Aborah deadlifted 220 kilograms for three repetitions.

Last updated on March 27th, 2024

Dutch Junior powerlifter Betty Aborah is still relatively new to the sport. However, in only her second year of competing, she is already hitting training lifts worthy of the record books if she can post them on an international platform.

Aborah competed at the 2023 International Powerlifting Federation (IPF) Junior World Championships (JWC) in Cluj Napoca, Romania. There, she secured the deadlift silver medal with 210 kilograms. She will likely enter the 2024 event with a much stronger package.

On March 26, 2024, Aborah published a huge raw deadlift triple of 220 kilograms on her Instagram page. Check out the set below:

Aborah deadlifts with a sumo stance. Typically, sumo deadlifts are tough to break from the floor, but Aborah met no resistance as she demolished three reps of 220 kilograms.

Pulling with only a lifting belt to assist her, Aborah employed a hook grip, where her fingers wrapped around the thumbs and trapped them against the barbell — an effective grip aid if the pain isn’t too disruptive.

Aborah appeared to get faster as the set progressed, with the third moving the quickest from the floor. It seems Aborah could have hit more reps, raising the question of where her one-rep max could be.

The IPF Junior deadlift world record in the IPF 63KG class currently stands at Samantha Eugenie of France’s 216 kilograms set at the 2022 JWC in Istanbul, Turkiyë. Eugenie now competes in the 69KG class, so the world is denied the spectacle of a deadlift battle between her and Aborah. 

The Open world record in 63KG class at 231 kilograms isn’t a million miles away for Aborah. The record is held by Prescillia Bavoil, who broke it at the 2022 UK Arnold. Bavoil competes at 69KG now and is unlikely to extend the 63KG record.

It’s not just deadlifts progressing well. Aborah’s squat is flying, too. She hit 160 kilograms at the 2023 JWC but recently smoked 170 kilograms in training. Take a look:

As easy as that lift appeared, it seemed Aborah had much more strength in reserve. She will next compete at the Dutch Junior Nationals in May.

From there, Aborah is expected to qualify to lift at the 2024 JWC in Malta in August, where she will get the opportunity to attempt a world record and cement her position as a future powerlifting star.

Featured image: @bettylifts on Instagram