Author: Jo Whiteley
SHEFFIELD – The Men
We are only days away from one of the most anticipated battles in powerlifting. Originally scheduled for 2020, the wait has been long but we are finally here and 24 of the top powerlifters in the IPF will soon be travelling to the UK to face off for the biggest prize pot in the sport’s history.
SBD have put £365,000 on the table for this event and the money will be divided up in a couple of different ways. First off, any open world record in squat, bench press or deadlift will earn £5,000. But the big prize is for overall placings – £25,000 for first place, all the way down to £1,000 for 10th. These prizes will be judged on the proportion of the total world record in each weight class. If the overall winner also breaks the WR in each lift, they could walk away with a massive £40,000 – nearly $50,000 US!
Kyota Ushiyama was the bronze medallist in the 66kg class at the World Championships last year. He has been creeping ever closer to the deadlift world record. Can he bring his deadlift to a point and nail it at Sheffield? It will be worth £5k to him if he does.
Eddie Berglund is the current world champion in the 66kg class and the current European champion in the 74kg class. We know him as a great bencher but last year he really made his mark as an all-round powerlifter, taking the 66kg total world record out in South Africa. He has been competing more often in the 74kg class but will he want to take on the huge obstacle of Taylor Atwood’s 790.5kg total rather than 710.5kg in the 66s? But the WR bench in the 74s is ever so slightly lower so this is a difficult decision based on what Eddie believes is his best chance to maximise his payout.
One name stands out amongst the lightweight competitors – Taylor Atwood. Three time world champion, he is the top ranked lifter in the IPF on GL points. He holds the squat and total WRs in the 74kg class and that total record will be a high bar to clear. He set it all the way back in 2019 but all is not as it seems here. There was no world championships in 2020 and he didn’t attend in 2021. Last year at worlds, he cruised to the win a very carefully calculated half a kilo below the world record. So this isn’t some distant unattainable goal – this is a record in real jeopardy and Taylor is coming for it.
As we move up the weight classes, we have Delaney Wallace, the current world champion in the 83s. He is in a tough class, facing world records set by Orhii, Hubbard and Enahoro but training has been flying recently and the self-proclaimed strongest accountant alive is planning to dance all over the opposition.
The 93kg class at the World Championships last year was one of the most exciting battles of the whole week. And we have most of the front runners coming to Sheffield to do it all over again.
Amar Kanane took the squat gold at worlds with 322.5kg – he tried for the 331kg world record but missed out on depth. Former junior world champion, Gavin Adin, tried for the same and looked really strong with it but missed for the same reason. I am certain that both these guys will be taking a run at that record again at Sheffield.
No surprise that Jonathan Cayco took the bench gold at worlds, extending his own world record too – he is definitely the favourite to bag this £5k pot. Emil Krastev wasn’t a million miles behind though and his bench has gone from strength to strength recently so this could be a two way tussle.
The deadlift WR can go only one way. Current world champion and deadlift world record holder, Chance Mitchell, is in a league of his own here. Going into worlds last year, the total world record was Cayco’s at 373kg. Mitchell, Krastev and Cayco all exceeded that total with Adin a handful of kilos behind.
Every one of these five made mistakes at worlds and left kilos on the table. Mitchell missed his opening squat AND his opening deadlift. Cayco FINALLY missed a lift, his last pull. Adin did not have the day he wanted. Probably Krastev left the least behind. They have all been working hard to bring their ‘A’ game to Sheffield and you better believe that nothing else will be good enough.
Two lifters will be duking it out in the 105s. Reigning world champion, Emil Norling, and the guy that was only 2.5kg behind at worlds, Michael Davis. They put on quite a show in South Africa and laid on a great deadlift battle so we’re looking forward to seeing them go toe to toe once more.
Last but absolutely not least, the super heavyweight champion of the world, Jesus Olivares. He was injured going into worlds last year and struggled a little, only getting his opening squat, only getting his opening deadlift. Since then, he has been putting up some incredible numbers. He totalled 1110kg at last year’s raw nationals – Ray Williams’ total record is 1112.5kg so he is already close enough to touch it. What can Olivares do at full strength? Probably not even he knows.
We do know that we will see kilos lifted, records broken and some of the most competitive head to head competition the world has even seen. Sheffield 2023. History in the making.