Danish Junior powerlifter Regin Stergakis participated in his first international competition on Sept. 7, 2024. Although he started competing in 2022, he has already achieved world-class numbers in the Junior (ages 19-23) category.
Stergakis competed in the 105KG class at the 2024 International Powerlifting Federation (IPF) Junior World Championships (JWC) in St Paul’s Bay, Malta. He was ten kilograms clear of the rest of the field after bench press, but he really streaked ahead on deadlift. With his final attempt of 366 kilograms, he broke the Junior raw deadlift world record en route to setting a new Junior raw total world record.
Stergakis took a moment to adjust his lifting belt to his liking and then stretched tall with his arms spread wide. He took a deep breath, bent to the barbell, and grabbed it with a mixed grip.
Stergakis wasted no time at the bottom, dropping his hips and starting the pull immediately. Given the weight loaded onto it, the bar leaped from the floor with incredible speed, and Stergakis locked it out comfortably.
France’s Corentin Clement had previously set both world records at the 2021 JWC in Halmstad, Sweden. Stergakis added a single kilogram to the deadlift world record, extending the total record by eight and a half kilograms.
2024 IPF Junior World Championships Results — Regin Stergakis, 105KG | Raw
- Squat
- 295 kilograms
- 310 kilograms
- 317.5 kilograms
- Bench Press
- 205 kilograms
215 kilograms- 220 kilograms
- Deadlift
- 337.5 kilograms
- 352.5 kilograms
- 366 kilograms — IPF Classic Junior World Record
- Total — 903.5 kilograms — IPF Classic Junior World Record
Less than a week later, Stergakis was back in action at the 2024 Nordic Championships in Horsens, Denmark. This international contest is open to Junior powerlifters in the Nordic nations: Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland, and Iceland. It’s one of the longest-running competitions in the world, having started in 1975.
With less on the line at these championships and his world title and records already secure, Stergakis took 372.5 kilograms for his second attempt and called it there. World records cannot be broken at the Nordic Championships. Still, Stergakis has another year in the Junior category to push his records further in 2025.
More Powerlifting Content
- Nathaniel Massiah (93KG) Smashes World Record Deadlift at 2024 IPF Junior World Championships
- Agata Sitko (76KG) Eclipses Raw Total World Record in Training
- John Haack (90KG) Breaks All-Time World Record Raw Squat at 365.5 Kilograms
Featured image: @theipf on Instagram
