Amanda Lawrence entered the 2023 International Powerlifting Federation (IPF) Sheffield Powerlifting Championships with nothing to prove. The athlete was already a World Champion, with multiple world records to her name scattered all over. Yet, she outdid herself again anyway.
On Mar. 25, 2023, Lawrence used the Sheffield, England, lifting platform as a trademark showcase of her strength. In a fourth-place overall performance, the athlete recorded three raw IPF World Records on her squat (246.5 kilograms/543.4 pounds), deadlift (268.5 kilograms/591.9 pounds), and total (645 kilograms/1,421.9 pounds). Her deadlift is the heaviest in IPF history among female competitors.
Per Lifting Cast, the Sheffield contest was judged on a body weight-to-strength ratio, and it saw 52-kilogram (114-pound) lifter Evie Corrigan take home the victory with a 459-kilogram (1014.1-pound) total. Lawrence weighed in at 83.4 kilograms (183.8 pounds). The athlete wore a lifting belt for her deadlift; a belt, knee sleeves, and wrist wraps for her squat; judging by the camera angle of her bench press, she had no additional supportive equipment adorned.
Here is an overview of Lawrence’s top stats from her performance at the 2023 Sheffield Championships:
Amanda Lawrence (84KG) | 2023 Sheffield Powerlifting Championships Top Stats
- Squat — 246.5 kilograms (543.4 pounds) | IPF Raw 84-kilogram record
- Bench Press — 130 kilograms (286.6 pounds)
- Deadlift — 268.5 kilograms (591.9 pounds) | IPF Raw 84-kilogram record; Heaviest women’s deadlift in IPF History
- Total — 645 kilograms (1,421.9 pounds) | IPF Raw 84-kilogram record
On her Instagram, Lawrence was appropriately succinct with a reflection on her usual superstar-level performance.
“You could say a few world records fell yesterday. I’M BACK,” Lawrence wrote.
For Lawrence, a three-time IPF World Champion (2019, 2021-2022), it seems likely she’ll add another title to her belt this summer at the 2023 IPF Worlds in Valletta, Malta. As such, Lawrence is setting her sights on another ambition: the first 272-kilogram (600-pound) deadlift in women’s IPF powerlifting history.
“600 pounds will fall, you have yet to see my final form,” Lawrence wrote.
The social media reveal of such goals after a record-laden meet drew the attention of other notable powerlifting stars like Jessica Buettner, Jesus Olivares, and Russel Orhii. Buettner simply commented with some fire emojis, Olivares expressed his pride in his peer, and Orhii perhaps put it best: “This woman is different.”
Yes, indeed, Lawrence is quite different.
At this stage of her career, Lawrence is more of a pioneer than a powerlifter. Not only is she extending the distance between herself and her competition, she’s seemingly breaking ground some could likely have only ever dreamed of.
Featured image: @miss.amanda.ann on Instagram