Kimberly Walford, 38, has a powerlifting resume that’s possibly as long as the contact list in your cellphone. She’s set and holds records in multiple weight classes, and has recently been a dominant force in the 72kg category.
She’s a 5-time IPF World Women’s Classic Champion, a multi-time USA Powerlifting Raw National champion, and continues to make her case as one of the greatest of all-time.
This past weekend at the Arnold Classic, Walford broke her previous best deadlift record with an insane 257.5kg (567 lb) deadlift.
Walford competed in the Sling Shot Pro Deadlift competition, which is a USAPL deadlift only meet. That being said, this deadlift doesn’t count as an IPF World Record. Yet, it’s worth noting that Walford’s recent 257.5kg pull is 14.5kg higher than the current IPF world record…which she has.
She may not have set a new IPF World Record, but the IPF recognized her on their Instagram page posting the same video above and writing, “Long live the Queen! Kimberly deadlifts 257.5 kg in the 72 kg class!!! The Greatest Of All Time?!?!” That’s high praise from an organization that’s constantly working with some of the strongest athletes in the world.
Earlier this year in January, Walford competed at the Reykjavik International Games and claimed first for the 72kg weight class. It was at this competition she set the current IPF Classic 72kg Open World Record with a 243kg pull.
She finished the meet with a 187.5kg squat, 110kg bench press, and 541.5kg total.
What may be the most impressive part of the above two videos is the difference in how easy the recent 257.5kg pull looked. It’s insane. Walford crushed that weight with very little slow down in her tempo, even at lockout.
Consider this, it was less than two months ago she set a world record with a 243kg deadlift. Now, she pulled 14.5kg more and made it look easier than the world record. Greatest of all time? We definitely think Walford is in the running.
Feature image from @trackfu Instagram page.
