Powerlifter Jen Thompson just won her 50th USAPL Nationals title (yes, you read that right). On June 16, Thompson competed at the 2021 USA Powerlifting (USAPL) Nationals in Daytona, FL, in the women’s Raw Open and the women’s Raw Masters 1 (40-49) Bench Press classes both at 63 kilograms.
Thompson is known in the powerlifting world for her incredible ability on the bench press. With a lift of 125 kilograms (275 pounds) at a bodyweight of 62.62 kilograms, Thompson won the Open event by 47.5 kilograms over second-place finisher Bronwyn Culton. She was the only competitor in the Masters division.
The victory for Thompson, who turns 48 on June 27th, serves as her 50th USAPL Nationals victory in her career between bench press events and overall meets. She shared her thoughts about the accomplishment on an Instagram post on June 17th.
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“Yesterday I won my 50th @usapowerlifting National Title (bench & PL). It’s so hard for me to believe I have been in this sport for 22 years.
It is because I love it.
The Community.
The Competition.
The Motivation.
The Physique.
The Confidence & Self-esteem it brings.”
A Storied Career
Thompson’s first meet was in 1999 — USAPL National Bench Press Championships. She finished second in that contest with a lift of 100 kilograms (220 pounds). Over the 22 years since, Thompson has made headlines for her world-class strength on the bench, including her all-time best Raw bench of 145 kilograms that she completed at the 2018 USAPL Bench Nationals. The last time she did not place first in a USAPL bench press event at the national level was in 2004. As recently as 2020, she bench pressed 149.6 kilograms (330 pounds) in training.
Thompson also holds current all-time bench press records in the Raw division at both 60 and 67.5 kilograms (according to Open Powerlifting). Those two lifts are 136.5 kilograms (300.9 pounds) and 144 kilograms (317.5 pounds), respectively.
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Thompson’s career-best Raw squat is 155 kilograms (341 pounds) while her top Raw deadlift is 207.5 kilograms (457.5 pounds). Her experience also includes competing in single-ply equipment. Her best lifts in the big three in single-ply are below.
- Squat — 182.5 kilograms (402 pounds)
- Bench Press — 150 kilograms (330 pounds)
- Deadlift — 190 kilograms (419 pounds)
Aside from her 11 International Powerlifting Federation (IPF) world titles, she was inducted into the IPF Hall of Fame in 2019. 2021 USAPL Nationals takes place from June 14-19. Thompson is set to compete in a full meet in the women’s Open Raw division on June 17, 2021.
Featured image: @jenthompson132 on Instagram