Of the 10 best powerlifters in the International Powerlifting Federation (IPF), only three are men. Ranked by GL points — a metric used to rank athletes of different weights and genders against each other — Taylor Atwood is fifth in the world.
- Here’s the kicker: his ranking is from a 2021 performance. The only other athlete to remain in the top 10 GL point rankings is Jesse Norris, the 10th-placer with a result from a decade ago.
Atwood built a career as one of powerlifting’s best middleweight athletes, maybe ever. After a string of mishaps derailed his comeback earlier in the year, Atwood found his stride. His most recent performance seems to herald the return of one of powerlifting’s modern greats.
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Taylor Atwood’s Big Bad Comeback
On Oct. 27, 2024, Atwood competed in Powerlifting America‘s Scary Strong 3 meet in Stoneham, MA, in the 83-kilogram category.
- “After a year and a half, I’m stepping back into competition mode,” Atwood, 36, said the morning of the event. “The feeling is surreal, and I’m beyond grateful for the incredible team and support that has gotten me back to this point.”
Surreal, indeed. Fans of powerlifting had grown accustomed to seeing Atwood thrive in lighter categories. After some time away from the platform, plus trying his hand in a different division, it was anything but guaranteed that he’d find success.
Atwood won his class and pulled together the highest GL point score, 115.17 points, of any athlete in attendance. Here’s a breakdown of how Atwood did on the day:
Taylor Atwood (83KG) | 2024 AMP Scary Strong 3
- Squat: 628.3 pounds
- Bench Press: 446.4 pounds
- Deadlift: 755 pounds
- Total: 1829.8
On Oct. 30, Atwood shared some of the rationale behind his strategy for Scary Strong 3 during an Instagram Q&A:
- Attempt Selection: “The goal was to qualify for Nationals next April. We also wanted to knock the rust off from not competing in over 1.5 years. This meet was a good gauge for where we are.”
- On Moving Up to -83KG: “My body was telling me it was time to put on some weight. Recovery wasn’t great at 74 kilograms. Since [bulking up], I’ve had a fairly injury-free journey over the last 6 months.”
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Two of his three lifts, the bench press and deadlift, were personal records for Atwood. He failed to exceed his best-ever raw squat of 668 pounds, which he hit back in 2021 at Powerlifting America‘s Raw National Championships as a 163-pound competitor.
Earlier in 2024, Atwood missed out on competing in Powerlifting America‘s Raw Nationals, which prevented him from qualifying for Sheffield 2025 and the World Games.
However, he seems to be thriving in the 83s, and if his stellar performance at Scary Strong 3 is any indication, Atwood will be back fighting for international gold medals (and some new records) in no time.
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Featured Image: @t_atwood / Instagram
