Elite powerlifter Taylor Atwood holds the top spot in the International Powerlifting Federation (IPF) rankings on GL points. A three time world champion, Atwood has dominated the 74-kilogram class for years.
Atwood holds eight national powerlifting titles. He has competed in Raw Nationals every year from 2014 to 2022 and remains unbeaten at that level. However, he missed that meet in 2023 as he was competing at the 2023 Sheffield Powerlifting Championships. It seems that he will miss the 2024 Nationals, too.
Atwood was widely expected to lift at 2024 Powerlifting America (PA) Raw Nationals in Reno, NV, in March to face Austin Perkins, who switched from USA Powerlifting (USAPL). However, on Feb. 16, 2024, Atwood took to his YouTube channel to announce that he will not compete. Check it out below:
Before discussing details regarding his participation in the 2024 PA Nationals, Atwood shared his workout. He explained that he took 11 days off training due to illness and travel to the UK to be part of the media team covering the 2024 Sheffield. For these reasons, he started light with his SBD (squat, bench and deadlift) session.
Atwood explained the difficult choice to not compete at the 2024 PA Raw Nationals. He spoke about his recovery from a knee injury, specifically referring to the Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) therapy he underwent in the last quarter of 2023. Atwood detailed his treatment in the video below:
The treatment was successful, but recovery is a slow process. Atwood said that, while he is now pain free, he isn’t back to full strength. Atwood’s withdrawal from the 2024 PA Raw Nationals is not his retirement from the sport. Atwood expects to compete in the second half of 2024, but did not express which meet(s) he intends to compete in.
Atwood’s decision to not compete at the 2024 Raw Nationals has far reaching consequences. By not participating, he cannot make the USA team, and he will not go to the IPF Classic World Championships (CWC) in Druskininkai, Lithuania.
The CWC is the qualifying event for both the 2025 Sheffield and the 2025 The World Games. As a result, Atwood will not take part in those events either.
Featured image: @t_atwood on Instagram
