Sara Naldi has been in contention for the biggest titles in powerlifting for a few years now, but she finally had her breakthrough at the 2025 IPF World Classic Open Powerlifting Championships, which took place from June 8-15 in Chemnitz, Germany. She took the title in the 57-kilogram weight class, along with setting new Squat and Total IPF World Records.
Sara Naldi’s Full Performance Overview
Sara Naldi successfully completed eight out of nine attempts on the day and ultimately managed to win her weight class. Interestingly, Jade Jacob and Joy Nnamani both tried to set a new deadlift World Record in hopes of overtaking Sara on the overall leaderboards. However, neither of the two was successful, making Sara the IPF World Champion.
Squat
Sara Naldi understood that a good start on the squat was imperative if she wanted to pursue the title. However, she exceeded all expectations by setting a new U57KG World Record on her second attempt of 190 kilograms (418.8 pounds). That was not the end of the show, since Sara walked out again just minutes later and crushed an even heavier squat of 197.5 kilograms (435.4 pounds) to finalize the record.
- 180 kilograms (396.8 pounds)
- 190 kilograms (418.8 pounds)
- 197.5 kilograms (435.4 pounds) — U57KG IPF World Record
*Jade Jacob held the previous U57KG IPF Raw Squat World Record of 188-kg (414.5-lb). She set the record at the 2024 IPF Sheffield Powerlifting Championships.
Watch the squat here:
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Bench Press
Moving on to the bench press, Sara Naldi had a goal of holding on to the massive lead that she built in the first event. So, focusing on making successful lifts, Sara managed to build up to a 107.5-kilogram (237-pound) bench press. This was slightly lower than she achieved in previous competition, but it allowed her to continue her title charge.
- 100 kilograms (220.4 pounds)
- 105 kilograms (231.5 pounds)
- 107.5 kilograms (237 pounds)
Deadlift
The final event of the day meant that Sara Naldi was ready to leave every last ounce of her energy on the floor. So, she locked out 215 kilograms (474 pounds) on her second deadlift attempt, which allowed her to chip the Total World Record. Sara tried to further improve it with a 220-kilogram (485-pound) deadlift. Unfortunately, she couldn’t get the bar off the floor, likely because of the tremendous weights that she lifted earlier.
- 205 kilograms (451.9 pounds)
- 215 kilograms (474 pounds)
- Unsuccessful — 220 kilograms (485 pounds)
Total — 520 kilograms (1,146.4 pounds)
*Jade Jacob held the previous U57 Raw Total IPF World Record of 519.5-kg (1,145.3-lb). She set the record at the 2024 IPF Sheffield Powerlifting Championships.
Sara Naldi has taken part in 36 sanctioned powerlifting competitions over the course of her 8-year-long career. Her resume now holds wins from 16 separate competitions, including a couple of elite international shows like the 2024 EPF European Championships. That, along with her new World Records, makes Sara one of the most impressive powerlifters in the world across all divisions.
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