There’s no denying that the women’s IPF -63kg weight class is always one of the most thrilling to watch at the IPF World Classic Championships. With Lya Bavoil’s massive squats, Samantha Calhoun’s strong deadlifts, and Jen Thompson’s insane bench presses, and Carola Garra’s world record breaking totals, it’s no wonder this is always a weight class to watch until the very finish.
Despite this year’s IPF Classic World Championships being postponed, all of the athletes above have been continuing their training and pushing the envelope further for what’s possible in their weight class. All of this bring us to Italian powerlifter Carola Garra, who just shared a monstrous bench press video on her Instagram page.
In her latest video, Garra highlights a 140kg/308 lb bench press that almost looks routine for her. Check out the smooth bench press below.
This is a huge bench press and milestone for Garra for two key reasons. First, it’s a personal best for Garra and it’s only 2.5kg shy of Thompson’s current record that she set at the 2018 IPF World Classic Powerlifting Championships. Second, it’s a lift that adds to her already strong total.
At the 2019 Classic Championships, she brought home first place and two new IPF world records with a 185.5kg squat and 503kg total (both of which have been topped by Bavoil). Her 503kg total was comprised of a 185.5kg squat, 130kg bench press, and 187.5kg deadlift.
Despite their crazy impressiveness, these numbers are beginning to look like feats from the past. Her mock meet video from late March features a 192.5kg squat and smooth 205kg deadlift. Combine these with her latest bench press, and the world record total is completely blown out of the water by her latest progress.
If she’s able to continue with her strong progress across the big three, then we may see Garra smash more world records at the next IPF World Classic Powerlifting Championships that are taking place this fall.
Feature image from @carolagarra Instagram page.