Overcoming setbacks is how champions are made. Thai powerlifter Kasemsand Senumong (also known as Opor Kasem) smashed a 305-kilogram (672.4-pound) deadlift (raw with a lifting belt) in training on March 16, 2021. That is a significant lift because Senumong competes in the 66-kilogram (145-pound) weight class. According to the International Powerlifting Federation (IPF), the current IPF world record deadlift is Hassan El Belghiti of France’s 298 kilograms (657 pounds) from the 2019 FFForce France Force Athlétique Elite.
What makes Senumong’s would-be IPF world record deadlift record (had it been done in competition) all the more impressive is his failure during a warm-up lift that was 15 kilograms (33.1 pounds) less. Check out both his successful 305-kilogram (672.4) lift and his 290-kilogram (639.4-pound) warm-up fail — both in a sumo stance — in the video below courtesy of his Instagram page:
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“…my right thumb almost slipped. And my left thumb slipped in [the] last warm-up. I’ve never ever slipped my hands. But I don’t know why it happened.”
Senumong didn’t list his bodyweight at the time of this lift, so it isn’t clear if he was, in fact, within 66-kilograms. Regardless, scoring seven kilograms over the current world record is no joke, especially at an elite level where progression slows. Senumong also had to pull past the fact that he just botched a warm-up deadlift (which was also quite heavy and over the current world record) in a way that he had never previously experienced — his grip gave out, and his left thumb slipped.
In a video posted to his Instagram on March 15, 2021 — just one day prior — Senumong did note that his weight was 70 kilograms when he smashed a 270-kilogram (595.2-pound) squat. Although he would be too heavy for the lift to count in competition, the squat is seven kilograms over Charles Okpoko’s current IPF squat world record in the 66-kilogram weight class of 263 kilograms (579.8 pounds), according to the IPF. Per Open Powerlifting, Jonathan Garcia actually bested Okpoko’s record by a single kilo at the 2020 USA Powerlifting (USAPL) 3rd Annual North Florida Open Championships on Nov. 21, 2020.
If you haven’t seen Senumong’s squat yet, you can do so via the video below:
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Competitive Record
According to Open Powerlifting and his Thai Powerlifting Federation (ThaiPF) profile, the 25-year old has only competed in two events, both of which he won. His most recent event was the ThaiPF National Qualifier 2 on Nov. 14, 2020. Here were his stats from that event:
- Squat — 235 kilograms (518.1 pounds) — competition best
- Bench Press — 140 kilograms (308.6 pounds)
- Deadlift — 280 kilograms (617.3 pounds) — competition best
- Total — 655 kilograms (1,444 pounds) — competition best
The fact that Senumong is attempting warm-up deadlifts that are 10 kilograms (22 pounds) heavier than his competition best is representative of how much stronger he has gotten in just five months. Even though he was concerned about his thumb slipping during the lockout of his 305-kilogram (672.4) lift, he did display control of the weight before lowering the barbell.
Assuming he stays the course he is currently on in the gym, when he steps onto the competitive stage at the ThaiPF National Championships on May 29, 2021, he could call for a world record weight on the barbell.
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Featured image: @oporkasem on Instagram
