Musiienko dominated in the equipped 105KG class.

Last updated on June 3rd, 2024

Ukrainian equipped powerlifting sensation Kostiantyn Musiienko popped into the 105KG class recently to swing at a world record that had stood since 2019. Musiienko is the top-ranked male equipped powerlifter in the International Powerlifting Federation (IPF). He holds the 93KG class bench press world record at 351.5 kilograms.

2024 IPF World Bench Press Championship Results — Kostiantyn Musiienko (UKR), 105KG

• Bench Press
  • 325 kilograms
  • 337.5 kilograms
  • 346.5 kilograms — IPF Open World Record

Once the world title was secured at the 2024 IPF Equipped World Bench Championships, Musiienko loaded a world record attempt of 346.5 kilograms. Take a look at the lift below, courtesy of the IPF’s Instagram page:

Musiienko was in great form. Every lift looked immaculate, and he seemed relaxed and happy on the platform. It initially seemed he would be threatened by Kazakhstan’s Ilya Maslov opening on the same weight and Japan’s Takahiro Ono opening only 2.5 kilograms behind. 

Maslov hit his 325-kilogram opener but failed to get any further lifts on the board. Ono missed his first and second lifts, registering a 327.5-kilogram bench press only on his final attempt. It was good enough for the silver medal, though, moving past Maslov at the last minute.

The IPF permits using single-ply bench shirts and wrist wraps in its equipped bench press division; Musiienko used both. He employed the maximum width grip permitted by the IPF, with forefingers covering the 81-centimeter rings on the barbell.

Musiienko took the barbell to his chest, controlling the resistance of the shirt beautifully. The bench shirt will resist the bar’s descent such that the lifter has to forcefully pull the bar down to its chest under strict control. Even the smallest loss of line can send huge weights in unpredictable directions.

As soon as Musiienko received the press command, he took the weight to lockout with barely a wobble. Having a world record in two weight classes is rare, but Musiienko has achieved it.

Kostiantyn Musiienko at 105KG?

Although Musiienko is best known as a 93KG lifter. At the 2024 IPF World Bench Press Championships (WBC) in Austin, Texas, he moonlighted in the 105KG class. He weighed in light at 95.15 kilograms, five kilograms less than anyone else in the class. That didn’t stop him from eclipsing the rest of the field by nearly 20 kilograms with a colossal 346.5-kilogram bench press for a new world record.

Musiienko is expected to next compete at the IPF World Equipped Powerlifting Championships in Reykjavik, Iceland, in November 2024. At that contest, he will fight for qualification for the 2025 World Games in Chengdu, China.

Musiienko missed the 2022 World Games in Birmingham, Alabama, as there were already two Ukrainian lifters in the weight class, and only two were permitted. The only way to guarantee a spot is to win the class, which will surely be Musiienko’s aim in the land of ice and fire.

Featured image: @theipf on Instagram