Tongotea’s squat was an ideal solution to prime a monstrous efficiency.
Throughout the 2023 Worldwide Powerlifting Federation (IPF) World Basic Powerlifting Championships, Karlina Tongotea scored a 225.5-kilogram (497.1-pound) uncooked again squat. The mark is an official IPF World Report within the 76-kilogram division, the place Tongotea finally got here out victorious forward of notable friends like Agata Sitko and former two-time defending champion (2021-2022) Jessica Buettner. Tongotea broke her personal squat report of 223.5 kilograms (492.7 kilos) from the 2023 Sheffield Powerlifting Championships by 2 kilograms (4.4 kilos).
Tongotea wore a lifting belt and knee sleeves, and utilized wrist wraps to assist herself rewrite the IPF report books together with her squat. That gear qualifies as uncooked in a sanctioned powerlifting context. The 2023 IPF Worlds befell in Valletta, Malta, from June 11-18, 2023. The 2023 version of the competition was Tongotea’s debut on the prestigious competitors, and he or she made essentially the most of this preliminary look by successful her first IPF World title.
Earlier than breaking via on one of many largest worldwide levels, Tongotea primarily made her commerce as a prolific New Zealand powerlifter. Based on her private web page on Open Powerlifting, Tongotea is the reigning uncooked New Zealand Nationwide Champion (2022) and has dominated in different aggressive power capacities all through the famed Oceania islands.
Right here’s an outline of the competitor’s prime stats from the 2023 IPF Worlds:
Karlina Tongotea (76KG) | 2023 IPF Worlds Prime Stats
- Squat — 225.5 kilograms (497.1 kilos) | IPF World Report
- Bench Press — 122.5 kilograms (270.1 kilos)
- Deadlift — 245 kilograms (540.1 kilos)
- Complete — 593 kilograms (1,307.3 kilos)
After an look in the UK throughout the 2023 Sheffield Championships, Tongotea has now competed simply 3 times exterior of the purview of Australia and New Zealand. The athlete can boast 12 victories in 16 aggressive appearances courting again to the beginning of her profession in April 2018.
In a put up within the 2023 IPF Worlds’ aftermath, Tongotea appeared emotional about her aggressive journey. The athlete, who’s a health care provider by commerce, seemed again on her super progress over the past half-decade and took in the truth that she is now on prime of one in all powerlifting’s tallest summits.
In fact, she plans to remain there.
“I walked into [New Zealand Powerlifting Academy] in 2018 telling my coach, ‘I’ve one yr to take pleasure in this sport earlier than I begin GP coaching and exams,’ and I obtained again the message on this put up. We’ve saved this one between ourselves. We remembered it once I gained my first nationals, once I first turned No. 1 in New Zealand once I gained a [World Powerlifting] title, however it by no means fairly felt like we’d fulfilled it but. Now, I’m an IPF Basic Open World Champion of the [76-kilogram division], and I couldn’t have completed it with out this partnership. It feels fulfilled. We did the rattling factor, Dom [Tongotea’s coach]. We gotta do it once more, although.”
Featured picture: @theipf on Instagram
