Strongwoman Nadia Stowers rewrote the history books on Oct. 23, 2021, during the 2021 Static Monsters Worldwide (SMWW) competition. Stowers competed in the BIG Speed and Strength gym in Fontana, CA, where she broke the log press world record and set a new American record in the axle deadlift at 82 kilograms.
Stowers set a new log lift world record of 130.6 kilograms (288 pounds) and a new axle deadlift American record of 299.4 kilograms (660 pounds)*. Additionally, she attempted a 137.4-kilogram (303-pound) log lift but missed it. Check out Stowers world record lifts below, courtesy of her Instagram page:
Note: slide to the left to see the axle deadlift world record and the 137.4-kilogram (303-pound) log lift attempt.
*Though she competes in a lighter weight class, Rhianon Lovelace technically owns the 65-kilogram and 82-kilogram Axle Deadlift world record at 310-kilograms.
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Log Press World Record
According to Starting Strongman, a log press world record was held by Rebecca Cumpsty — a 115-kilogram (253.5-pound) lift from the SFN Expo on Sept. 21, 2019. Stowers claimed the world record at the 2021 Clash on the Coast competition when she locked out 117.9 kilograms (260 pounds) overhead. That means Stowers lift exceeded her previous world record by nearly 13 kilograms (28.7 pounds). Stowers’ new world record log press is more than 1.5 times her competition body weight.
Axle Deadlift World Record
The women’s 82-kilogram class axle deadlift world record prior to this competition is not quite clear. Even Stowers was unsure if her lift was the heaviest ever, stating in the caption of her Instagram post, “Think these are both the highest recorded log press and axle deadlift in a competition so far!-correct me if I’m wrong.”
According to Static Monsters, the heaviest axle deadlift in this weight class coming into the event was a 295-kilogram (650.4-pound) lift scored by Kim Derks at the 2019 SMWW contest. However, Stowers matched that weight at the 2020 SMWW competition. She can claim sole ownership of the title now as she surpassed the previous record by over four kilograms.
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Stowers axle deadlift was not the only world record set in that event at the 2021 SMWW. World’s Strongest Man (WSM) Gabriel “Texas Titan” Peña also entered the record books with a 500-kilogram (1,102.3-pound) pull.
Update: On Dec. 15, 2021, strongman coach and BarBend contributor Alec Pagan BarBend that Rhianon Lovelace has in fact lifted 310 kilograms on an axle bar. According to Pagan, even if an athlete competes in a lighter weight class, they can still own the records above them as long as they are, indeed, the heaviest. Lovelace completed this pull in October of 2019. You can see it below:
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Nadia Stowers Resume
Stowers competed in the 2021 World’s Ultimate Strongwoman contest to an eighth-place finish. That event was won by Annabelle Chapman. She won the 2020 SMWW contest with a 408.5-kilogram (900.6-pound) total, consisting of a 113.5-kilogram (250.2-pound) log press and a 295-kilogram (650.4-pound) axle deadlift. Stowers was the 2020 Strongman Corporation National Champion. Additionally, she holds the block press world record of 97.5 kilograms (215 pounds) scored at the 2021 Clash on the Coast competition.
Feature image: @nadiastowers_bigstorm on Instagram
