Nabil Lahlou is redefining what strength is in the 67.5-kilogram weight class. On July 6, 2021, he took to his Instagram page to share a video wherein he chalked his hands and pumped himself up before deadlifting 329 kilograms (725.5 pounds) raw in a sumo stance.
The lift was slow and steady all the way up to a clean lockout and marked an all-time personal record for Lahlou. It is 19 kilograms (41.9 pounds) over the all-time world record of 310 kilograms (683.4 pounds) scored by Daniel Clements at the 2020 USA Powerlifting (USAPL) Virginia Winter Wrecker. If you haven’t seen Lahlou’s lift yet, check it out below:
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Currently, Lahlou holds the third heaviest ever deadlift at 67.5 kilograms — a 306-kilogram (674.6-pound) deadlift performed at the 2021 United States Powerlifting Association (USPA) Drug Tested District Championships, according to Open Powerlifting. However, three weeks after that event, Lahlou proved he had a lot of gas left in the tank. On June 12, 2021, he posted a video of him deadlifting 315 kilograms (694.5 pounds) — an unofficial world record. Just shy of a month later, he tacked on another 10 kilograms (22.1 pounds).
A noticeable detail about Lahlou’s lift from the angle he filmed it from is just how long his arms are. He reaches lockout with the barbell still floating in front of his knees rather than needing to pull the barbell past them. Compare that lift to a sumo deadlift by Clements, and the difference is slight but meaningful.
Check out the video below of the 329-kilogram (725-pound) PR with lifting straps hit recently by Clements, who won 2021 USAPL Raw Nationals at 66-kilograms. The barbell clearly travels past his knees:
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[Related: Powerlifter Andrew Hause Sets New All-Time Junior World Record With 1,105.9-Kilogram Total]
It’s worth pointing out that Clements performed the above lift on a stiff bar and Lahlou performed his lift on a deadlift bar and neither listed their bodyweight at the time of their respective PRs. Still, both lifts are nearly five times their competition bodyweights. Considering that Clements is 24 years old and Lahlou is still a Junior at the age of 21, both men seem poised to remain at the top of the podium in any events they compete at in the near future.
Combined, the two lifters have competed in nine sanctioned powerlifting meets — three for Lahlou and six for Clements — and won gold in eight of them (the only blemish being a second-place finish by Clements at the 2020 USAPL Arnold A7 Pro Raw Challenge).
The answer as to whether or not the current world record deadlift at 67.5 kilograms can be broken is a very clear yes. The question that remains is which of these two lifters will advance the record and by how much.
Feature image: @kinng_67 on Instagram
