It’s been over a decade since the Teen (18-19) American Deadlift Record at 90 kilograms was broken. That is until Liam Newell successfully locked out a 352.5-kilogram (777-pound) raw deadlift at the 2022 USAPL Collegiate Nationals held on Mar. 27-30 in Westin Lombard, Illinois. Overall, he placed fourth in his weight class at the meet.
You can check out the record-shattering lift, which is also an unofficial world record for his weight class and age division, in the video below, courtesy of Newell’s Instagram page:
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Newell performed the lift with a sumo stance and a hook grip while wearing a singlet and lifting belt. Besides a bit of struggle just before locking out the lift, the 19-year old completed the deadlift with relative ease.
Newell weighed 88 kilograms (194 pounds) at the competition — meaning he pulled four times his bodyweight. According to Open Powerlifting, Newell’s 352.5-kilogram pull is the heaviest deadlift in the 18-19 division (90-kilogram weight class), ahead of Hayden Williams by 9.5 kilograms.
Newell lifted 2.5 kilograms (5.5 pounds) more than Ian Bell, who held the previous American deadlift record in the 18-19 age division at 90 kilograms. Bell set the previous record at the 2011 USAPL Southside Classic over a decade ago by deadlifting 771.5 pounds (350 kilograms).
Liam Newell — 2022 USAPL Collegiate Nationals Results
Besides setting an American deadlift record at the 2022 USAPL Collegiate Nationals, Newell also hit personal bests on all lifts:
- Squat — 252.5 kilograms (556.6 pounds)
- Bench Press — 140 kilograms (308.6 pounds)
- Deadlift — 352.5 kilograms (777.1 pounds) | American Deadlift Record
- Total — 745 kilograms (1,642.4 pounds)
Liam Newell competed in his first sanctioned powerlifting meet in Jan. 2021 at the USPA Drug Tested CrossFit Gamma Winter Classic, where he took a first-place finish. He also won his second contest — the 2021 USAPL Veteran’s Day Championships. After winning his first two contests in the 83-kilogram category, Newell jumped up a weight class to compete in the 90-kilogram category at the 2022 USAPL Collegiate Nationals.
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In the caption of his Instagram post, writes, “Unofficial world record maybe? I don’t know.” At 90 kilograms and in his age division, it is. However, Newell’s pull counts only as a National Record because the meet wasn’t an international competition. And in the Open division, the 19-year old still has a ways to go. The current all-time heaviest deadlift at 90 kilograms belongs to John Haack — a 402.5 kilogram (887-pound) pull.
When this article was written, Newell’s next steps weren’t clear. However, to claim a National Record with only three competitions to your name signals only that his future is bright.
Featured Image: @liam.newell_ on Instagram
