Author: Jo Whiteley
On a cold and rainy Saturday in a northern English city, twelve of the strongest men in the world gathered to contest the crown and vie for big cash prizes. The competition format was an unusual one with the overall winner being determined on the proportion of the total World Record in their weight class. Cash prizes were also on offer for any squat, bench of deadlift WR broken at £5,000 a pop giving a potential prize fund of £365,000. This meet was dreamed of, planned for and funded by SBD, whose headquarters is close to Sheffield, to showcase the best in the sport. The twelve men had already proved themselves in other arenas, most of them winning or placing at the World Championship in Sun City last June.
Steady Start on Squats
The women really raised the roof on squat and gave the men a high standard to aspire to, and aspire they did. All was calm in the first round as each lifter came out on stage to a huge pop from the crowd and calmly dealt with their opener. Big surprise though when Emil Norling failed his second squat at 340kg. Current 105kg world champion, this was right up there with his biggest ever squats but we didn’t expect him to be failing on his second. We later learned that he tweaked his adductor at the bottom of this squat which threw a real shadow over the rest of his competition and he didn’t come out for his third.
Emil was followed only by Jesus Olivares in the second record. Jesus moved 455kg with ease and a gasp ran around the audience, only a little ahead of a huge cheer. Would he try for Ray Williams’ 477.5kg world record on his third? We waited impatiently to find out.
As we headed into the final round of squats, on projected score (which includes opening attempts on bench and deadlift), Jesus led on 97.3% of the total WR, Jonathan Cayco was projected to be second with 96.8% and Kyota Ushiyama, hot off the back of an unofficial world record frenzy at Japanese nationals, was in third with 95.7%
Records Attempts Rack Up
Taylor Atwood in the 74kg class was the first man to attempt a squat world record with 283.5kg. It was his own record, set all the way back in 2019 in Helsingborg. He was widely expected to smoke this weight, having done 303kg previously at a domestic competition so it was a big shock when it ground to a halt halfway up and the spotters scooped him back into the rack. Injury and travel ultimately took their toll on the current world champion and this put a real dent in his competition plans.
Amar Kanane loaded up 331.5kg for an assault on the 93kg squat WR. He made a good attempt but he couldn’t quite get it to the top. The next man out was Gavin Adin in the same class but he wasn’t content with adding half a kilo to the record, he called for 336.5kg to be loaded. A risky move with 5kg more than he needed for the record but, as he stood in the darkened wings, you could see the light of burning ships in his eyes and he stormed the platform with intent, bellowing defiance. Adin looked solid under the bar and the squat was just as solid with surely another 5kg in the tank. It drew one red light for depth but two white lights is good enough and the former junior world champion roared his triumph, pounding his chest and feeding off the energy of the crowd. They loved him for it and responded with abandon. However, heartbreak when the jury overturned the lift for insufficient depth and he missed the record once again. The crowd booed their displeasure at the jury but the decision stood.
The last squat of the day could only go to one man. Jesus Olivares selected 470kg for his third and final squat, clearly playing the long game and taking no risks. The crowd rose en masse and their chants and howls bounced off the theatre walls. You couldn’t call it fast but it kept on moving and the young man gave a huge smile at the top. 20kg more than he had ever squatted in competition before and he extended his lead over Cayco with Ushiyama hanging onto third.
Meanwhile, 83kg world champion, Delaney Wallace, was dancing his way through the competition, alone in class but quietly putting together a huge total. He went three for three on squat which positioned him nicely in projected fourth.
Records Start to Fall
Bench specialist Eddie Berglund did his best to keep the tension high, missing his opening bench of 195kg. He is the bench world record holder in both the 66kg and 74kg classes at 213.5kg and 212.0kg respectively but it remained to be seen how the new bench rules had impacted him. On his first attempt, the bar stuttered oddly on its descent and he couldn’t get it going off his chest. His second he pressed pretty easily but overbalanced at the top and the bar ended up back in the rack before he got the command. Third time lucky though and it finally moved like an opener. Drama over but no chance of the record now for Eddie.
Jonathan Cayco was the bench WR holder in the 93s and he pushed the record up by half a kilo to 239kg on his second, and snagged the first £5k WR bounty for the men. Emil Krastev was injured coming into this competition but he had been taking the bench WR for a spin in training and we hoped that he would be able to have a crack at it. 239.5kg did indeed go on the bar but it was just too heavy on the day. Cayco however, had no trouble extending the record to 241.5kg with a comfortable looking press and making sure the £5k went home in his pocket.
Ushiyama meanwhile missed two attempt at 165kg and started to slide down the rankings. Wallace took full advantage, nailing all three attempts and moving up to third place with a projected 96.9%. Jesus hit the biggest bench, of course, with 272.5kg and he was looking more confident and impressive with ever lift.
Olivares Makes his Mark
Tensions ran high as each man came out to take their opening deadlifts. There seemed to be a lot of emotion in the air, as you might expect from a competition that is essentially a world championship compressed into a single session. One by one, the opening numbers lit up green on the scoreboard and then, finally, the huge presence of Jesus Olivares. 370kg for his opener was enough to break Ray Williams’ long standing total record and give him a 1112.5kg total. It shot from the floor to lockout in the blink of an eye and the roof came off Sheffield City Hall as the crowd roared their approval.
Second round and Ushiyama asked for 300.5kg to make official the World Record he had unofficially broken the previous week. However, it’s hard to put together back to back record breaking performances on opposite sides of the world and, despite the incredible support from the fans, he missed and slid a little further down the rankings.
Adin made short work of 325kg for his second and moved himself ahead of Taylor Atwood, into 4th place. Wallace asked for 330kg and looked fully in control. Alone in class, he was up against the 83kg WR total of 841kg set in Halmstad by Russell Orhii. 330kg moved slowly at lockout but he was only 6kg away – did he have another big pull in him? It had seemed like a big ask when we set out on this journey but Delaney absolutely delivered all the way through the competition, hitting lift after lift and he looked on course to take it. He walked calmly from the platform, no celebration. Just total focus on the one task that remained.
The 105kg class was having their own skirmish. Emil Norling and Michael Davis were trading blows with big deadlifts and the crowd went absolutely nuts when Mo Sulayman came out for his second pull. The crowd were noisy and supportive for every single lifter but they saved something special for the Brits. 370kg moved with ease and Money Mo pulled himself into contention for a cash prize.
Norling’s 375kg looked tough but Sweden’s strongest fireman can rely on his deadlift and we were treated to the trademark smile at the top as he moved back past Davis.
The fans went crazy for Jesus as he came out for a WR attempt of 399kg – could he take Ray’s deadlift record as well as his total? He absolutely smoked it and the noise levels in City Hall went up to another level. That pushed the WR total up a chunk, won him £5,000 and surely moved him out of reach of everyone.
The Greatest of All Time
Taylor Atwood attempted 322.5kg to take Kjell Bakkelund’s deadlift world record with Kjell looking on from the sidelines. It didn’t break the floor and one of the hot favourites had to accept fifth place.
Next out was Delaney Wallace, looking for 337.5kg to take the 83kg total WR and second place in the competition. It broke the floor and headed for lockout but the bar slowed, stopped, and dropped back to the floor. Delaney dropped too, and his disappointment was shared amongst the 2000 fans, their support bearing him back to his feet.
Gavin Adin, the young lifter with the big heart, took 340kg for his final lift. He looked emotional as he approached the platform and he demanded the support of the crowd. They gave him everything and he repaid them by pulling it easily and screaming in triumph at the top. Gavin Adin finally had his world record with 880kg and he had moved into second place.
He raised his arms in salute and acknowledged the crowd. As the camera followed him back into the wings, we saw Cayco in the shadows, looking fierce and ready. 342.5kg on the bar and it the attempt selection was right on the money! Cayco took the WR total and moved up to second, pushing Adin down to third.
The last lift of the competition belonged to Jesus Olivares. 410kg. So many milestones in this performance. 1,000lb squat. 600lb bench. 900lb deadlift. And nearly 50kg added to the WR total which had stood since 2017 and belonged to a legend of the sport. Truly here is the strongest powerlifter in history.
As he strode out to the bar, every single person in Sheffield City Hall leapt to their feet and the chants began anew “JESUS! JESUS!”. He stretched out and then hinged at the hip. He gripped the bar and pulled it to lockout at some speed. He got the down command and complied, then stood over the bar looking menacing as he waited for the referee’s lights. The wait seemed to go on forever and the tension in the room was incredible. Ahhh the lift was turned down, two to one. No lift. He smiled ruefully and raised his arms to the crowd. The crowd yelled their displeasure at the results but the young man from Texas was gracious and took it well.
As he was leaving the stage though, the MC bid him stay. What’s this? The jury are on their feet! The decision was overturned, the lift was good! He had pulled off the mythical 1000 / 600 / 900 and bagged himself £30,000 in prize money into the bargain. His grin split his face wide open and he began a victory lap of the platform. Mega Gojira pounded his chest and gave the crowd what they wanted in an emotional celebration of utter dominance as the undisputed superheavyweight king of the world.
Final results
