Welcome to 2019: Powerlifting

The World Para Powerlifting World Championships in Astana, Kazakhstan, will be the main competition held this year.

But it will not be the only one as Dubai, United Arab Emirates, will stage the 10th edition of the Fazza World Cup in February and the Hungarian city of Eger will host a second World Cup in April.

As well as that, Lima, Peru, will stage the biggest Parapan American Games to date between 23 August and 1 September.

Many of the world´s strongest powerlifters will be looking to claim the world title and set new world records.

Amalia Perez

Mexico’s three-time Paralympic champion decided to move up one category to the women's up to 61kg in 2018. That change did not affect her performances as Perez took gold at both the Asia-Oceania and Americas Open Championships.

However, she has admitted already this was just an experiment and she plans to switch back to the up to 55kg for the 2019 Worlds, Lima 2019 and Tokyo 2020.

Ukrainian Mariana Shevchuk currently holds the world record of 130.5kg in the category. But Perez lifted 134kg in Bogota, Colombia, in 2018, so she should not have major issues on setting a new world mark.

Lingling Guo

The Chinese was in outstanding form in 2018, breaking the women’s up to 45kg world record three times on her way to gold at the Asia-Oceania Open Championships in Japan.

Guo first lifted 111kg, surpassing her own world record of 110kg set at last year´s World Championships in Mexico City.

Far from feeling satisfied, she went on to lift 113kg and 114kg in her third and fourth attempts, respectively, to the delight of an amazed audience.

Lucy Ejike

There is nothing left to win for the Nigerian legend. But Paralympic and world champion Ejike can still set a new world record in the women’s up to 61kg.

She currently holds the world mark of 142kg she had set at the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games. Ejike cleared the bar at 131kg to win gold at the 2018 African Championships. She is most likely saving her best for the major occasions such as the 2019 Worlds.

Sherif Osman

The Egyptian superstar has been a dominant force in the powerlifting international scene for over a decade.

Most recently, he won the African Championships title in the men’s up to 59kg with a 206kg lift.

He currently holds the world record in two different categories. One of 211kg in the up to 59kg he set at the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games. And another of 205kg in the up to 54kg.

Siamand Rahman

Since lifting a world record of 310kg in the men’s over 107kg at Rio 2016, everyone has been waiting for the world’s strongest Paralympian to take it even further.

But Rahman is hoping to target another attack on the world record at either a World Championships or Paralympic Games.

The Iranian easily won the Asia-Oceania Open Championships and Asian Para Games in 2018 but decided to leave the world record lift for another time – could 2019 be his chance?