What were you doing at 14-years old? I, for one, wasn’t deadlifting 3.1 times my bodyweight. In comes Alayna Easterly, the 14-year old who recently claimed first in the Teen 1 division at the USAPL 35th Annual Open National Championships.
At the Championships, Easterly competed in the -47kg (104 lbs bodyweight) weight class and put up a beastly 327.5 (720.5 lb) equipped total. Her final lifts were a 120kg squat, 60kg bench press, and 147.5kg deadlift.
Below is the video shared on USA Powerlifting’s Instagram page of Easterly’s final deadlift.
One factor that’s equally as impressive as the deadlift itself is Easterly’s grip strength. Relatively speaking, her hands are much smaller than an older athletes’, so the amount of grip strength she must possess to pull 3+ times her bodyweight has to be phenomenal.
Easterly’s deadlift form and setup are great, so it’s going to be interesting to watch her continue to improve in the sport. With her genetics and current strength, if she continues, could she be one of the next female greats? Not to mention, she already has multiple youth/teen Wisconsin state and American records.
Speaking of strong teenagers who may one day become greats, let’s not forget about some of the epic lifts we’ve already seen this year from athletes like Joseph Pena and Shen Guo Wei.
In late March, Texas powerlifter Joseph Pena (18-years old) hit a would be IPF Sub-Junior would record with a 1,025 lb equipped back squat.
At this meet, Pena finished first in his division and put up an insane 2,145 lb total, which would be another IPF sub-junior world record.
Shen Guo Wei, a 62kg Chinese weightlifter has also been videoed moving some impressive weight this year. Check out the 17-year old’s easy 220kg (481 lb) squat at 62kg (136 lbs) bodyweight from late January.
All of these young athletes have such great potential in their sports, but only time will tell how far they’ll be able to push their limits.
At the ripe age of 14, Easterly has already built quite an impressive powerlifting resume. It’s going to be exciting to watch her thrive and continue to push new feats.
Feature image screenshot from @usapowerlifting Instagram page.
