Michael Slabic stole the spotlight on day one of the 2026 IPF World Classic Open Powerlifting Championship on June 13th in Druskininkai, Lithuania. The young powerlifter appeared in the 59-kilogram weight class and made his debut at the biggest powerlifting stage in the world. He put in an incredible performance, setting a new 303-kilogram (668-pound) Raw Deadlift Open IPF World Record, along with three Junior World Records as well.
Although Michael Slabic is incredibly well-rounded, his deadlift power is easily his greatest attribute. This was immediately clear after he locked out his opening lift of 277.5 kilograms (611.8 pounds), which was already heavier than many of his rivals can achieve.
It did not take long for Michael to set his sights on the World Record, since he decided to load 303 kilograms (668 pounds) for his second attempt. He then approached the bar, used a sumo stance, and picked it up with a hook grip. The bar went up smoothly and Michael ended up with a new World Record under his belt.
With one more attempt remaining, Michael Slabic added 2 kilograms (4.4 pounds) to the barbell. The main purpose of this was to claim the gold medal, as that would have been enough to beat Ivan Campano Diaz. Unfortunately, Michael was unable to successfully complete the lift and had to settle for a silver medal.
*Bodie Lacoe held the previous U59KG Raw Deadlift Open IPF World Record of 293-kg (646-lb), which he set at the 2025 IPF World Junior and Sub-Juniors Powerlifting Championships.
Watch Michael’s deadlift here:
Related: How to Watch 2026 IPF World Classic Open Powerlifting Championships [Free Livestream]
Michael Slabic’s Performance Overview
Michael Slabic spent the majority of his career competing in the USAPL, but he decided to switch to the AMP (Powerlifting America — IPF affiliate) in 2025. Shortly after, he managed to qualify for the 2026 IPF World Classic Open Powerlifting Championships, where he made a very successful debut with seven successful lifts out of nine attempts. Moreover, apart from setting a new Raw Deadlift Open IPF World Record, Michael also set new Junior World Records in all categories except the bench press.
Squat
- 212.5 kilograms (468.5 pounds)
- 225 kilograms (496 pounds)
- 230 kilograms (507.1 pounds) — U59KG Junior IPF World Record
Bench Press
- Unsuccessful — 115 kilograms (253.5 pounds)
- 120 kilograms (264.6 pounds)
- 125 kilograms (275.6 pounds)
Deadlift
- 277.5 kilograms (611.8 pounds)
- 303 kilograms (668 pounds)
- Unsuccessful — 305 kilograms (672.4 pounds) — U59KG Open & Junior IPF World Record
Total — 658 kilograms (1,450.6 pounds) — U59KG Junior IPF World Record
Watch all of Michael’s lifts here:
Related: Tiffany Chapon (U47KG) Sets Raw Squat and Total IPF World Records at 2026 IPF World Championships
Michael Slabic started competing in powerlifting back in 2022 and has achieved a lot during his four-year-long career already. In addition to winning multiple national competitions, Michael can now say that he is a silver medalist at the World Championships as well as a World Record holder. Slabic has taken part in ten sanctioned competitions so far and has won six of them.
