Strongman Prodigy Temur Samkharadze Redefines Junior World Records
As the 2024 IPF Classic World Championships in Druskininkai, Lithuania, unfolded, the spotlight shone brightly on a rising Georgian powerlifting talent – Temur Samkharadze. The 22-year-old athlete, in his final year as a Junior, has been making waves in the sport, and his performance at this event was nothing short of remarkable.
Samkharadze, a three-time IPF Junior World Championships (JWC) winner, has now set his sights on the Open class, challenging the top athletes in the field. In the past year, he has achieved impressive results, including a silver medal at the 2023 IPF Classic World Championships in Malta and two consecutive European Powerlifting Federation (EPF) European Classic titles in the Open category.
At the 2024 CWC, Samkharadze faced off against three-time world champion and all-time world record holder, Jesus Olivares. The young Georgian lifter rose to the occasion, delivering an almost flawless performance. He made short work of his first and second squat attempts and then requested 430 kilograms for his third attempt – a new Junior squat world record, previously held by Olivares.
Samkharadze’s high-bar squat technique, coupled with the use of knee sleeves and a lifting belt, allowed him to execute the record-breaking lift with relative ease.
The feats continued in the bench press, where Samkharadze broke Olivares’ Junior bench press world record with a stunning 255-kilogram lift on his third attempt. This performance put him just 32.5 kilograms behind Olivares going into the deadlift.
Samkharadze’s deadlift prowess was equally remarkable. He opened with 385 kilograms, 20 kilograms more than Olivares, and the gap began to close. His second attempt of 402.5 kilograms added a kilogram and a half to his Junior deadlift world record and extended his newly set Junior total world record.
In the final round, Olivares secured his fourth world title with a 395-kilogram deadlift. However, the last lift of the day belonged to Samkharadze, who attempted a colossal 415 kilograms, which would have taken Olivares’ Open deadlift world record, but was unable to lock it out.
Samkharadze’s remarkable performance at the 2024 CWC has earned him the number three spot in the IPF rankings, with only Ray Williams and Olivares having totaled more. This is a truly remarkable achievement for a 22-year-old athlete.
Samkharadze will return to the platform on July 13, 2024, at the Euro Muscle Show in Amsterdam, before competing in his final JWC in Malta in early September. As he prepares to transition to the Open class, the powerlifting community eagerly awaits to see what this young prodigy will accomplish next.
🔗 Source
