On Dec. 5, 2020, powerlifter Kristy Hawkins opened the world record book and wrote a new chapter. Competing in the United States Powerlifting Association (USPA) Only The Strong Powerlifting Championships in Kansas City, MO, the 40-year-old Hawkins not only won the event in the 75-kilogram weight class but set three new raw powerlifting world records along the way.
Here were Hawkins impressive stats from the meet:
- Squat: 260 kilograms (573 pounds) — World Record
- Bench Press: 155 kilograms (341 pounds) — Competition PR
- Deadlift: 265 kilograms (584 pounds) — World Record
- Total: 680 kilograms (1,499 pounds) — World Record
If you have not yet seen Hawkins performance, you can check it out below, courtesy of her Instagram page:
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[Related: Petr Petras Breaks All-Time World Raw Powerlifting Total Record]
In the video of Hawkins’ squat, you might recognize a familiar face. Spotting Hawkins on the lift was Hunter Henderson, who held the raw squat world record that Hawkins ultimately broke. Henderson’s record was a 242.5-kilogram (534.6-pound) squat.
The event organizer JP Price — who has squat 455 kilograms (1,003 pounds) raw — told BarBend that Hawkins weighed in at a bodyweight of 74.4 kilograms. That means that her squat was three and a half times her bodyweight and her deadlift was even more than that.
According to Open Powerlifting, Hawkins already held the raw world records for the deadlift and total coming into the event — 262.5 kilograms (578.7 pounds) and 645 kilograms (1,422 pounds), respectively. Here were the amounts she added to each of the new world records:
- Deadlift: 2.5 kilograms (5.5 pounds)
- Total: 35 kilograms (77.2 pounds)
Deadlift
Hawkins’ successful raw world record lift of 265 kilograms (584 pounds) was her opening attempt. On her following two attempts, she called for 272.2 kilograms (600 pounds) on the barbell but failed both.
…just couldn’t hold onto it because I’m always finding new ways to fail.
Hawkins is, however, very much capable of pulling that weight, as she has proven recently in training when she hauled a massive 275 kilograms (606 pounds) off the ground. If you missed that lift, check it out below:
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Pulling a 272.2-kilogram (600-pound) plus deadlift in competition seems to only be a matter of time for Hawkins, judging by the rate she is adding weight to her lifts in training — she is capable of awe-inspiring things in this discipline, such as lifting 200 kilograms (440 pounds) for sets of 10.
It is not clear when Hawkins will compete again next, but when she does, the record books could very well add yet another page.
Featured image: Jeff Frank of Shuttersport Productions
