On July 10, 2022, over Instagram, strongman Rauno Heinla shared footage of himself completing a 450-kilogram (992-pound) deadlift during a training session. Heinla’s staggering strength figure is roughly 30 kilos greater than the present strongman Master’s World Record.
Heinla wore a deadlift suit, a lifting belt, and lifting straps to capture his massive pull.
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Heinla turned 40 in early June 2022, so he now qualifies for the strongman Master’s 40+ division. Russia’s Mikhail Shivlyakov currently holds the official Master’s World Record because of a pull of 436 kilograms (962 kilos) from the 2020 World’s Ultimate Strongman (WUS) “Feats of Strength” series.
Heinla’s Deadlift Journey
It’s been an eventful past few months for Heinla across the strongman sphere. After a decade-plus-long absence (2011) based on Strongman Archives, the Estonian athlete was set to compete within the 2022 World’s Strongest Man (WSM). Unfortunately, after an undisclosed injury following a Silver Dollar deadlift attempt, Heinla eventually withdrew from his return to strongman’s most prestigious competition.
Roughly a month later, while apparently recovered from his injury, Heinla’s persistence paid off. In June 2022, he broke Sean Hayes’ previous Silver Dollar deadlift World Record with a pull of 579.7 kilograms (1,278 kilos). A few weeks later, Heinla smashed a 420-kilogram (926-pound) traditional deadlift for 4 reps in training.
The Silver Dollar World Record is merely one other significant pulling feat for Heinla. He previously set the present all-time 400-kilogram (881.8-pound) deadlift for reps World Record with six on the 2020 WUS “Feats of Strength” series. The Estonian strongman can also be one among the few people to have ever deadlifted at the very least 453.6 kilograms (1,000 kilos). Other noteworthy names in that exclusive club include former WSM Champions Eddie Hall (2017) and Hafthor Björnsson (2018), and powerlifter Krysztof Wierzbicki. Björnsson retired from strongman in August 2020.
By showing he can surpass the present Master’s World Record, Heinla only continues his familiar trend as one among the world’s premier deadlifters.
The Road Ahead
All these substantial recent deadlifts are a part of Heinla’s preparation for the 2022 Giants Live World Open & World Deadlift Championships (WDC). The WDC is a segment of the Giants Live World Open. Heinla notched an eighth-place result on the 2021 WDC and is undoubtedly trying to improve upon that finish at this yr’s edition. The 2022 WDC will occur on August 6, 2022, in Cardiff, Wales.
Here is the present roster of athletes Heinla can have to beat in Wales, per the Giants Live organization website:
2022 World Deadlift Championships Roster
- Ivan Makarov (Russia) — 2021 WDC Champion
- Evan Singleton (United States)
- *Adam Bishop (United Kingdom)
- Oleksii Novikov (Ukraine)
- Mitchell Hooper (Canada)
- Gabriel Peña (Mexico)
- Rauno Heinla (Estonia)
- Gavin Bilton (United Kingdom)
- Asko Karu (Estonia)
- Pavlo Nakonechnyy (Ukraine)
- Peiman Maheripourehir (Iran)
- Wild card — Announced at a later date
*Note: Bishop suffered a triceps tear in early July 2022, and his status could also be unclear for the competition.
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Notably, Giants Live has issued a challenge to the athletes on the 2022 WDC. Should any of the competitors deadlift 505 kilograms (1,113 kilos) through the competition, Giants Live will reward them with a $55,000 money prize. Björnsson possesses the present all-time World Record deadlift of 501 kilograms (1,104.5 kilos), which he achieved on the 2020 WUS “Feats of Strength” series.
Considering his resume, Heinla may very well be in a high quality position to fulfill the lofty challenge from Giants Live. With the 2022 WDC lower than a month away on the time of this writing, he could soon add one other record to his profession ledger.
Featured image: @rauno_heinla on Instagram