor. Recognized for unwavering focus and a commanding presence on the platform, she has set all-time world information in each the uncooked deadlift and complete classes.
On the 2022 World Uncooked Powerlifting Federation (WRPF) American Professional in Manassas, Virginia, a staggering 290 kilograms (639.4 kilos) was pulled on her third try, surpassing her earlier world document and setting a brand new benchmark for feminine uncooked deadlifting within the +90kg class.
Her efficiency at this meet additionally included a 272.5-kilogram squat (600.7 kilos) and a 172.5-kilogram bench press (380.3 kilos), resulting in a brand new all-time uncooked complete world document of 737.5 kilograms (1,620.4 kilos). Walcott’s means to attain private bests throughout all three lifts at a single competitors is a testomony to her strategic coaching and talent to carry out below strain.
| Occasion | Report |
| Squat | 272.5kg |
| Bench | 172.5kg |
| Deadlift | 290kg |
| Whole | 737.5kg |
The trail to her record-breaking deadlift was something however simple. Walcott accomplished a 275-kilogram raise on her first try however missed her second strive at 290 kilograms. Undeterred, she returned for a 3rd try, finishing the raise with a traditional stance and combined grip, incomes three white lights from the judges.
This historic pull was much more outstanding as a result of she broke her WRPF Bucked Up Showdown document in September 2021, lifting 288.5 kilograms.
Along with her success on the WRPF American Professional, Walcott’s spectacular lifts on the 2022 Rogue Report Breakers on the Arnold Sports activities Pageant additional cemented her legacy.
She pulled 290.7 kilograms (641 kilos) on the Elephant Bar Deadlift, claiming that document from strongwoman Andrea Thompson. Walcott’s achievements will not be restricted to remoted performances; they signify a constant trajectory of progress and resilience.
Her story displays extra than simply numbers. Walcott’s journey contains overcoming private challenges, together with a battle with meals habit, and reworking her life by powerlifting.
Her rise to the highest of the game, mixed along with her openness about her struggles and triumphs, makes her a job mannequin for athletes worldwide. She has proven that private setbacks could be the inspiration for extraordinary comebacks.
As Walcott continues to set information and encourage lifters throughout the globe, her performances display that power is as a lot about psychological resilience and willpower as it’s about bodily energy. Each time she steps onto the platform, she not solely lifts large weights but additionally raises the bar for what girls in powerlifting can obtain.
Conclusion
Ladies in powerlifting have remodeled the game, reshaping expectations and demonstrating that power will not be confined to any gender. Their information, which proceed to climb, are extra than simply numbers—they signify years of dedication, technical refinement, and an unwavering perception in a single’s means to beat obstacles.
Throughout the platform, males’s powerlifting information within the USA have additionally seen historic development, with athletes constantly elevating the bar in all classes.
The tales of every lifter, from newcomers like Jessica Van Der Knaap to record-breaking veterans like Tamara Walcott and Karlina Tongotea, reveal a collective willpower that goes past private achievement.
Their feats encourage numerous others, exhibiting that limits are supposed to be met and exceeded with focus, structured coaching, and relentless willpower. This evolution of ladies’s powerlifting will not be merely about breaking information; it’s about breaking mindsets and reshaping perceptions of what girls can accomplish in power sports activities.
Every lifter’s story carries a message of resilience and empowerment, encouraging others, no matter gender, to step as much as the bar, problem their boundaries, and rise stronger in each side of life.
