The World Deadlift Championships

The World Deadlift Championships is an annual competition featuring strength athletes from all over the world, competing exclusively in the strongman deadlift. It was created by Giants Live and the championship focuses mainly on the maximum deadlift in pursuit of the deadlift world record, although in the 2017 edition, the event was changed to a 400 kg (882 lb) weight for the most repetitions in 60 seconds before reverting to a maximum weight format in 2019 after a one-year hiatus.

Champions

Year Champion Runner-Up Third Place Host City
2014 Benedikt Magnússon Eddie Hall Laurence Shahlaei
Martin Wildauer
Leeds, England
2015 Eddie Hall Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson Rauno Heinla
Jerry Pritchett
Leeds, England
2016 Eddie Hall Benedikt Magnússon
Jerry Pritchett
Leeds, England
2017 JF Caron
Konstantine Janashia
Benedikt Magnússon Manchester, England
2019 Rauno Heinla
Jerry Pritchett
Rob Kearney
Adam Bishop
Nedzmin Ambeskovic
Wembley, England
2021 Ivan Makarov 1 Pavlo Nakonechnyy
Evan Singleton
Adam Bishop
Oleksii Novikov
Gabriel Peña
Nedžmin Ambešković
Manchester, England
2022 Rauno Heinla Graham Hicks
Ivan Makarov 2
Pavlo Nakonechnyy
Mitchell Hooper
Cardiff, Wales
2023
(Men)
Graham Hicks Rauno Heinla
Ivan Makarov 2
Evan Singleton
Cardiff, Wales
2023
(Women)
Lucy Underdown Rebecca Roberts Cardiff, Wales
2024 Rauno Heinla
Mitchell Hooper
Ivan Makarov
Trey Mitchell
Las Vegas, United States

1 While Makarov has declared for Russia, he competed for Ukraine at the 2021 World Deadlift Championships.
2 While Makarov has declared for Russia, he competed for Georgia at the 2022 and 2023 World Deadlift Championships.

Heaviest lifts

In history (men)

# Weight Competitor Event location and name Bar/ standard World Record?
1 501 kg (1,105 lb) Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson Reykjavík, Iceland
Standard/
single ply suit
Yes
2 500 kg (1,102 lb) Eddie Hall Leeds, England
Standard/
multi ply suit
Yes
3 485 kg (1,069 lb) Peiman Maheripour Tehran, Iran
2024 Iran Strongest Men & Women's Deadlift Championship
Standard/
multi ply suit
No
4 483 kg (1,065 lb) Ivan Makarov Neukirchen beim Heiligen Blut, Germany
2022 Eisenhart Black Competition
Standard/
multi ply suit
No
5 481 kg (1,060 lb) Peiman Maheripour Moscow, Russia
2021 WRPF World Championships
Standard/
multi ply suit
No
6 477.5 kg (1,053 lb) Peiman Maheripour Moscow, Russia
2021 WRPF World Championships
Standard/
multi ply suit
No
7 476 kg (1,049 lb) Rauno Heinla Cardiff, Wales
Standard/
multi ply suit
Yes
(Over 40s only)
8 475 kg (1,047 lb) Mitchell Hooper Australia
2021 Excalibur Maximum Deadlift
Standard/
multi ply suit
No
Ivan Makarov 1 Manchester, England
Standard/
multi ply suit
No
10 474.5 kg (1,046 lb) Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson Columbus, United States
Elephant/
raw
Yes
(Elephant only)

In history (women)

# Weight Competitor Event location and name Bar/ standard World Record?
1 325 kg (717 lb) Lucy Underdown Las Vegas, United States
Standard/
single ply suit
Yes
2 318 kg (701 lb) Lucy Underdown Cardiff, Wales
Standard/
single ply suit
Yes
3 315 kg (694 lb) Becca Swanson Helsinki, Finland
2005 WPC WPO European Semi Finals
Power/
multi ply suit
Yes
4 311 kg (686 lb) Lucy Underdown Aberdeen, Scotland
2024 Rogue Invitational
Standard/
single ply suit
No
5 307 kg (677 lb) Lucy Underdown Columbus, United States
Elephant/
raw
Yes (Elephant only)
6 305 kg (672 lb) Becca Swanson Chicago, United States
2005 WPC WPO Semifinals
Power/
multi ply suit
Yes
Lucy Underdown Cardiff, Wales
Standard/
single ply suit
Yes
(Strongwoman only)
Sumer Johnson Roanoke, United States
2024 Cerberus Super Series Deadlift Championship
Standard/
multi ply suit
Yes (U82 Strongwoman only)
9 304 kg (670 lb) Andrea Thompson Columbus, United States
Elephant/
raw
Yes
(Over 40s and Elephant only)
10 302 kg (666 lb) Lucy Underdown Columbus, United States
Elephant/
single ply suit
Yes
(Elephant only)
Andrea Thompson Aberdeen, Scotland
2024 Rogue Invitational
Elephant/
single ply suit
Yes
(Over 40s only)

At the championships (men)

# Weight Competitor Year Bar Record Set
1 500 kg (1,102 lb) Eddie Hall 2016 Standard World Record
2 476 kg (1,049 lb) Rauno Heinla 2022 Standard Estonian Record, World Record (over-40s)
3 475 kg (1,047 lb) Ivan Makarov 1 2021 Standard Ukrainian Record
4 470 kg (1,036 lb) Graham Hicks 2023 Standard -
Trey Mitchell 2024 Standard World Record (raw)
Ivan Makarov 2 2024 Standard Georgian Record
Rauno Heinla 2024 Standard -
Mitchell Hooper 2024 Standard -
9 465 kg (1,025 lb) Eddie Hall 2016 Standard World Record
Benedikt Magnússon 2016 Standard World Record
Jerry Pritchett 2016 Standard World Record & World Record (raw)

At the championships (women)

# Weight Competitor Year Bar Record Set
1 325 kg (717 lb) Lucy Underdown 2024 Standard World Record
2 318 kg (701 lb) Lucy Underdown 2023 Standard World Record
3 305 kg (672 lb) Lucy Underdown 2023 Standard English Record
4 290 kg (639 lb) Lucy Underdown 2024 Standard -
5 280 kg (617 lb) Rebecca Roberts 2023 Standard Welsh Record
Lucy Underdown 2023 Standard -

Continental records (men)

  • This list features lifts made with a standard bar.
Region Weight Athlete Nation Year
Europe 501 kg (1,105 lb) Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson Iceland 2020
Asia 485 kg (1,069 lb) Peiman Maheripour Iran 2024
North, Central America and Caribbean 475 kg (1,047 lb) Mitchell Hooper Canada 2021
Oceania 460 kg (1,014 lb) Mathew Ragg New Zealand 2024
Africa 455 kg (1,003 lb) Chris van der Linde South Africa 2022
South America 402.5 kg (887 lb) Rafa Crestani Brazil 2014

Continental records (women)

  • This list features lifts made with a standard bar.
Region Weight Athlete Nation Year
Europe 325 kg (717 lb) Lucy Underdown England 2024
North, Central America and Caribbean 305 kg (672 lb) Sumer Johnson United States 2024
Oceania 292.5 kg (645 lb) Lydia Hantke Australia 2025
Africa 270 kg (595 lb) Cherry Muchindu Zambia 2022
Asia 225 kg (496 lb) Anja Schuffner South Korea 2023
South America (To be confirmed) (To be confirmed) (To be confirmed) (TBC)

Records on other bars and standards

Lift details Weight Athlete Nation Year
Elephant bar (Standard 9" height) 474.5 kg (1,046 lb) Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson Iceland 2019
Power bar - Conventional (Standard 9" height) 460.4 kg (1,015 lb) Benedikt Magnússon Iceland 2011
Power bar - Sumo (Standard 9" height) 3 487.5 kg (1,075 lb) Danny Grigsby United States 2022
Hummer tyre (Elevated 15" height) 549 kg (1,210 lb) Oleksii Novikov Ukraine 2022
Silver Dollar (Elevated 18" height) 580 kg (1,279 lb) Rauno Heinla Estonia 2022
Axle bar (Elevated 18" height) 499 kg (1,100 lb) Gabriel Peña Mexico 2021

3 This lift has been included as a reference - sumo deadlifts are classified as illegal in strongman competitions.

Individual results

2014

The 2014 World Deadlift Championships were held at the Headingley Stadium in Leeds, England on 9 August 2014 during the 2014 Europe's Strongest Man. Magnússon set a new world record with a lift of 461 kg (1,016 lb).[1]

Results

# Name Weight
1 Benedikt Magnússon 461 kg (1,016 lb)
2 Eddie Hall 446 kg (983 lb)
3 Martin Wildauer 435 kg (959 lb)
Laurence Shahlaei
5 Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson 420 kg (926 lb)
Mark Felix
Johannes Årsjö
8 Graham Hicks 400 kg (882 lb)
Vytautas Lalas
Krzysztof Radzikowski
Andy Bolton
12 Mikhail Koklyaev No lift
X Brian Shaw Withdrew

Records

Nation Name Weight
World Benedikt Magnússon 461 kg (1,016 lb)
Icelandic Benedikt Magnússon 461 kg (1,016 lb)
English Eddie Hall 446 kg (983 lb)
Austrian Martin Wildauer 435 kg (959 lb)
Swedish Johannes Årsjö 420 kg (926 lb)

2015

The 2015 World Deadlift Championships were held at the Headingley Stadium in Leeds, England on July 11, 2015. Hall set a new world record with a lift of 463 kg (1,021 lb).[2]

Results

# Name Weight
1 Eddie Hall 463 kg (1,021 lb)
2 Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson 450 kg (992 lb)
3 Rauno Heinla 435 kg (959 lb)
Jerry Pritchett
5 Andy Bolton 430 kg (948 lb)
6 Mark Felix 400 kg (882 lb)
Krzysztof Radzikowski
Terry Hollands
Dainis Zageris
Matjaz Belsak
11 Dimitar Savatinov 360 kg (794 lb)
12 Luke Stoltman No lift

Records

Nation Name Weight
World Eddie Hall 463 kg (1,021 lb)
English Eddie Hall 463 kg (1,021 lb)
Estonian Rauno Heinla 435 kg (959 lb)
Slovenian Matjaz Belsak 400 kg (882 lb)

2016

The 2016 World Deadlift Championships were held at the 2016 Europe's Strongest Man event at the First Direct Arena in Leeds, England. Hall set a new world record, becoming the first person in history to deadlift 500 kg (1,102 lb).[3]

Results

# Name Weight
1 Eddie Hall 500 kg (1,102 lb)
2 Benedikt Magnússon 465 kg (1,025 lb)
Jerry Pritchett
4 Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson 440 kg (970 lb)
5 Laurence Shahlaei 420 kg (926 lb)
Terry Hollands
Mark Felix
Marius Lalas
9 Johannes Årsjö 400 kg (882 lb)
Dimitar Savatinov
Adam Bishop
12 Mateusz Kieliszkowski No lift
Stefan Solvi Petursson

Records

Nation Name Weight
World Eddie Hall 500 kg (1,102 lb)
English Eddie Hall 500 kg (1,102 lb)
Icelandic Benedikt Magnússon 465 kg (1,025 lb)
American Jerry Pritchett 465 kg (1,025 lb)

2017

The 2017 World Deadlift Championships were held at the Giants Live Finals event in Manchester, England. In this edition, the championships were changed to a deadlift for the most repetitions in 60 seconds format with a fixed weight of 400 kg (882 lb) .[4]

Results

# Name Repetitions
1 JF Caron 5
Konstantine Janashia
3 Benedikt Magnússon 3
4 Žydrūnas Savickas 2
5 Mikhail Shivlyakov 1
6 Laurence Shahlaei 0
Nick Best
Terry Hollands
Cheick "Iron Biby" Sanou

2019

The 2019 World Deadlift Championships were held at the Wembley Arena in Wembley, England, as the opening event for Giants Live Wembley. In this edition, the championships returned to the max weight deadlift format.[5]

Results

# Name Weight
1 Rauno Heinla 455 kg (1,003 lb)
Jerry Pritchett
3 Rob Kearney 440 kg (970 lb)
Adam Bishop
Nedžmin Ambešković
6 Martins Licis 420 kg (926 lb)
Mikhail Shivlyakov
Mark Felix
9 Mateusz Kieliszkowski 400 kg (882 lb)
Tom Stoltman
11 Luke Stoltman No lift

Records

Nation Name Weight
Estonian Rauno Heinla 455 kg (1,003 lb)
Bosnian Nedžmin Ambešković 440 kg (970 lb)

2021

The 2021 World Deadlift Championships were held at the AO Arena in Manchester, England, as the opening event for Giants Live World Open.

Results

# Name Weight
1 Ivan Makarov 1 475 kg (1,047 lb)
2 Pavlo Nakonechnyy 453.5 kg (1,000 lb)
Evan Singleton
Adam Bishop
Oleksii Novikov
Gabriel Peña
Nedžmin Ambešković
8 Mikhail Shivlyakov 425 kg (937 lb)
Rauno Heinla
Gavin Bilton
Andy Black

Records

Nation Name Weight
Ukrainian Ivan Makarov 475 kg (1,047 lb)
Mexican Gabriel Peña 453.5 kg (1,000 lb)
Bosnian Nedžmin Ambešković 453.5 kg (1,000 lb)
Welsh Gavin Bilton 425 kg (937 lb)

2022

The 2022 World Deadlift Championships were held at the Cardiff International Arena in Cardiff, Wales, as the opening event for Giants Live World Open. During this competition, as a result of another nationality change, Ivan Makarov became the first strongman to hold the national deadlift record for three different countries, having set the new Georgian record at 453.5 kg. Makarov, at the time of the championships also held the Ukrainian (475 kg - set 2021) and the Russian records (470 kg - set 2019).

Results

# Name Weight
1 Rauno Heinla 476 kg (1,049 lb)
2 Graham Hicks 453.5 kg (1,000 lb)
Mitchell Hooper
Ivan Makarov 2
Pavlo Nakonechnyy
6 Gavin Bilton 425.5 kg (938 lb)
Oleksii Novikov
Evan Singleton
9 Andy Black 400 kg (882 lb)
Shane Flowers
Pa O'Dwyer

Records

Nation Name Weight
World (over-40s) Rauno Heinla 476 kg (1,049 lb)
Estonian Rauno Heinla 476 kg (1,049 lb)
Georgian Ivan Makarov 453.5 kg (1,000 lb)
Welsh Gavin Bilton 425.5 kg (938 lb)

2023

The 2023 World Deadlift Championships were held at the Cardiff International Arena in Cardiff, Wales, as the opening event for Giants Live World Open. This was the first championships to have female competitors, with Lucy Underdown setting a new world record of 317.5 kg (700 lb).

Results

# Name Weight
1 Graham Hicks 470 kg (1,036 lb)
2 Rauno Heinla 455 kg (1,003 lb)
Ivan Makarov 2
Evan Singleton
5 Austin Andrade 430 kg (948 lb)
Gavin Bilton
Jamal Browner
Shane Flowers
9 Evans Nana 400 kg (882 lb)
Rob Kearney
Oleksii Novikov
Pa O'Dwyer
Luke Stoltman
14 (1F) Lucy Underdown 318 kg (701 lb)
15 (2F) Rebecca Roberts 280 kg (617 lb)
16 Oskar Ziółkowski No Lift

Records

Nation Name Weight
Georgian Ivan Makarov 455 kg (1,003 lb)
Welsh Gavin Bilton 430 kg (948 lb)
Ghanaian Evans Nana 400 kg (882 lb)
World (women) Lucy Underdown 318 kg (701 lb)
English (women) Lucy Underdown 318 kg (701 lb)
Welsh (women) Rebecca Roberts 280 kg (617 lb)

See also

References

  1. ^ "Europe's Strongest Man 2014". www.strongman.org. Retrieved 2 August 2020.
  2. ^ "World Deadlift Championships 2015". www.strongman.org. Retrieved 2 August 2020.
  3. ^ "See the results for the Europe's Strongest Man + World Deadlift Championships". www.floelite.com. Retrieved 2 August 2020.
  4. ^ "2017 World Deadlift Championship Results". www.startingstrongman.com. Retrieved 2 August 2020.
  5. ^ "Giants Live Wembley 2019 – full results and show round up". www.giants-live.com. Retrieved 2 August 2020.