Sara Naldi has been one of the standout powerlifters in the women’s division in recent years, mainly due to her truly remarkable lifts and consistent performances. She displayed her skills once again at the 2026 IPF World Classic Open Powerlifting Championships on June 15th in Druskininkai, Lithuania. The highlight of her day came during the squats, where she set a new 200-kilogram (440.9-pound) U57KG IPF World Record.
Sara Naldi came into the 2026 IPF World Championships as the defending champion. Consequently, she wanted to have the best start possible. Luckily, the first event was the squat, which is what she excels in the most. That being said, Sara opened up with a 185-kilogram (407.9-pound) squat, which is a weight that is currently unreachable for many of her rivals. With that out of the way, she went out to the competition floor once again and crushed a 195-kilogram (429.9-pound) squat on her second attempt.
To finish up her squat session, Sara Naldi decided to load a new World Record on the barbell. It came out to 200 kilograms (440.9 pounds) in total, making her the first person in the weight class to reach the impressive milestone. The lift did not come easy for Sara, as she had to grind for multiple seconds to get the bar up to the locked-out position. Nonetheless, she successfully completed the squat and broke the record.
*Sara Naldi also held the previous U57KG Raw Squat IPF World Record of 198 kilograms (436.5 pounds). She set the record at the 2026 IPF Sheffield Powerlifting Championships.
Watch the squat here:
Sara Naldi’s Full Performance Overview
Sara Naldi had a very good start to the 2026 IPF World Championships, as her Squat World Record gave her an early lead. Her bench press session also went smoothly, as she increased the lead over some close rivals despite one failed attempt. Unfortunately, Sara ended up missing her second and third deadlift attempts, which ultimately cost her the title.
Squat
- 185 kilograms (407.9 pounds)
- 195 kilograms (429.9 pounds)
- 200 kilograms (440.9 pounds) — U57KG IPF World Record
Bench Press
- 102.5 kilograms (226 pounds)
- Unsuccessful — 107.5 kilograms (237 pounds)
- 107.5 kilograms (237 pounds)
Deadlift
- 210 kilograms (463 pounds)
- Unsuccessful — 220 kilograms (485 pounds)
- Unsuccessful — 220 kilograms (485 pounds)
Total — 517.5 kilograms (1,140.9 pounds)
Related: Tiffany Chapon (U47KG) Sets Raw Squat and Total IPF World Records at 2026 IPF World Championships
Sara Naldi is a very active powerlifter, as she takes part in multiple competitions each year. So far, she has made a total of 44 sanctioned appearances and walked away with the gold medal on 17 occasions. Naldi has been crowned the IPF World Champion and the EPF European Champion in the past, which shows that she is one of the greatest female powerlifters in recent times.
