Sara Naldi was crowned the IPF World Champion last year, earning the qualification for the 2026 SBD Sheffield Powerlifting Championships which took place on January 31st in England. Sara competed in her usual 57-kilogram weight class and put up one of the most impressive performances ever. Her hard work paid off, since she scored new IPF Raw Squat and Raw Total IPF World Records.
Sara Naldi’s Full Performance Breakdown
Sara Naldi achieved 102.02% of the old U57KG Raw Total IPF World Record, which earned her a bronze medal in the overall women’s division, only behind Tiffany Chapon and Alba Bostrom. Sara also had room to achieve a heavier Total, having missed her final squat and bench press attempts. Regardless, her performance was still incredibly impressive.
Squat
The squat is one of Sara Naldi’s greatest strengths, and the situation was no different at the 2026 SBD Sheffield Powerlifting Championships. Sara’s ambitions were clear from the start, as she opened up with 187.5 kilograms (413.4 pounds), which was already an impressive weight. However, it was far below Sara’s standard, as seen by her second squat of 198 kilograms (436.5 pounds). With this, she set a brand new U57KG IPF World Record.
Sara Naldi’s final squat would have broken the record once again, since she tried to lift 203 kilograms (447.5 pounds). Unfortunately, she was unsuccessful, meaning that her second attempt remained as the heaviest successful one.
- 187.5 kilograms (413.4 pounds)
- 198 kilograms (436.5 pounds) — U57KG IPF World Record
- Unsuccessful — 203 kilograms (447.5 pounds)
*Sara Naldi also held the previous U57KG Raw Squat IPF World Record of 197.5-kg (435.4-lb), which she set at the 2025 IPF World Classic Powerlifting Championships.
Bench Press
The bench press session went similar to the squat, as Sara Naldi was successful in her first two attempts but missed her final one. So, her heaviest attempt came out to 105 kilograms (231.5 pounds), which aligns with her results in this event throughout previous years. So, while Sara was undoubtedly hoping to lift more weight on her final attempt, her second attempt was still very good.
- 100 kilograms (220.5 pounds)
- 105 kilograms (231.5 pounds)
- Unsuccessful — 107.5 kilograms (237 pounds)
Deadlift
The deadlift was Sara Naldi’s most successful event at the competition. She successfully completed all three of her lifts, making relatively proportionate jumps for each successive lift. In the end, Sara pulled 227.5 kilograms (501.6 pounds) on her final attempt with the use of a sumo stance and a mixed grip. Interestingly, it was just 4 kilograms (8.8 pounds) short of the IPF World Record, meaning that it might be something that Sara pursues in the future.
- 210 kilograms (463 pounds)
- 220.5 kilograms (486.1 pounds)
- 227.5 kilograms (501.6 pounds)
Total — 530.5 kilograms (1,169.6 pounds) — U57KG IPF World Record
*Sara Naldi also held the previous U57KG Raw Total IPF World Record of 520-kg (1,146.4-lb), which she set at the 2025 IPF World Classic Powerlifting Championships.
Watch all of Sara’s lifts here:
Sara Naldi has taken part in over 40 sanctioned powerlifting competitions over the course of her nine-year long career. She has won a large part of the competitions, including the 2025 IPF World Championships, which is currently the highlight of her career. However, she clearly has a bright future ahead of her with plenty of success to come.
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