At nine years old, most children are probably riding their bikes or playing video games with their friends of their free time. The prolific nine-year-old weightlifter Rory van Ulft (30KG) spends much of her downtime showing off incredible strength for her age by lifting heavy weights.
On Sept. 12, 2022, van Ulft posted an Instagram clip where the young athlete locks out a 111-kilogram (244.7-pound) raw deadlift from a sumo stance while wearing lifting straps during a training session. It’s unclear whether van Ulft is wearing a lifting belt within the footage. In response to the reigning three-time United States National Champion’s caption, the pull is 3.43 times her body weight of 32.3 kilograms (71.1 kilos) on the time of the filmed lift.
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Notably, van Ulft’s loaded barbell does shift a bit as she initially tries to lock out her rep. Still, she manages to finish a lockout on a lift that might likely count in an official powerlifting competition.
The strongest kid ever is a woman!?
For more context, van Ulft’s deadlift is one kilogram (2.2 kilos) above the USA Powerlifting (USAPL) Youth Boys’ division record within the 67.5KG weight class — a category over twice her size. Jackson Bo Jensen holds that official mark of 110 kilograms (242.5 kilos) from the 2021 USAPL Youth Nationals.
On a global powerlifting scale, van Ulft’s achievement holds as much as a formidable par, too. Her latest massive deadlift from training is similarly one kilogram (2.2 kilos) higher than the second-heaviest all-time raw deadlift within the Men’s Youth division 53-kilogram weight class. Elbrus Dzhatiev owns that figure with a pull of 110 kilograms (242.5 kilos) on the 2019 Global Powerlifting Alliance (GPA) European Cup.
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Based on her rapid training progress lately, a deadlift like this might need been inevitable for van Ulft.
In September 2021, when she was eight, the weightlifter deadlifted 80 kilograms (176.4 kilos). Earlier this yr, in April 2022, the athlete scored a beltless deadlift of 90 kilograms (198.4 kilos). For somebody whose social media is rife with clips of snatches and clean & jerks to arrange for her primary area of interest as a weightlifter, van Ulft showing versatile strength on a lift outside of that competitive sphere is plenty commendable.
On the time of this writing, van Ulft has not revealed any upcoming plans for formal competition. Though, it may not be long before she defends her title again. The athlete might parlay her training milestones right into a fourth National Championship at any time when she is seen on a sanctioned weightlifting platform over again.
Featured image: @roryvanulft on Instagram