A professional strength sports athlete deadlifting 600-plus pounds will almost always be noteworthy. When that person’s a teenager who still has to get their parent/guardian’s signature on school permission slips, the entire community will be on notice. On April 25, 2022, 15-year-old Morgan Nicholls recorded a video of himself crushing a 274.3-kilogram deadlift (605-pound) during a training session.
Had Nicholls achieved the pull during a competition, it would’ve eclipsed Arslan Bochkaryov’s world record 250-kilogram deadlift (551.1-pound) in the 90-kilogram weight class by over 20 kilograms. Bochkaryov captured the Teenage 13-15 division all-time mark at the 2020 FPR Russian Juniors & Sub-Juniors Classic Powerlifting Championships.
Check out the staggering pull, courtesy of Nicholls’ Instagram profile:
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[Related: Powerlifter Tiffany Chapon Exceeds Total & Bench Press World Records, Again, In Training]
Nicholls completed the deadlift using a conventional stance, used a mixed barbell grip, and wore only a lifting belt.
Nicholls in Context
Nicholls is no stranger to making waves as a lifter despite his youth.
For one, according to Open Powerlifting, Nicholls’ previous deadlift high during a competition is 206.38 kilograms (455 pounds). He notched that mark at the 2020 Southern Powerlifting Federation (SPF) GP Summer Bash while competing in the Teenage 13-15 division — his only sanctioned meet to date.
Roughly a half-year later, in January 2021, Nicholls gained notoriety for a 183.6-kilogram bench press (405 pounds). If achieved during a competition, it would’ve been the second-heaviest-ever bench press in the Teenage 13-15 division — second only to Colin Grebel’s 205-kilogram bench press (452-pound) from the 2014 APF Gary Pendergrass Memorial Meet.
Everything feeling good took 605 for a ride for a new PR.
Before this latest unofficial record feat, Nicholls had recently posted Instagram videos of his rapid training progression — deadlifting as much as 265.35 kilograms (585 pounds). He may well make another meteoric rise up very soon.
Building a Legacy
Why Nicholls is proving to be one of the youngest and strongest lifters around might not be a secret. His mother is Kim Chizevsky-Nicholls — a four-time Ms. Olympia winner, a member of the IFBB Hall of Fame, and a person who some regard as one of the greatest female bodybuilders of all time.
By that same lineage token, Nicholls’ father is Chad Nicholls, a trainer for some of the biggest names in bodybuilding like eight-time Mr. Olympia Ronnie Coleman, four-time Arnold Classic Champion Flex Wheeler, and current Mr. Olympia Mamdouh “Big Ramy” Elssbiay.
Chad Nicholls expressed admiration for his son’s unofficial record feat over social media.
“Just another day in the office with the boys, which by the way, is literally my favorite part of the day,” Nicholls wrote of his son. [Morgan Nicholls] hitting a new deadlift PR 605 heavy-a** pounds.”
At the time of publishing, Morgan nor his parents have shared when his next formal competition will be. There’s likely no rush, though, given how far Nicholls has come with his strength.
Featured image: @raising_mayhem on Instagram