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The Classic (Raw) European Championships concluded last week with some incredible performances and many lifters announcing themselves as a real chance for a World Championship this coming June in Belarus.
I’ve compiled 6 performances that really stood out for me below, however all sessions can be re-watched on the European Powerlifting Federation’s YouTube Channel here.
Let’s get onto the list!
Isabella von Weissenberg (Sweden, -72kg) – World Record Squat!
The great Swede with bucket loads of potential added a further 2.5kg to her World Record Squat with a 192.5kg / 424lb third attempt! Looks like there was more there, what do you think?
She finished the meet with a 95kg / 209lb Bench Press missing 100kg / 220lb twice and a 207.5kg / 457lb Deadlift European Record for a 495kg / 1,091lb European Record Total.
Ielja Strik (Netherlands, -84kg) – World Record Total!
IPF Hall of Famer, Ielja Strik was unfortunately not mentioned in the preview piece about this meet as she has not been in form both in and out of equipment. However, she had her best ever raw meet in Denmark by adding 2.5kg to her own World Record Total with 537.5kg / 1,184lb! She squatted 205kg / 451lb (1kg below her World Record), benched 132.5kg / 292lb (4kg below her World Record) and pulled 200kg / 440lb!
Watch the lifts that got her there below!
Ivana Horna (Slovakia, -63kg) – European Record Deadlift and Total!
It won’t be long before Ivana Horna starts to really make a name for herself. She dominated the competition winning all disciplines to win by 50kg on total. This was through a 167.5kg / 369lb, a 95kg / 209lb Bench Press along with a 215kg / 473lb European Record Deadlift for a 477.5kg / 1052lb European record total. This total is huge mainly because it is 8.5kg below Jennifer Thompson’s (USA) World Record Total and is 1kg above what Thompson managed at 2016 Raw World’s in Killeen. Only one person has ever held the -63kg class Total World Record and that is Thompson so for Horna to be that close coming into World’s is very exciting. Thompson really hasn’t had competition since she began international raw lifting so be prepared for an epic battle in June.
Check out Horna’s 215kg Deadlift to seal the European Total Record and extend her European Deadlift record.
Olga Golubeva (Russia, -52kg) – European record total, M1 World Record Bench Press!
Golubeva truly showed how great she is at this meet totalling 425kg / 936lb without excessive exertion. To put it into perspective with an RPE scale, in my opinion, no lift went above a 9. Also without Marisa Inda’s (USA) performance at the Arnold’s this would have been a World Record Total. Inda hit 430kg / 947lb at the Arnold but Golubeva certainly put her name forward for a World Championship with this performance in Denmark. This means the -52kg class at World’s could be won by either; Marisa Inda, Liz Craven (Australia), Golubeva or defending champion Sofia Loft (Sweden), a great battle will certainly go down there.
In this meet however, Golubeva squatted a comfortable 145kg / 319lb, pressed a new M1 World Record with 102.5kg / 225lb and pulled 177.5kg / 391lb, all with comfort and ease. If she is to challenge the likes of Inda, Craven and Loft in June, she will need to keep her composure with the added pressure from multiple angles.
Check out all her lifts below!
Krzysztof Wierzbicki (Poland, -105kg) – World Record Deadlift and Total!
He was my number 1 male lifter to watch at this meet and he certainly delivered. First of all, he weighed in at a very light 99.8kg / 220lb in the -105kg class which shows that the he is capable of far more than his result at this meet. He squatted a very tough 305kg / 672lb which is a 15kg international PB along with a 195kg / 429lb Bench Press for a 5kg international PB. Obviously Wierzbicki shines in Deadlift and he took that notoriety to another level at this meet. Off to a shaky start with a big technical miss at 370kg / 815lb (came forward at the top and lost balance), he regained his composure to smash 370kg for a World Record Deadlift and European Record Total. He then goes to 390kg / 859lb to add 20kg to his Deadlift World Record and smashed that too. His 890kg / 1962lb Total is also a World Record and adds 4.5kg to the record that was recently set by Garrett Blevins (USA) at the Arnold. The 390kg Deadlift is the second largest raw deadlift in the modern era, only behind Ray Williams (USA) who recently hit 392.5kg / 865lb at the Arnold, but Ray is also ~80kg heavier than Wierzbicki.
Keep in mind that this is Wierzbicki’s first meet in the -105kg class with plenty of room to grow. In my opinion, this class suits him down the ground and I can’t wait to see him compete with the likes of Garrett Blevins, Bryce Lewis (USA) and Stephen Manuel (Great Britain) all being past World Record holders in Total. It’s going to go right down to the wire in June!
Kim Gustafsson (Sweden, 120kg+) – European Record Deadlift!
Kim Gustafsson is all about the Deadlift being one of the best conventional lifters on the planet. I’m a bit biased here but I love seeing a big conventional deadlifter do their thing at a big meet so seeing Kim do just that was a great way to finish the meet. He opened at a very comfortable 350kg / 771lb before going 370.5kg / 816lb to add 5.5kg to the European Deadlift Record. Thinking he would go 393kg / 866lb to chip Ray Williams’ World Record, he went for 383kg / 844lb and missed at the knee. The 370.5kg successful lift is a 10.5kg international PB for Gustaffson and builds momentum for a possible spot on the Swedish World’s team to Belarus in June where he will battle Ray for Deadlift gold!
Overall, the Classic Europeans highlighted a few major players in the game and served as a test meet before the big show in Minsk, Belarus in June!
In a fortnight, I’ll preview the World Classic Bench Press Championships featuring the top 3 males and females. Australia’s Caleb Voice is competitive for a win in the open -93kg class against an all-time great of the sport, Dennis Cieri (USA), definitely an event not to miss!
Until next time, train hard, train smart and dominate on the platform.
Tim Davies – Team PB Powerlifting
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Email – t.davies@hotmail.com.au