Whenever she decides to hang up her lifting belt, Bonica Brown will likely be regarded as one of the greatest powerlifters of all time. For now, the 33-year-old athlete still has more records to set.
On July 10, 2022, Brown (+84KG) squatted 322.5 kilograms (711 pounds) during the 2022 World Games in Birmingham, Alabama. The squat mark is a new equipped World Record for the +84-kilogram International Powerlifting Federation (IPF) division. By the meet’s end, Brown’s display of leg strength helped her take home the silver medal.
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Notably, Brown came close to breaking her own equipped World Record total of 791 kilograms (1,743.8 pounds). Unfortunately, upon further review, judges overturned her third deadlift attempt of 260 kilograms (573 pounds). As a result, Brown fell just six kilograms (13.2 pounds) short of a new total record, according to the IPF database. Brown’s equipped World Record total of 791 kilograms (1,743 pounds) is from the 2019 IPF World Classic Powerlifting Championships.
The 2022 World Games were scored on a pound-for-pound basis. On this merit, Canada’s Rhaea Stinn won the +84-kilogram division gold medal on the strength of her top lifts related to her competitive body weight. Per The World Games website, Stinn weighed 83.2 kilograms (183.4 pounds). Meanwhile, Brown weighed in at 135.6 kilograms (298.9 pounds). Brown actually beat Stinn’s top squat, deadlift, and total, but Stinn’s best stats carried more points because she weighed less.
Notably, with a bench press of 227 kilograms (500.4 pounds), Stinn also extended her own equipped bench press World Record from the 2021 IPF World Championships by four kilograms (8.8 pounds).
Here are Brown’s top stats from this contest:
Brown Brown (+84KG) | 2022 World Games Top Stats
- Squat — 322.5 kilograms (711 pounds) | Equipped World Record
- Bench Press — 215 kilograms (474 pounds)
- Deadlift — 247.5 kilograms (545 pounds)
- Total — 785 kilograms (1,730 pounds)
Brown’s new record at the World Games is nothing out of the ordinary for the powerlifter. The athlete has won the IPF World Classic Powerlifting Championships seven times (2014-2019, 2022). In addition to her equipped records, Brown possesses the raw squat and total World Records. She notched both her record raw squat of 273.5 kilograms (603 pounds) and record raw total of 673.5 kilograms (1,484.1 pounds) at the 2022 IPF World Championships. This equipped World Record is only roughly three kilograms off of Brown’s heaviest single-ply squat of 325 kilograms (716.5 pounds) from the 2019 USA Powerlifting Nationals.
Another record in an international competition seems to be par for the course for Brown.
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Here are the best stats and the final points for the podium finishers in the +84-kilogram weight class:
Women’s +84KG | 2022 World Games Podium Results
1. Rhaea Stinn (Canada) — 110.01 total points | Body weight — 83.2 kilograms (183.4 pounds)
- Squat — 255 kilograms (562.2 pounds)
- Bench Press — 227 kilograms (500.4 pounds) | Equipped World Record
- Deadlift — 215 kilograms (474 pounds)
- Total — 697 kilograms (1,536.6 pounds)
2. Bonica Brown (United States) — 108.48 total points | Body weight — 135.6 kilograms (298.9 pounds)
- Squat — 322.5 kilograms (711 pounds) | Equipped World Record
- Bench Press — 215 kilograms (474 pounds)
- Deadlift — 247.5 kilograms (545 pounds)
- Total — 785 kilograms (1,730 pounds)
3. Tetiana Melynyk (Ukraine) — 105.46 total points | Body weight — 77.6 kilograms (171 pounds)
- Squat — 255 kilograms (562.2 pounds)
- Bench Press — 185 kilograms (407.8 pounds)
- Deadlift — 210 kilograms (463 pounds)
- Total — 650 kilograms (1,433 pounds)
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At the time of this writing, Brown has not announced when she will compete next in a sanctioned competition. Given the sample size of her career, it might be fair to assume the powerlifter will add another record to her resume whenever that contest comes around the bend.
Featured image: @powerlifting_america on Instagram
