Shane Hunt is only in his mid-20s, which makes the potential for the start of a fruitful and fulfilling strength sports career as a powerlifter seem all the more likely. His latest milestone, performed in front of an onlooking crowd in Las Vegas, NV, is a sizable step forward for his powerlifting promise.
On Dec. 16-17, 2022, during the 2022 Olympia Expo, Hunt performed a 317.5-kilogram (700-pound) deadlift for 11 reps. While he took brief pauses toward the end of the set, the athlete largely powers through the set to the acclaim of spectators watching him on his lifting platform. Hunt accomplished his display of deadlift strength-endurance without shoes, while utilizing a lifting belt and lifting straps. It is unclear what his body weight was at the time of the lift. The Expo — as facilitated by the Olympia organizing body — acts as an ancillary showcase of power and fitness for strength sports athletes, like Hunt, who aren’t participating in the main Olympia bodybuilding competition.
Hunt has partly risen to prominence for his deadlift prowess. The recent 120-kilogram-plus athlete currently possesses the second-heaviest raw deadlift of all time in that weight class with a pull of 425 kilograms (936.9 pounds) from the 2022 United States Powerlifting Association (USPA) Pro Raw Championships. In the 120-kilogram-plus category, only all-time raw World Record holder Danny Grigsby has a heavier pull in the (487.5 kilograms/1,074.7 pounds) at the 2022 World Raw Powerlifting Federation (WRPF) American Pro.
As a tease of his potential, during an early September 2022 training session, Hunt deadlifted 435 kilograms (959 pounds), or 10 kilograms (22.1 pounds) more than his all-time raw competition best which would occur roughly three weeks later.
On a purely competitive basis, Hunt’s record thus far is mostly sterling.
The athlete can boast 10 victories out of 14 contests since his debut in February 2013. Overall, Hunt can likely count on his work within the WRPF’s jurisdiction as his bellwether. The athlete made his WRPF debut with a win at the 2019 Hybrid Summer Slam. He followed that display with another two victories in the 2021 WRPF Hybrid Showdown III and a rousing finish at the 2022 WRPF Ghost Clash. At the time of this article’s publication, Hunt has won three of four WRPF competitions.
Moving forward, with the holiday season currently in full swing, it might be hard to ascertain what Hunt’s future plans will be. Chances are, he’ll be dropping jaws and opening eyes whenever he’s seen in the gym or on a platform again.
Featured image: @huntpowerlifting on Instagram
