The 2024 Sheffield Powerlifting Championships gave plenty to talk about. Twenty-four of the best raw athletes in the International Powerlifting Federation (IPF) joined the fray on Feb. 10, 2024. The Women’s contest was dominated by one weight category — the 69-kilogram class.
Sheffield is scored on each athlete’s proportion of the IPF total world record in their weight class and awards monetary bonuses for any Open world records broken. The women’s 69-kilogram class was particularly tempting as the world record total was lower than that in the weight class below — three athletes took advantage of this:
2024 Sheffield Powerlifting Championships — Women’s 69KG
Prescillia Bavoil (France) — 2023 World Champion in the 69-kilogram class
Carola Garra (Italy) — 2023 World Champion in the 63-kilogram class
Agata Sitko (Poland) — 2023 silver medallist in the 76-kilogram class
With Garra moving up and Sitko moving down a weight class, it was challenging to predict the outcome. It was a widely anticipated match-up, and it did not disappoint.
Squat
Going into the competition, the IPF raw squat world record stood at 211.5 kilograms (466 pounds) and belonged to Bavoil, who set it at the 2023 IPF Classic World Championships (CWC) in Malta.
Garra was first to take a swing at the squat record. She successfully squatted 215 kilograms (474 pounds) on her second attempt, but Bavoil immediately took it back with an impressive 218 kilograms (481 pounds).
Meanwhile, Sitko ran her own race. It was always clear Sitko would be behind the other two at this stage of the competition. Nevertheless, despite Sitko’s weight cut, she hit a personal best 197.5 kilograms (435 pounds).
Garra broke the squat record again with 220 kilograms (485 pounds), but Bavoil hit straight back with 225 kilograms (496 pounds). This won Bavoil £5,000 for setting a new IPF raw squat world record and matched Marianna Gasparyan’s all-time world record in the 67.5-kilogram class.
Bavoil — 207.5, 218, 225 kilograms — IPF Open World Record
Garra — 205, 215, 220 kilograms
Agata — 185, 192.5, 197.5 kilograms
[Related: Evie Corrigan (52KG) Sets IPF Raw Deadlift and Total World Records at 2024 Sheffield Championships]
Bench Press
Although Bavoil led after squat, she was a fair way behind the other two on the bench press and had to bide her time while they surged ahead. Sitko opened on a world record attempt of 146 kilograms (322 pounds) and made it look easy. This was not just any old world record bench press, but Jennifer Thompson’s world record bench. To break it with an opener was particularly impressive.
Garra got in on the action with 146.5 kilograms (323 pounds) for her second attempt, but Sitko smoked 152 kilograms (335 pounds) and then 154 kilograms (339.5 pounds), pushing the record beyond Garra’s reach. Sitko’s third attempt was the tested all-time record bench press in the 75-kilogram class.
Sitko — 146, 152, 154 kilograms — IPF Open World Record
Garra — 140, 146.5, 150 kilograms
Bavoil — 110, 117.5, 122.5 kilograms
Astonishingly, for athletes competing hard and hitting world records, they were all at six for six successful lifts. Here’s the situation as it stood at sub-total:
Garra — 370 kilograms
Sitko — 351.5 kilograms
Bavoil — 347.5 kilograms
Although Garra was a fair way out in front, her best lifts were behind her, and the deadlifters were about to swarm past.
Deadlift
The world records started to come thick and fast in deadlifts. Garra opened and took the total world record with 572.5 kilograms (1,262 pounds). Bavoil matched the total but didn’t take the record, even with lighter bodyweight, as the world record always goes to the first athlete to break it, even if it was only seconds before.
However, the point was moot when Sitko opened with a colossal 235 kilograms (518 pounds) and moved the total world record up to 586.5 kilograms (1,293 pounds).
Bavoil and Garra marched in lockstep in the second round, both totaling 582.5 kilograms (1,284 pounds), but Sitko wasn’t done. Sitko hit a fast 242-kilogram (533.5-pound) deadlift to take Kimberly Walford’s long-standing deadlift world record, also extending the total world record to 593.5 kilograms (1,308 pounds).
With only a 10-kilogram (22-pound) spread across the Garra, Bavoil, and Sitko, any one of them could still claim victory. Garra was the first to the platform for their final lift. She attempted 225 kilograms (496 pounds) to take the lead, but it stalled out mid-shin, and she couldn’t complete it.
Bavoil aimed for second place and took the minimum increment of 2.5 kilograms (5.5 pounds) to sneak past Garra. It was probably the right move, as there was no stopping Sitko. Sitko loaded up 248.5 kilograms (548 pounds) to give her the 600-kilogram (1,323-pound) total that she aimed for.
It was a tough lockout, but Sitko got it to the top. She fell to the platform, emotions spilling over as she waited for the ref’s decision. Three white lights shone across the platform, and Sitko pounded the barbell triumphantly.
Sitko — 248.5-kilogram deadlift — 600-kilogram total
Bavoil — 237.5-kilogram deadlift — 585-kilogram total
Garra — 212.5-kilogram deadlift — 582.5-kilogram total
[Related: Amanda Lawrence (84KG) Scores IPF Raw Squat and Total World Records at 2024 Sheffield Championships]
[Related: Jesus Olivares (+120KG) Sets IPF Raw Squat World Record of 478 Kilograms at 2024 Sheffield]
A Superlative Performance
This outstanding nine-for-nine performance scored Sitko 109.29 percent of the total world record and overall victory in the competition. But that’s not all. With 124.40 GL points, Sitko moved to the very top of the IPF raw rankings, displacing Bavoil. No one, male or female, has ever achieved more. Incredibly, Sitko also holds the top equipped ranking, too.
Sitko has the highest tested dots of any raw woman, whether in wraps or sleeves. It begs the question of what’s left to achieve for this 21-year-old.
With bonuses for the bench press, deadlift, and total world records to add to her £25,000 (~$31,500) winners’ prize purse, Sitko took home a huge £40,000 (~$50,500) payout. She intends to compete in the IPF Classic World Championships and the IPF Equipped World Championships in 2024.
Can one person possibly win all three of the IPF’s biggest contests in one year? If anyone can, Sitko can.
Featured image: @carolagarra, @lya_powerlift, and @ja.gata_sitko on Instagram
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