He said he would, and he did. In June 2021, 72-year-old powerlifter and co-owner and CEO of Kabuki Strength, Rudy Kadlub, called his shot — he would set a new International Powerlifting League (IPL) squat world record in the Masters (70-74) Division at the United States Powerlifting Association (USPA) Drug-Tested National Championships held on July 12-16, 2021 in Palm Springs, CA.
Kadlub not only set an IPL world record squat, but he also set IPL world records for all three big lifts and total in the 100-kilogram weight class. Here were his world record stats from the event:
USPA Drug-Test National Championships — Rudy Kadlub
- Squat — 195 kilograms (429.9 pounds)
- Bench Press — 139.7 kilograms (308 pounds)
- Deadlift — 227.3 kilograms (501 pounds)
- Total — 562 kilograms (1,238.9 pounds)
Check out Kadlub’s full performance in the video below, courtesy of his Instagram page:
View this post on Instagram
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Going into the USPA Drug-Tested National Championships, the world record standard for the squat in the 100-kilogram class had not yet been hit, according to the IPL’s world record index. Those IPL world records and their holders were the following:
IPL Drug Tested World Record Standards — Masters 70-74
- Squat — 147.5 kilograms (325.2 pounds) — World Record Standard
- Kadlub squatted 47.5 kilograms (104.7 pounds) more
- Bench Press — 138 kilograms (304.2 pounds) — Jim Mckenna
- Kadlub bench pressed 1.9 kilograms (4.2 pounds) more
- Deadlift — 172.5 kilograms (380.3 pounds) — Vladimir Makarov
- Kadlub deadlifted 54.8 kilograms (120.8 pounds) more
- Total — 425 kilograms (937 pounds) — Mitch John Alderman
- Kadlub lifted 137 kilograms (302 pounds) more
Aside from the bench press, Kadlub’s performance blitzed through the previous IPL world records in this class. According to the caption in his post, he intends to further these numbers even more:
More hardware for the awards collection. We’re not finished, but I’m excited to get a little down time before the next one.
Of course, Kadlub won gold at the IPL Drug-Tested National Championships, continuing his streak of gold-medal finishes that he has sustained for eight straight years. According to Open Powerlifting, the last time Kadlub failed to stand atop the podium of a sanctioned powerlifting meet he competed in was the 2012 World Powerlifting Congress (WPC) World Championships.
When Kadlub competes next, expect at least one of the records now in his name to be challenged or beaten. When he calls his shot, he rarely misses.
Feature image: @rudykadlub on Instagram