Sonja Stefanie Krüger (76KG) Sets 195.5-kg (431-lb) Equipped Bench Press IPF World Record

Sonja Stefanie Krüger has been a major athlete in the equipped powerlifting scene for nearly a decade now. But, even after all this time, she is still managing to progress her lifts even further. That’s what she did at the 2023 IPF World Equipped Championships, which took place on November 13-19, in Vilnius, Lithuania. Most notably, Sonja managed to set a historical mark in the bench press event, where she lifted 195.5 kilograms (431 pounds) for a new U76KG Equipped IPF World Record.

Sonja Stefanie Krüger struggled with the squats, which definitely carried over to the bench press. Despite that, Stefanie immediately loaded 195.5 kilograms (431 pounds) on the barbell, hoping to set a World Record. Things once again did not go her way, as she was unsuccessful on her first two attempts with the record-breaking weight.

With one attempt left, Sonja Stefanie Krüger likely felt a lot of pressure. If she failed the final attempt as well, she would be disqualified from the competition. However, the opposite happened, as Sonja successfully bench-pressed 195.5 kilograms (431 pounds). To do so, she wore a single-ply bench press shirt and wrist wraps.

The previous U76KG Equipped Bench Press IPF World Record belonged to Agata Sitko. It stood at 195 kilograms (429.9 pounds) and was set at the 2022 IPF World Games.

Watch the lift here:

Related: Powerlifter Sonja Stefanie Krüger (76KG) Scores a 280.5-kg (618.4-lb) Squat World Record at 2022 IPF Equipped Worlds

Sonja Stefanie Krüger’s Full Performance

Sonja Stefanie Krüger’s performance was full of ups and downs, as she missed her first two attempts on both the squat and the bench press. However, she did not crumble under pressure, but instead prevailed in the most crucial moments. Because of this, Sonja also ended up beating her rivals and taking the gold medal home.

Squat

• Unsuccessful — 267.5 kilograms (589.7pounds)
• Unsuccessful — 267.5 kilograms (589.7 pounds)
• 267.5 kilograms (589.7 pounds)

Bench Press

• Unsuccessful — 195.5 kilograms (431 pounds)
• Unsuccessful — 195.5 kilograms (431 pounds)
• 195.5 kilograms (431 pounds) — U76KG Equipped IPF World Record

Deadlift

• 190 kilograms (418.9 pounds)
• 197.5 kilograms (435.4 pounds)
• 200 kilograms (440.9 pounds)

Total — 663 kilograms (1,461.7 pounds)

Check out Sonja’s post-comp interview here:

Related: Ian Bell (105KG) Sets 388.5-kg (856.5-lb) Equipped Deadlift IPF World Record

Sonja Stefanie Krüger’s Competition History

Sonja Stefanie Krüger has taken part in over 60 sanctioned powerlifting competitions throughout her career and has not even reached her mid-20s. She has also won over 50 of those competitions, with many of her wins coming at high-profile shows. Moreover, Sonja is currently holding four Equipped IPF World Records across two weight classes (U69KG and U76KG).

Sonja Stefanie Krüger defended her World Champion title and will now set new goals for the future. There is no doubt that she will aim to put up even better performances in competitions to come. Sonja is also very close to the 200-kilogram (440.9-pound) equipped bench press, and she might become the first athlete in the IPF 76-kilogram weight class to achieve it.

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