Anytime a prominent weightlifter with multiple Youth National titles hops in the gym to perform a sumo-stance deadlift with more than three times their competition bodyweight, it’s worth attention. On April 5, 2022, two-time USA Weightlifting (USAW) Youth National champion in the 30-kilogram weight class, 13-and-under division Aurora “Rory” van Ulft posted a video to her Instagram page wherein she pulls 100 kilograms (220.5 pounds) beltless.
While van Ulft did wear lifting straps during her deadlift, meaning it isn’t technically raw, locking out what is captioned as 3.2 times her body weight is on par pound-for-pound with elite level lifts in Senior divisions. Usually, van Ulft competes in the 30-kilogram class, meaning this recent training lift is closer to 3.3 times her competition bodyweight. Presumably, that means her body weight in the gym at the time of the lift was just over 31 kilograms. Check out van Ulft’s effort below:
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The barbell is slow to get off the ground as van Ulft initiates the ascent — noticeably, the right side of the barbell comes off the ground first even though she utilized an overhand grip. However, once the barbell lost contact with the floor, van Ulft turned on the jets, and the barbell flew to the lockout with speed.
This is not the first time van Ulft has deadlifted three times her bodyweight on camera. In September 2021, she successfully hit a 90-kilogram (198.4-pound) pull. That means that she tacked on an additional 10 kilograms (22.1 pounds) to her deadlift in just seven months.
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While van Ulft occasionally practices powerlifting while training, she has not lost sight of posting record-level lifts in weightlifting. Three days before the above deadlift, van Ulft shared a video on her Instagram page wherein she snatched “one kilogram below the American record.” While it isn’t entirely clear from the video above, the caption is likely referring to Kendra Hoover’s Youth American snatch record of 35 kilograms (77.2 pounds) scored in June 2018.
Given that van Ulft scored a record-tying snatch of 35 kilograms (77.2 pounds) en route to gold at the 2021 US Youth National Championships and has added serious weight to her big lifts, the record books could undergo some edits when she competes next.
Featured image: @roryvanulft on Instagram