Rhianon Lovelace has done it again. The British strongwoman took to her Instagram page on Jan. 22, 2023, to post a video wherein she hoisted a cleaned a 101-kilogram (222.7-pound) axle and pressed it overhead. The lift occurred in Kaos Strength Gym in Preston, England, and marked a new world record in the U64KG category.
Three weeks into 2023, and we’re already one world record in.
According to Strength Results, the previous axle press world record in the U64KG class was 97.8 kilograms (215.6 pounds), scored by Deanna Marie Flores of the USA at the 2021 Wrath of the Strongest contest. Check out Lovelace’s new world record below. She wore wrist wraps and a lifting belt for the lift and utilized the belt as a leverage point during the clean — a legal maneuver in strongman competition:
[Related: Mitchell Hooper, Shayna Wirihana Win 2023 Australia’s Strongest International Contests]
Rhianon Lovelace — World Record Lifts in 2022
Lovelace’s resume was littered with world records throughout the 2022 season. Below is a list of notable successful lifts she made within the last calendar year at the time of this article’s publication:
- Axle Bar Deadlift world record — 233.5 kilograms (515 pounds) | 2022 Clash of the 64’s at the Clash Pro Series
- British Deadlift world record — 241 kilograms (530 pounds) | 2022 British Powerlifting Union (BPU) Single Lift British Championships
- Unofficial deadlift world record — 280 kilograms (617.3 pounds)
- Deadlift world record — 282.5 kilograms (622.8 pounds) | 2022 Berkshire’s Strongest
- Axle Deadlift world record — 261.5 kilograms (576.5 pounds) | 2022 Arnold Strongman UK
Before achieving the heaviest axle press of all time in the U64KG class, Lovelace held the third-heaviest axle clean & press of 92.5 kilograms (203.9 pounds) at the 2020 Strength Shop contest — though she competed in the 63-kilogram class. Per Strength Results, these are the current top axle clean & presses in the U64KG class (including each athlete only once):
Heaviest Axle Clean & Presses | U64KG
- Rhianon Lovelace — 101 kilograms (222.7 pounds)
- Deanna Marie Flores — 97.8 kilograms (215.6 pounds)
- Carlee Olivera — 93 kilograms (205 pounds)
The following athletes each successfully scored a 79.4-kilogram (175-pound) axle clean & press as part of a medley event at the 2022 Arnold Amateur Strongwoman contest:
- Hailey Hendricks
- Nadia Morrison
- Kristine Mathews
- Jamie Navarro
- Krystal Stanczyk
- Taylor Woods
- Chloe Brennan
- Joanne Mulligan
- Holly McRae
With the 2023 strongwoman season only beginning, Lovelace has plenty of time to rewrite the record books several times over. Whenever she steps on the competitive lifting platform next, expect the editors of those records books to pay close attention.
