Over the course of the World Ultimate Strongman “Feats of Strength” series, the log press had been featured on two different occasions. Luke Stoltman was unable to claim the world record while Rob Kearney was successful on his American record attempt. On July 4, Andrea Thompson stepped into the spotlight with the intention of claiming the women’s world record. Going into the event, the record stood at 129 kg (284 pounds) by Danielle Vaji, which she set in 2019. At the end of the day, Thompson claimed the record for herself and it currently sits at 135 kg (297.7 pounds). Like the other events in the series, it was broadcast live on CoreSports World and on the Rogue Fitness YouTube channel.
Thompson’s first two attempts were not judged. She started the day with a successful lift of 110 kg (242 pounds). Her second attempt was with 120 kg (264.6 pounds) which also appeared to be easy for her to lift. After her second attempt, she devoted some extra time to relax and prepare for the upcoming moment.
The third attempt would be the one that mattered the most. With legendary strongman Zadrunas Savickas serving as the judge, Thompson took the 130 kg log and successfully claimed the record with little struggle along the way. She used a traditional shoulder-width stance when pressing the weight overhead. Vaji’s lift was performed with a split jerk stance. Once the record was secured and she had nothing to lose, she took two attempts with 135 kg. On the fourth attempt of the day, she was unable to control the lockout. She was given one more try with the 135 kg and it was successful.
Thompson trained for this record attempt under the tutelage of 2016 Europe’s Strongest Man and strongman coach Laurence Shahlaei. Shahlaei had said in his video about this event that he didn’t let Thompson attempt any record lifts during training so her strength and focus would be set on the big day. This also minimized the risk of injury during her prep. Shahlaei also was on commentary during the livestream.
What also stood out about this event was Thompson’s preparation between lifts. Aside from her extra time relaxing, she wore her belt backwards so the buckle didn’t interfere with the clean of the log. She also wore a shirt that had rubber on it to keep the log from sliding. She paid extra attention to carefully wrapping each wrist for maximum support and comfort.
Thompson already had an impressive catalog of accomplishments leading up to this attempt. Earlier this year, she set the world record in the Elephant Bar Deadlift with a 621 pound lift at the 2020 Arnold Sports Festival. She was also the 2018 World Strongest Woman and a four-time Britain’s Strongest Woman winner.
Featured Image: Instagram/andreathompson_strongwoman
