We’ve been saying this for some time now, but it’s seriously just the beginning for Luke Richardson.
The British powerlifter has been absolutely dominating the sport for the past few years, and on Tuesday he hit a huge deadlift milestone. Richardson deadlifted 400 kg/881.8 pounds. He posted on his Instagram page about the lift and wrote,
“400kg deadlift. I’ve wanted to hit this milestone for as long as I can remember. This is just the beginning.”
Richardson has been making waves in the powerlifting world since 2016, and that’s just one year after he started the sport.
Let’s take a trip down memory lane. At just his second powerlifting meet ever — The British Classic Junior Powerlifting Championships — Richardson not only finished in first place, but also squatted a very strong (and promising) 320.5kg/705 pounds for a Junior British squat record.
At that same event he deadlifted 330kg/726 pounds, and hit 180kg/390 pounds on bench. His total was an amazing 830.5kg/1,827 pounds. In fact, we wrote about Richardson after this performance and deemed him the teenage British powerlifter phenom you need to know.
Fast forward two years to 2018, and Richardson added another impressive feat to his powerlifting resume when he became the youngest athlete to total over 1,000kg.
At the Junior Mens Classic British Championships, Richardson, who was 21 years-old at the time, totaled over 1,000kg/2,204 pounds in sleeves.
While he no longer is a “teenager” per say, he’s still lifting well beyond his years. The 400kg deadlift is a major milestone for any powerlifter, and it’s been a number he’s had his eyes on for quite some time.
Two weeks ago, Richardson posted himself on his Instagram deadlifting 335kg for five reps. He wrote, “Bit of a sloppy set but first week back to no straps. I’ve got the strength to pull 400kg so just need to make sure my grip is ready for it too. Next week will be better.”
Like his Instagram post’s description said, this week was for sure better. We’re pumped to see what numbers Richardson is capable of this year the IPF World Classic Powerlifting Championships.
Feature image from @lukeerichardson.
