The American raw deadlift record in the Teen 16-17 (T2) division has fallen. Antonio “TJ” Marrero has claimed the title in the 74-kilogram weight class with a 283-kilogram (623.9-pound) deadlift. The 17-year-old set the new American Record at the 2021 USA Powerlifting (USAPL) Massachusetts/Rhode Island State Championships on Aug. 14, 2021. He performed the lift in a sumo stance with a hook grip and it locked it out smoothly.
This new T2 American deadlift record beat the previous one, held by Jacob Waltzer, by half a kilogram. Waltzer hit his 282.5-kilogram (622.8-pound) pull at the 2020 USAPL Virginia Winter Wrecker. His record stood for exactly nine months. If you have not yet seen it, check out Marrero’s record lift below courtesy of his Instagram page:
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Marrero weighed in at exactly 74 kilograms for the event and scored the following stats:
TJ Marrero — USAPL Massachusett /Rhode Island State Championships
- Squat — 180 kilograms (396.8 pounds)
- Bench Press — 110 kilograms (242.5 pounds)
- Deadlift — 283 kilograms (623.9 pounds) | T2 American record
- Total — 573 kilograms (1,263.25 pounds)
Although all of the above lifts were competition bests for Marrero, the deadlift is clearly his strongest discipline. His most recent squat personal record in training on Aug. 21, 2021, was 183.7 kilograms (405 pounds) — nearly 100 kilograms (220.5 pounds) less than his deadlift. For reference, his deadlift at the USAPL Massachusetts/Rhode Island State Championships was just shy of four times his body weight.
For comparison, the International Powerlifting Federation (IPF) Sub-Junior deadlift world record is currently 12 kilograms less than Marrero’s recent lift. The Sub-Junior division features athletes ages 18 and under. The current world record deadlift in that division at 74-kilograms is held by Nahel Baali of France, who pulled 271 kilograms (597.5 pounds) at the 2019 European Powerlifting Federation (EPF) European Classic Championships in Kaunas, Lithuania. Had Marrero performed his 283-kilogram (623.9-pound) deadlift in international competition, it would have been an IPF Sub-Junior world record.
Competitive Resume
According to Open Powerlifting, this was Marrero’s third-ever appearance in a sanctioned powerlifting meet. He started his competitive powerlifting career in March of 2021. Marrero won gold in his debut at the USAPL Pittsburgh Spring Classic with a 510-kilogram (1,124.4-pound) total. He followed that performance up just off the podium with a 535-kilogram (1,179.5-pound) fourth-place finish at the USAPL High School and Teen National Championship in late May.
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In the less than five months since Marrero made his competitive powerlifting debut, he added 63 kilograms (138.9 pounds) to his total and 43 kilograms (94.8 pounds) to his deadlift. It will be exciting to what weight he calls for on the barbell when he competes next. However, Marrero appears to have aspirations as a multi-sport strength athlete. He recently shared a post on his Instagram page expressing how much he enjoys training as a bodybuilder.
First day back on program and I’m loving the bodybuilding work.
It seems there is a bright future for Marrero with whichever competitive stage he steps onto next — be it for a posing routine or to challenge his new deadlift record.
Featured image: @tj.marrero on Instagram
