As the sport of powerlifting grows, so too does the number of athletes pushing big weights at young ages.
Swedish 19 year old powerlifter Vilma Olsson is one of these young athletes pushing big weight and setting herself up for a promising future in the sport. Olsson competes in the -72kg weight class and has already built a strong powerlifting resume.
Olsson currently owns the European sub-junior -72kg squat record with a 169kg (371 lb) lift that she made back in September 2017. In her latest Instagram video, Olsson is squatting a weight not incredibly far off her sub-junior record and hitting it for a strong five sets for five reps. Check out the video below where she makes 160kg (352 lbs) look incredibly easy.
In addition to her sub-junior squat record, Olsson also holds the total record. At the September meet where she set the squat record she totaled a strong 446.5kg (984 lbs). At this meet, she hit the 169kg (371 lb) squat, a 100kg (220 lb) bench press, and a 177.5kg (391 lb) deadlift.
[New to low-bar back squatting? Here’s a guide to help you dial in your form and learn the basics to this powerlifting staple.]
If you’re already a fan of Olsson on social media, then you already probably know she’s since squatted weight well over her current sub-junior record (for reps), along with deadlifting weight scary close to the current 190kg (418 lb) European record.
For example, throwback to February when Olsson joined the four plate squat club with her 180kg (396 lb) lift. At the time, this looked to be close to a maximal lift for her, but since judging from her latest progress videos we’re guessing she’s surpassed this weight by a fair amount.
Olsson’s squat and deadlift are continually climbing to numbers that not only rival those of the sub-junior and junior classes, but can compete with top athlete in the Open category as well. With a long career ahead of her, we’re interested to see what 2018 has in-store for this young athlete.
Feature image from @vilma__olsson Instagram page.