64-Year-Old Powerlifter Dora Justice Breaks National Bench Press Record at 2022 Master's Nationals

On June 18, 2022, powerlifter Dora Justice (57KG) scored a bench press of 72.5 kilograms (159.8 pounds) during the 2022 Powerlifting America (AMP) Classic (Raw) Sub-Junior, Junior, and Master Nationals in Orlando, FL. Justice’s raw bench press mark is a new National Record in the Masters Tier 3 competitive class.

The 64-year-old Justice’s display of chest strength on the bench press helped her eventually attain second place in her division, as she also completed each of her nine lift attempts. Fellow Texan Lynne Homan took home first place in Justice’s division.

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Justice at a Glance

Justice’s results from the 2022 AMP Masters Nationals align with much of her competitive career. Here are her top stats from this contest:

Dora Justice | 2022 AMP Classic (Raw) Masters Nationals Top Stats

Squat — 70 kilograms (154.3 pounds)
Bench Press — 72.5 kilograms (159.8 pounds) | Masters Raw Tier 3 National Record
Deadlift — 99.9 kilograms (220.4 pounds)
Total — 242.5 kilograms (534.6 pounds)

Justice has featured as a competitive powerlifter for nearly two decades, especially in bench press contests. Her first-ever competition was while lifting as a Masters 45-49 athlete during the 2003 World Powerlifting Federation (WPF) World Championships. At that time, Justice went by the name “Dora Puente.” According to Open Powerlifting, her competitive name shift happened in May 2019.

Throughout her extended career, Justice has maintained a sterling record, only falling short of first place in three instances. Here are some of the more noteworthy results from her powerlifting resume:

Dora Justice | Noteworthy Career Results

WPF World Championships (Single) — First place (2003, 2006; Masters 45-49) (2008; Masters 50-54)
2007 WPF World Powerlifting and Bench Press Championships (Single) — First place | Masters 50-54
2009 North American Powerlifting Federation (NAPF) North American Bench Press Championships (Single) — First place | Masters 2
2011 USA Powerlifting (USAPL) Longhorn Open (Raw) — First place | Masters 2
2012 USAPL State Championships (Raw) — First place | Masters 2
2017 NAPF North American Bench Press Championships (Single) — First place
2019 International Powerlifting Federation (IPF) World Bench Press Championships (Raw) — Second place | Masters 3 and Open
2019 USAPL Bench Nationals (Raw and Single) — First place
2020 USAPL Iron Wars (Raw) — First place | Masters 3
2020 USAPL Winter War of Waco (Single) — First place | Masters
2021 USAPL Raw and Equipped Bench Nationals — First place | Masters 3
2022 AMP Bench Press Nationals (Raw and Single) — First place | Masters 3
2022 AMP Masters Nationals (Raw) — Second place | Masters 3

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What’s Next

At the time of this writing, Justice has not confirmed when her next competition will be. Though, according to the Powerlifting America Instagram feed, Justice was an audience favorite because of her energy before and after lifts. Given Justice’s evident joy for her craft in mind, it seems likely the Masters powerlifter will be smiling and locking out massive weight on a sanctioned platform again soon.

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