British powerlifter Ade Omisakin has been under the radar for the last few years, seemingly not realizing his full potential. That changed on Sept. 13, 2024, at the 2024 European Powerlifting Federation (EPF) Western European Championships (WEC) in Malta.
Omisakin took full advantage of the opportunity to set IPF world records at this event. Despite a couple of stumbles along the way, Omisakin put in the performance of his life, totaling 861 kilograms — a new IPF raw total world record.
Omisakin broke the Western European record by 12 kilograms with his opening squat but had his second overturned by the jury for lack of depth — a controversial call. Undeterred, he went up to 305.5 kilograms for his third and sank it deep. It looked comfortable on the ascent and was rewarded with three white lights — a result that put him beyond the reach of the jury.
The WEC has a long history, celebrating its 19th contest in 2024. It grew out of the EU Cup, which ran for 10 years prior, starting in 1994, making it one of the longest-running championships in the world.
Going into the competition, Omisakin’s best bench press was 185 kilograms, but he left that in the dust, going three-for-three on bench press and hitting a 7.5-kilogram personal best with 192.5 kilograms.
Omisakin made huge strides on the deadlift. His 325-kilogram opener gave him an 823-kilogram total. 347.5 kilograms went on the barbell for his second attempt. It moved even faster than his opener. This would have broken the total world record by half a kilogram, but Omisakin anticipated the referee’s “down” command, and the lift was rejected.
Omisakin forged ahead, asking for a risky 363 kilograms (800 pounds) for his final attempt. However, the lift appeared easy — Omisakin added 16 kilograms to the total world record.
The 83KG class in the International Powerlifting Federation (IPF) has been hotly contested in 2024. Russel Orhii set the total world record at 841 kilograms at the 2021 IPF Classic World Championships (CWC), which stood unchallenged until Delaney Wallace broke it with 842.5 kilograms at the 2024 Sheffield Powerlifting Championships in February. Orhii reclaimed it at the 2024 CWC in Lithuania in June, only to see it immediately fall to Jurins Kengamu, who scored 845 kilograms.
Joe Borenstein entered the fray, putting up an 865-kilogram total at the SBD Raleigh contest in July 2024. However, world records could not be set at that event, and Borenstein must make it to an international event to make it official.
Kengamu and Orhii are on the roster for the 2025 Sheffield Championships, to be held in the UK in January. This big money meet is based on the proportion of the total world record achieved, so Omisakin has made the task 16 kilograms more difficult for his rivals at that event.
2024 EPF Western European Championships Results — Ade Omisakin, 83KG Raw
- Squat
- 285 kilograms — EPF Western European Record
297.5 kilograms- 305.5 kilograms — EPF Western European Record
- Bench Press
- 182.5 kilograms
- 190 kilograms
- 192.5 kilograms
- Deadlift
- 325 kilograms
347.5 kilograms- 363 kilograms — EPF Western European Record
- Total — 861 kilograms — IPF Open World Record
With this performance, Omisakin topped the British rankings. He sits in the top eight of all classic men in the IPF, ranked on GL points.
Omisakin will next step on the platform at the 2024 British Powerlifting (BP) British Championships in November, where he will compete against Kengamu for a place on the British team heading out to Chemnitz, Germany for the 2025 CWC.
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Featured image: @a.omisakin on Instagram
