The 66kg class at Classic Worlds will be on Day 2 and form part of our first Prime Time session. Last year's world champion, Eddie Berglund, is not on the roster and last year's silver medallist is only listed as a reserve. 710kg won the title last year: this year you will need at least that just to make the podium. Here are the top 5 nominations.
Brian Le USA 713.5kg
Kyota Ushiyama JPN 712.5kg
Kasemsand Senumong THA 710.5kg
Panagiotis Tarinidis FRA 687.5kg
Yusuke Satake JPN 662.5kg
Le has been storming up the rankings for the last couple of years, stacking weight onto that massive deadlift. He's untried at international level but he pulled 318.5kg at US nationals in February which is nearly 20 kilos over the current deadlift world record. The ability to pick the exact number he needs at the end will really give Le an edge over his rivals.
Ushiyama is a single kilo behind - his nomination here is the performance he put in at Japanese nationals just the week before Sheffield. He matched the deadlift world record at 300kg there so will be looking for an opportunity to put his name on it before Le potentially knocks it into the stratosphere.
The man who currently holds the deadlift record is Senumong, having taken it from Hassan El-Belghiti at the Asian Classic in Dubai last year. He finished 7th last year but his lifts have come a long way since then and we are anticipating some exciting deadlift battles in this class.
The 2021 world champion, Tarinidis, is nominated in 4th place but it's tough to say whether that's a fair reflection. Certainly he's done a lot more in the past - as much as 707.5kg on home turf in 2021. But he's coming back from a year in the wilderness. Illness impacted performance at worlds last year. He missed redemption at the UK Arnold due to injury. He missed revenge at the Euros when his squats were turned down. But he's changed technique and training is back on track. Could this finally be the return to grace he's been seeking?
Don't miss it! Streamed live on The Olympic Channel and our Facebook page at 7pm CET on Monday 12th June. Who are you cheering for? Let us know in the comments!
graphic: @strength.journal
Post a Comment