Lebanese powerlifter Etienne El Chaer has barely begun his international career, but he’s already making a name for himself. He won the 2023 International Powerlifting Federation (IPF) World Junior Championships (WJC) and, in 2024, moved up to the Open class in spectacular style.
El Chaer lifted at the 2024 IPF Classic World Championships (CWC) in Druskininkai, Lithuania, on June 22. He stunned everyone by attempting the world record deadlift with 396 kilograms on his second attempt. He didn’t quite lock it out the first time but came back on his final attempt and got the approval of the referees. Check out the lift below, courtesy of the IPF Instagram account:
[Related: Best Protein Powders]
El Chaer deadlifts with a wide, conventional stance. Not wide enough to be classed as sumo — his mixed grip was comfortably outside his legs — but enough to give him a solid base. The pull was slow and shaky, but he kept it moving, and, at the top, he pulled back further into lockout than he had on his previous try.
When the referees signaled their approval, El Chaer fell to the ground momentarily before leaping to his feet and bellowing his victory at the crowd.
2024 IPF World Classic Powerlifting Championship Results — Etienne El Chaer (Lebanon), 120KG
- Squat
- 325 kilograms
- 340 kilograms
- 345 kilograms
- Bench Press
217.5 kilograms217.5 kilograms- 217.5 kilograms
- Deadlift
- 370 kilograms
396 kilograms- 396 kilograms — IPF Open World Record
- Total — 958.5 kilograms
El Chaer’s record came at the end of a dramatic 120KG class battle. His rematch with Germany’s Jonah Wiendieck was highly anticipated after El Chaer beat Wiendieck by only half a kilogram at the 2023 WJC.
Wiendieck also seemed within reach of the bench press world record, having matched it with 253 kilograms at the 2023 European Powerlifting Federation (EPF) European Classic Championships in Tartu, Estonia. However, Wiendieck did not reach the platform due to an injury sustained while warming up for the squat; the rematch was off.
El Chaer struggled on the bench press. His first attempt at 217.5 kilograms stalled halfway up, and he couldn’t lock it out. He completed the lift on his second try, but the jury turned it down for soft lockout. Fortunately, El Chaer made the lift to the referees’ satisfaction on his final attempt and stayed in the game.
The 2022 world champion, Mohamed Sahad of Algeria, crashed out of the competition when he failed all his deadlifts. This opened the way for El Chaer, who moved up to second place after the first round of deadlifts, only 2.5 kilograms behind the eventual winner, Bobb Matthews.
Defending world champion Tony Cliffe moved into second place with a 330-kilogram deadlift, and Matthews was in a league of his own, taking an easy 367.5-kilogram second to pull out a 20-kilogram lead on the rest of the field.
El Chaer attempted the world record with 396 kilograms on his second deadlift. He got it nearly to lock out but sagged, and he had to put it down before getting the signal from the center referee.
[Related: Best Supplements for Weight Loss]
Matthews took a phenomenal 380 kilograms for his final deadlift, putting his first world title beyond a shadow of a doubt. El Chaer emerged from the wings to attempt to move into second place and take his first Open world record with his second attempt at 396 kilograms.
On the succeeding lift, El Chaer ran off the platform and hoisted his coach onto his shoulders before leaving the stage triumphantly. With this performance, El Chaer has qualified for the 2025 World Games in Chengdu, China, and made a creditable debut in the open class.
Featured image: @theipf on Instagram
