Is there anyone as dominant in a division as Russel Orhii is in the -83kg weight class? Perhaps it is debatable on the premise that Orhii is very early in his competitive powerlifting career.
After all, he only debuted at 20 years old in 2015 at the USA Powerlifting (USAPL) Raw Collegiate Cup (which he won). But a deeper dive into the numbers reveals a pretty compelling case to put all bets on Orhii in any competition he appears in.
And his latest lift further supports that idea. Here is a video below of Orhii deadlifting a colossal 332.5kg/733lb using calibrated plates for a personal best via his Instagram page:
[Related: Check out the BarBend podcast interview with Russel Orhii.]
For those unfamiliar, calibrated plates simply means that the plates have been measured to weigh exactly what they are marked as to ensure the accuracy of how much weight is in fact being lifted. So in the case above where Orhii had a big smile on his face the entire lift, that 332.5kg/733lb was exactly four times Orhii’s competition body weight.
This deadlift is considered a calibrated plate PR because Orhii has lifted heavier before in training but not with calibrated plates. For those curious, it was a 335.5kg/740lb pull back in October. You can see that lift below:
Of the eleven sanctioned events Orhii has entered, he exited with the gold in ten of them. Three of those ten are the back-to-back-to-back wins at the 2017, 2018, and 2019 USAPL Raw Nationals and a win at the 2019 International Powerlifting Federation (IPF) World Classic Powerlifting Championships.
The only event he missed the top of the podium was the 2018 IPF 6th World Classic Championships where he placed second after hitting be competition best deadlift of course 325kg/716.5lb.
He then hit that weight again in training just one ago. Check it out below from his Instagram page:
“716.5lbs/325kg moving FAST for today’s single”
Based on the way he smiled through his new calibrated plate PR, if the weight continues to move easy for Orhii, we should be able to expect many more big lifts from him soon.
Feature image from Russel Orhii’s Instagram page: @russwole
