Elite powerlifter Russel Orhii is returning to the International Powerlifting Federation (IPF). Orhii was the IPF Classic World Champion in 2019 and 2021 and still holds the 83-kilogram class squat world record at 320.5 kilograms.
Orhii is in the final stages of preparation for the 2024 Powerlifting America (PA) Raw Nationals in Reno, NV, on March 15, 2024. He has hit many PRs in the long lead-up to this event and seems in peak condition, judging from a video posted to his YouTube channel on Feb. 23, 2024.
The session that Orhii shared was his heaviest deadlift of the prep and also an important squat session. Take a look below:
Orhii’s last warm-up was with 320 kilograms. The barbell leaped incredibly fast from the platform. He then loaded up 345 kilograms for the heaviest deadlift of the prep.
The pull appeared smooth and comfortable, and Orhii grinned at the top. He later described the lift as being at “RPE eight” — a great place to be heading into a meet.
We might have something special on the platform.
At 5:28 of the video, Orhii can be seen posing like a bodybuilder after his deadlift session. Since Orhii last lifted in the IPF, he has been competing with United States Powerlifting (USAPL). However, in 2023, Orhii announced that he would switch to Powerlifting America (PA) to reclaim the IPF world championship.
Orhii’s first hurdle in his pursuit is securing the US team’s selection for the 2024 IPF Classic World Championships (CWC) in Druskininkai, Lithuania. He must win his weight class at PA Raw Nationals with at least 85 percent of the IPF total world record — 715 kilograms for the 83-kilogram class; an easy day’s work for Orhii.
However, PA Raw Nationals is not the only qualifying contest for the 2024 IPF CWC. Orhii must also beat Delaney Wallace’s total from the 2024 Sheffield Powerlifting Championships. Wallace broke Orhii’s total world record at that contest, pushing it to 842.5 kilograms — Orhii’s new target.
If successful, Orhii will compete at the CWC in Lithuania, opening further opportunities to qualify for the 2025 Sheffield and the 2025 World Games in Chengdu, China.
The 2024 PA Raw Nationals will be live-streamed on Powerlifting America’s YouTube channel from March 14-16, 2024.
Featured image: @russwole on Instagram
