Ray Williams has built himself an incredibly long list of powerlifting accomplishments, and he never ceases to shock the powerlifting community. His 1000+ lb raw squats have reached legendary status and are recognizable across all strength sports.
Williams is competing at this year’s 10th Annual USA Powerlifting Raw Nationals in the 120kg+ weight class. Today, he took the stage in the Prime Time lifting slot with a ton of hype behind his performance. Check out his easy second 467.5kg attempt, and close miss at 490kg below (which would have been the highest raw squat ever performed to IPF standards).
https://www.instagram.com/p/BaR-HFRAL8K/
After a successful easy 442.5kg (975 lb) opener, Williams bumped up 25kg and crushed his second 467.5kg (1,030 lb) attempt. Unfortunately, Williams barely missed his third attempt of 490kg (1,080 lbs), which would have surpassed the current world record by 12.5kg.
This feat, while not a record, is still one of the highest raw squats in the sport. Williams currently holds both the American and world record with his 477.5kg (1,050.5 lb) squat from this past March at the Arnold Classic.
The hype behind Williams’ performance this year revolves around two key focuses. First, he had the highest qualifying total going into the competition with a ridiculous 1,105kg (2,431 lbs). This total is 172.5kg over Jaisyn Mike’s qualifying total, who came in with the second highest total for 120kg+ prime time lifters. Second, last year at this competition Williams made powerlifting history.
At the 2016 USAPL Raw Nationals, Williams became the first ever athlete to squat over 1,000 lbs raw in competition by the IPF’s standards (no wraps, squat suit, and the lifter has to unrack and walk the weight out), which is now a standard in Williams’ performance. Check out his 456kg (1,005 lb) squat below.
There’s no denying that Williams is one of powerlifting’s best athletes, and has forever changed the history of the sport. Every year, he pushes new boundaries and proves how much the human body can handle.
Feature image screenshot from @jake_boly Instagram page.
