The New Zealander showed out under a global spotlight.
Written by Robert Zeglinski
For most of his sanctioned strength career, powerlifter Timothy Monigatti has mostly shined in his native New Zealand context. However, on occasion, Monigatti steps out of “The Shire” and shows the world what he brings to the table with a barbell in his hands. His appearance in the 2023 International Powerlifting Federation (IPF) World Classic Powerlifting Championships was no different.
During the global tentpole contest in Valletta, Malta, on June 11-18, 2023, Monigatti scored a 283.5-kilogram (625-pound) raw squat. His achievement is a raw World Record in the 74-kilogram weight class. The lift helped the athlete finish as the runner-up in his division to the eventual champion Carl Johansson of Sweden. Monigatti wore a lifting belt and knee sleeves to help him score his World Record.
Monigatti, who is just 26, can boast various New Zealand National titles over the course of his career that began in September 2015. It’s where he’s spent the majority of his competition time by far. That said, the athlete has relatively shined whenever he’s left the islands in the Pacific Ocean, particularly in the annual IPF Worlds.
According to his personal page on Open Powerlifting, Monigatti has now competed in the IPF Worlds on four occasions. As a Juniors competitor in the 74 and 83-kilogram divisions, he finished in third and second place, respectively, from 2018 to 2019. He would return to the IPF stage as an Open 83-kilogram athlete in 2022, taking home a top-five result. From this respect, Monigatti’s runner-up performance as an Open competitor at the 2023 iteration might be his best international showing yet.
Here’s an overview of Monigatti’s top stats from the 2023 IPF Worlds:
Timothy Monigatti (74KG) | 2023 IPF Worlds Top Stats
- Squat — 283.5 kilograms (625 pounds) | IPF World Record
- Bench Press — 170 kilograms (374.8 pounds)
- Deadlift — 324.5 kilograms (715.4 pounds)
- Total — 778 kilograms (1,715.2 pounds)
Note: The athlete appears to have sometimes alternated between the 74 and 83-kilogram classes throughout his career. The 2023 IPF Worlds were Monigatti’s second consecutive appearance in the 74-kilogram division after competing in the 83-kilogram category for the better part of the last three years, dating back to July 2020.
The 2023 IPF Worlds appear to be acting as a coming-out party of sorts for some of the elite athletes on hand. Though, Monigatti had long been established as a force to be reckoned with before this contest. He might just have shown the rest of the world he’ll be someone to really monitor in the coming years.
Featured image: @theipf on Instagram
About Robert Zeglinski
Robert is a seasoned and adept editor and writer with a keen, passionate penchant for the writing craft. He’s been a leader in newsrooms such as SB Nation, USA TODAY, and WBBM Newsradio, with various other content and art production teams, and first made a name for himself in his hometown of Chicago. When not knee-deep in research or lost in a stream of consciousness for a thorough piece, you can find Robert inhaling yet another novel, journaling his heart out, or playing with his Shiba Inu, Maximus (Max, for short).