And that’s a world record deadlift, or perhaps what some might call the world record deadlift.
Polish powerlifter Krzysztof Wierzbicki, better known to some folks by his nickname “Mr. Deadlift,” has lived up to his name once again by pulling four times his bodyweight for a new IPF world record. It took place in Poland at the World Games, an event held every four years to celebrate sports that aren’t contested in the Olympics Games.
Wierzbicki pulled 420 kilograms (926 pounds) and although he typically lifts in the -93kg class or the -105kg class — he holds the IPF raw deadlift record in both of them — things went differently at the World Games. He turned up ready to lift in the -105kg class but weighed in at 105.07 kilograms. Rules are rules, and Wierzbicki had to go on to compete as a -120kg athlete.
That would be a terrible disappointment for many powerlifters, but it wasn’t quite as big a deal for Wierzbicki, since he went on to lift more than any human has ever officially deadlifted in the IPF. Vision of the historic lift is pretty tough to find, but we get a pretty decent shot of the lift in this video from a spectator. Note that the World Games is a single ply event, so this was an equipped lift.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BXBFZSoFKdf/
That deadlift is thirty-two point five kilograms (71.6 pounds) heavier than the previous deadlift record in the -105kg class (which was set by Anibal Coimbra from Luxembourg in 2012) and it’s 22.5 kilograms (49.6 pounds) heavier than the IPF’s current all-time equipped world record.
That record was set by the American Brad Gillingham way back in 2011, when he pulled 397.5kg (876.3lb) at 148.85kg (328lb) bodyweight. He was almost 44kg (97lb) heavier than Wierzbicki is.
[Interested in why an athlete might choose to pick equipped over raw? World record holder Blaine Sumner explains here!]
This isn’t the first time we’ve seen Wierzbicki pull quadruple bodyweight either as he made a 400kg lift in April when he weighed just under 100kg.
And that’s as a raw lifter. Indeed, another remarkable fact about Wierzbicki is that he holds two raw deadlift records in the IPF — he pulled 372.5kg as a -93kg lifter and 390kg as a -105kg lifter — and he now holds the all-time equipped record as well.
Some might say that Wierzbicki doesn’t need any more records, but we wouldn’t be surprised if he starts chasing the all-time raw record next. Since it’s “just” 392.5kg (865.3lb), it certainly looks like he has it in him.
Featured image via @avarja on Instagram.
