Czech powerlifter Marek Zych, who normally competes at 90 kilograms, pulled a 400-kilogram (881.9-pound) deadlift with a hook grip in training on May 1, 2021, at an undisclosed body weight. Even without knowing his weight, that lift was notable because it matched Cailer Woolam‘s all-time raw deadlift world record hit at the 2017 United States Powerlifting Association (USPA) Corpus Christi Open.
Three weeks later, on May 23, 2021, Zych weighed in at 91.8 kilograms, stepped onto the competitive stage at the 2021 Open Majstrovstvá Slovenska, stood in a sumo stance, and hooked his grip around a barbell loaded with 400 kilograms (881.9 pounds). The lift was slow and methodical, with a hint of a grind on its way to a successful lockout. Technically, Zych competed in the 100-kilogram class at this event, so it did not allow him to match the world record officially. However, for context as to how impressive this lift is at his weight of 91.8 kilograms; had he performed it in an International Powerlifting Federation (IPF) sanctioned meet, which recognizes the 93-kilogram class, he’d be the second athlete ever to pull that weight (the other being Woolam). Check out the lift in the video below, courtesy of Zych’s Instagram page:
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[Related: Powerlifter Gerald Dionio (67.5KG) Lifts All-Time World Record Total of 739.4 Kilograms]
Here were Zych’s deadlift attempts during his gold-medal performance at the event:
- 360 kilograms (793.7 pounds)
- 382.5 kilograms (843.3 pounds)
- 400 kilograms (881.9 pounds) — matches all-time world record
As the 32-year-old Zych’s exact weight at the time of the lift was 91.8 kilograms, this world record weight-matching lift was 4.4 times his body weight and worth the celebratory gesture of a backflip. It also caught the attention of the only other athlete on the planet who knows the feeling of having that much weight in their hands at that body weight. Woolam commented on the post with his take:
Great lift.
Woolam still holds the raw deadlift all-time world record which stands 15 kilograms (33.1 pounds) heavier than the next heaviest ever deadlift of 385 kilograms (848.9 pounds) scored by John Haack at the 2020 World Raw Powerlifting Federation (WRPF) The Showdown.
The question now becomes will Zych use this momentum to drop the last few kilograms of body weight and attempt a world record deadlift at his next competition? Will Woolam return to the lifting platform fired up to further a record that is now flirting with another lifter? Time will tell, but the 90-kilogram weight class just got even more interesting than it already was.
Featured image: @folhafms on Instagram