Whenever there is a world record bench press attempt, Jen Thompson‘s name is almost always at top of mind as she is notorious for pushing the boundaries of that lift in the 60-kilogram and 67.5-kilogram weight classes. At the 2022 Arnold Sports Festival (ASF), which featured the 2022 USA Powerlifting (USAPL) Arnold A7 Pro Bench Bash, Thompson struck gold again, claiming the 77th world record of her illustrious powerlifting career.
On her third attempt at that bench-press-only competition, Thompson called for 145.5 kilograms (320.8 pounds) on the barbell. She locked out that lift raw at a bodyweight of 65.3 kilograms to set a new world record in the 67.5-kilogram class, besting the previous record she held of 144 kilograms (317.5 pounds) since the 2017 International Powerlifting Federation (IPF) Reykjavík International Games. Here is her entire three-for-three performance from the 2022 USAPL Arnold A7 Pro Bench Bash:
2022 USAPL Arnold A7 Pro Bench Bash | Jen Thompson | 67.5KG
- Bench Press
- 125 kilograms (275.6 pounds)
- 137.5 kilograms (303.1 pounds)
- 145.5 kilograms (320.8 pounds)
Thompson shared a video of her raw world record bench press on her Instagram page. Check it out below:
View this post on Instagram
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After a disappointing 2021 competition season and rough training cycle prior. This felt sooooo good.
At the time of this article’s publication, Thompson is the current world record holder of the following lifts, according to Open Powerlifting:
Jen Thompson’s Current Powerlifting World Records
- Open, Raw | 60KG | Bench Press — 136.5 kilograms (301.2 pounds)
- Open, Raw | 63KG | Bench Press — 143.5 kilograms (316.4 pounds)
- Open, Raw | 67.5KG | Bench Press — 145.5 kilograms (320.8 pounds)
- Open, Raw| 69KG | Bench Press — 144 kilograms (317.5 pounds)
- Submasters, Raw | 60KG | Bench Press — 136.5 kilograms (301.2 pounds)
- Submasters, Raw | 63KG | Bench Press — 137.5 kilograms (303.1 pounds)
- Submasters, Raw | 67.5KG | Bench Press — 137.5 kilograms (303.1 pounds)
- Masters (40-44), Raw | 63KG | Bench Press — 142.5 kilograms (314.2 pounds)
- Masters (40-44), Raw | 67.5KG | Bench Press — 145.5 kilograms (320.8 pounds)
- Masters (40-44), Raw | 69KG | Bench Press — 144 kilograms (317.5 pounds)
- Masters (45-49), Raw | 63KG | Bench Press — 143.5 kilograms (316.4 pounds)
- Masters (45-49), Raw | 67.5KG | Bench Press — 143.5 kilograms (316.4 pounds)
- Masters (45-49), Raw | 67.5KG | Deadlift — 207.5 kilograms (457.5 pounds)
- Masters (45-49), Raw | 67.5KG | Total — 500.5 kilograms (1,103.4 pounds)
- Masters (45-49), Raw | 69KG | Bench Press — 140 kilograms (308.7 pounds)
Per Thompson’s caption on her Instagram post, her win in Columbus marked her 22nd contest career win at the Arnold Sports Festival and her 77th world record in Open and Masters division competition.
Featured image: @jenthompson132 on Instagram
