Powerlifting legend David Ricks has been competing for more than 40 years and shows no sign of stopping anytime soon. Now 65, he competes in the International Powerlifting Federation (IPF) Masters 3 (M3) category (ages 60-69).
The 2024 IPF Masters World Championships was held in the lush surroundings of Sun City, South Africa, from Oct. 5-13. Ricks dominated, not only in the 93KG class but the whole M3 category. His 295-kilogram raw squat was 95 kilograms ahead of anyone else in class.
Ricks lifted with the aid of knee sleeves, wrist wraps, and a lifting belt — all permissible under the IPF’s classic (“raw”) rules. As is his habit, he placed his left foot against the platform and took a moment to hype himself up before approaching the rack.
Ricks took his time on the walkout, carefully setting his foot position. The lift was slow but steady, winning him the squat gold medal. After the lift, he lapped honor around the platform, giving triumphant fist bumps to the referees.
[Related: Best Pre-Workout Supplements]
Ricks’ squat, bench press, and total were the highest of any weight class in the M3 category, and he won the Best Lifter award with 98.41 GL points. His squat was higher than in the M1 or M2 93KG class. He also scored the all-time world record (ATWR) in squat and total, tested or untested, in knee wraps or knee sleeves, in the 65-69 age category.
Ricks is recovering from a hamstring injury that heavily impacted his deadlift. Still, his total would have been enough to win in the M2 category and to take the silver medal in the M1s.
Ricks won his first open world title in 1991 and back-to-back championships until 1994, when he took a break from competition. He won again in 1999, which proved to be his last gold medal in the open class, although he did podium in 2000 and 2005 through 2008 when he was already approaching his fifties.
Since starting to compete at the Masters World Championships in 2011, Ricks has picked up six world titles in the M2 and M3 categories, although he has continued sporadically to lift in the open class. He still holds the squat world records in the M1, M2, and M3 categories. He has earned the nickname “Superman.”
2024 IPF Masters World Championships Results — David Ricks, 93KG
- Squat
- 240 kilograms
- 275 kilograms
- 295 kilograms
- Bench Press
- 182.5 kilograms
- 192.5 kilograms
206 kilograms
- Deadlift
- 235 kilograms
260 kilograms- 260 kilograms
- Total — 747.5 kilograms
[Related: Best Creatine Supplements]
More Powerlifting Content
- Regin Stergakis (105KG) Breaks IPF Junior World Record Deadlift and Total
- Nathaniel Massiah (93KG) Smashes World Record Deadlift at 2024 IPF Junior World Championships
- Agata Sitko (76KG) Eclipses Raw Total World Record in Training
Featured image: @dricks205 on Instagram
