Austin Perkins is regarded as arguably the pound-for-pound greatest powerlifter in the world. As such, he found himself among others of his level at the 2026 SBD Sheffield Powerlifting Championships on January 31st in England. He ended up taking the top spot overall, beating 11 other men and setting new U74KG Raw Squat, Deadlift, and Total IPF World Records.
Austin Perkins’s Full Performance Breakdown
Austin Perkins came in weighing 73.3 kilograms (161.6 pounds) and was predicted to be one of the stars of the show. He definitely fulfilled the expectations, having successfully completed seven out of nine attempts and crushed multiple records.
Squat
The squat was Austin Perkins’ most successful event at the competition, as he crushed all four of his attempts, including the final one, which came out to 341 kilograms (751.8 pounds). Although his heaviest attempt exceeded the World Record by 18 kilograms (39.7 pounds), Austin reached impressive depth and displayed immense power with a steady ascent.
- 305 kilograms (672.4 pounds)
- 325 kilograms (716.5 pounds)
- 341 kilograms (751.8 pounds) — U74KG IPF World Record
*Austin Perkins also held the previous U74KG Raw Squat IPF World Record of 323-kg (712.1-lb). He set the record at the 2025 IPF Sheffield Powerlifting Championships.
Bench Press
The bench press did not go as Austin Perkins planned, as his heaviest successful lift came out to 207.5 kilograms (457.5 pounds). However, it is important to note that Austin tried to break the IPF World Record on his final attempt, going for a 216-kilogram (476.2-pound) press. While Austin did manage to lock out the lift, he made a technical mistake at one point in the lift, which prompted the judges to invalidate it with red lights. So, it is just a matter of time before Austin breaks the record.
- 197.5 kilograms (435.4 pounds)
- 207.5 kilograms (457.5 pounds)
- Unsuccessful — 216 kilograms (476.2 pounds)
Deadlift
The deadlift brought some drama, as Austin Perkins failed his second attempt, which also turned out to be a record-breaking weight. Austin started lifting 343 kilograms (756.2 pounds) but dropped the weight halfway through and signaled that the barbell wasn’t clean. Nevertheless, his lift was marked down as unsuccessful.
For his final attempt, Austin decided to go for 343 kilograms (756.2 pounds) once again. This time, he completed the lift with ease, thus setting new Deadlift and Total World Records. It seemed that Austin had a lot more left in the tank but presumably decided not to risk it too much.
- 325 kilograms (716.5 pounds)
- Unsuccessful — 343 kilograms (756.2 pounds)
- 343 kilograms (756.2 pounds) — U74KG IPF World Record
*Ilia Marichev held the previous U74KG Raw Deadlift IPF World Record of 342.5-kg (755.1-lb), which he set at the 2025 AsianPF Asian Masters & Open Powerlifting Championships.
Total — 891.5 kilograms (1,965.4 pounds) — U74KG IPF World Record
*Austin Perkins held the previous U74KG Raw Total IPF World Record of 843-kg (1,858.5-lb), which he set at the 2025 IPF Sheffield Powerlifting Championships.
Watch all of Austin’s lifts here:
Austin Perkins has taken part in a total of 32 sanctioned powerlifting competitions during the course of his 10-year-long career. Taking into account his newfound gold from the 2026 SBD Sheffield Powerlifting Championships, Perkins now has 22 wins to his name. He is also a two-time IPF World Champion, which adds to his reputation of being one of the greatest of all time.
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