On March 30, 2022, the 2022 USA Powerlifting (USAPL) Junior Nationals saw 20-year-old powerlifter Sean Mills win the gold medal with a dominant performance featuring a new USAPL Junior raw squat record of 331 kilograms (729.7 pounds). During the contest, he went eight for nine in attempts, missing only his final deadlift. Here are his full results:
2022 USAPL Junior Nationals — Sean Mills | 110KG, Raw
- Squat
- 310 kilograms (683.4 pounds)
- 322.5 kilograms (711 pounds)
- 331 kilograms (729.7 pounds) — USAPL Junior Record
- Bench Press
- 180 kilograms (396.8 pounds)
- 187.5 kilograms (413.4 pounds)
- 192.5 kilograms (424.4 pounds)
- Deadlift
- 312.5 kilograms (689 pounds)
- 332.5 kilograms (733 pounds)
349.5 kilograms (770.5 pounds)
- Total — 856 kilograms (1,887.2 pounds)
Note: to see Mills’ bench press and deadlift, scroll to the left.
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[Related: Kyle Kirvay Makes 310.7-Kilogram (685-Pound) Raw Squat For Five Reps Look Easy]
Mills’ official bodyweight at the time of this USAPL Junior raw squat record was 109.46 kilograms, meaning the lift was three times his bodyweight. Mills’ squat exceeded the previous USAPL Junior raw squat record of 327.5 kilograms (722 pounds) scored by Dustin Limerick at the 2022 USAPL Teen Nationals one week earlier, according to the USAPL database.
Although Mills lists in the caption that his squat is a new Junior American record, it is technically a USAPL record. According to Open Powerlifting, the current Junior American raw squat record is 357.5 kilograms (788.2 pounds), scored by Joe Sullivan at the 2016 Southern Powerlifting Federation (SPF) Reebok Record Breakers on Nov. 5, 2016. Mills’ 331-kilogram squat ranks third overall behind Sullivan’s lift and the second-heaviest raw squat of 350 kilograms (771.6 pounds) hit by Larry Wheels, also at the 2016 SPF Reebok Record Breakers.
Mills’ performance at the 2022 USAPL Junior Nationals earned him a gold medal, and his total was 46 kilograms more than that of the runner-up, Arthur French. Despite that, Mills expressed dissatisfaction with his performance:
My missed third deadlift burns a hole in my soul that will not have the chance to heal until the next time I step on the platform.
While he did not mention when he intends to compete again next, he plans to take a “long offseason to work on technique.” We’ll see if that time away from sanctioned competition is fruitful for the three-time National champion when he returns to the lifting platform.
Featured image: @wheeze on Instagram
