It is not often a powerlifting world record holder asks his followers on social media if they would like to see a change in weight class that offers new world records to chase, but that is exactly what Rostislav Petkov of Bulgaria did earlier this week.
The 30-year-old who competes in the -75kg weight class performed a colossal 350kg/770lb deadlift at a bodyweight of 79kg/174lb in training and shared the lift in a video on his Instagram page. Check it out below:
Petkov currently holds the world record deadlift and total in the -75kg class — a 335kg/738.5lb deadlift and 835kg/1,841lb total that he hit at the United States Powerlifting Association (USPA) 2018 Kern US Open. The lift in his post is a full 15kg/33lb above his world record, albeit he is 4kg/9lbs heavier.
Since starting his competitive powerlifting career in 2006 at the age of 17, Petkov has only competed in outside -75kg twice — his competitive debut (-66kg) and his most recent appearance (-83kg) at theWorld Raw Powerlifting Federation (WRPF) 2019 Kern US Open where he finished third.
In the caption of his Instagram post, Petkov, posed a question to his followers about whether he should set another world record at -75kg or stay at -83kg and attempt to break the current world record in that weight class — a 390kg/860lb lift by Dmitry Nasonov of Russia from the WRPF 2019 World Championships. With Petkov currently looking strong at -79kg, both options seem viable. Judging by the comments on his post, his followers seem split about what they would like to see.
[Related: Amit Sapir shares 4 things he learned setting squat world records in 4 different weight classes.]
Petkov’s 350kg/770lb deadlift does match the third heaviest ever deadlift in the -83kg weight class by Kody Blazek. Still, 40kg/88lb is a lot of additional weight to add to the bar if Petkov does decide to challenge Nasonov.
Whichever class Petkov ultimately decides to compete in at his next sanctioned event, you can be sure he will be looking to rewrite the record books.
Feature image from Rostislav Petkov’s Instagram page: @ross_petkov