At the 2024 World Raw Powerlifting Federation Australia (WRPFA) Launceston Toyota Showdown (LTS), Australian powerlifter Sarah Rainbow hit the heaviest raw total ever by a woman at an incredible 775 kilograms.
Rainbow squatted 300 kilograms at the 2024 ProRaw 14, a 15-kilogram personal best on the day. One week later, she added another 15 kilograms for an incredible 315-kilogram squat — the second-biggest raw squat ever done in competition by a woman. Only the legendary April Mathis has done more at 320 kilograms.
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After scoring huge personal bests and all-time Australian records at the 2024 ProRaw 14, Rainbow hopped straight into a local meet and hit even bigger numbers and an all-time world record (ATWR) only seven days later.
At ProRaw 14, she squatted 300 kilograms in knee wraps, making her one of only seven women to break the 300-kilogram barrier in raw competition. Despite opening the record books, Rainbow struggled on deadlift and left many kilograms on the table. Perhaps that’s why she was back on the platform the following week.
Rainbow’s squat was performed using knee wraps, a lifting belt, and wrist wraps but no supportive suit. Rainbow hit a personal record (PR) on bench press at both events, scoring 175 kilograms at ProRaw 14 and then pushing it to 177.5 kilograms at the LTS.
This is the fourth biggest raw bench press done in a full-power contest and right at the limit of Rainbow’s strength, as it moved slowly to lockout. Take a look below:
Rainbow hit a phenomenal 282.5-kilogram deadlift, placing herself eighth on the ATWR rankings for deadlift. This was a 12.5-kilogram personal best and gave her the biggest total ever achieved raw by a woman.
2024 WRPF Australia Launceston Toyota Showdown — Sarah Rainbow (Australia), +90KG
- Squat
- 285 kilograms
- 315 kilograms
- Bench Press
- 160 kilograms
- 175 kilograms
- 177.5 kilograms
- Deadlift
- 255 kilograms
- 282.5 kilograms
- Total — 775 kilograms — ATWR
Rainbow has not shared her future competition plans at the time of this article’s publication. Typically, she competes twice a year, but it remains to be seen whether this year will be an exception as these two meets were so close together.
Editor’s note: BarBend is the Official Media Partner of the WRPF. The two organizations maintain editorial independence unless otherwise noted on specific content projects.
Featured image: @sarah_rainbow on Instagram
