A seasoned veteran, strongwoman Inez Carrasquillo has developed a reputation for having uncanny overhead strength. The athlete lived up to this fame rooted in power in her most recent summer contest in the Pacific Northwest.
On July 8-9, 2023, during the 2023 Rainier Classic (RC) in Burien, WA, Carrasquillo successfully captured a 145.9-kilogram (321.6-pound) max Log Lift. The mark is officially a World Record, surpassing Andrea Thompson’s previous mark by 5.9 kilograms (13 pounds). Thompson lifted the past record Log Lift of 140 kilograms (308.6 pounds) at the 2022 World Log Lift Championships (WLLC) in October 2022. Thanks in large part to her World Record, Carrasquillo eventually took first place in the 2023 RC. Because the contest did not separate athletes by weight class, Carrasquillo’s body weight at the time of the lift is currently unknown.
Carrasquillo’s overhead pressing feat might be even more impressive when considering the athlete has only been a strongwoman in a sanctioned capacity since November 2021. According to her personal page on Open Powerlifting, the athlete was previously a powerlifter, having gone undefeated in her three only competitive appearances in the late 2010s and late 2020.
Nevertheless, Carrasquillo has seemingly transitioned well to the demands of strongwoman. Per her page on Strongman Archives, Carrasquillo can now count three strongwoman victories under her belt, which include the 2022 Arnold Amateur Strongwoman World Championships, the 2022 Beerstone, and the 2023 RC. To date, the competitor has also finished on the podium in five of seven career strongwoman appearances.
When taking Carrasquillo’s Log Lift World Record into account, it’s abundantly clear the athlete has put herself on the strongwoman map.
Carrasquillo’s next strength ambition might be centered around capturing her first-ever World’s Strongest Woman (WSW) title. The athlete finished in third place to champion Olga Liashchuk and the runner-up Thompson during the 2022 edition of the illustrious competition. This built on a fourth-place debut for Carrasquillo during the 2021 iteration.
At the time of this writing, it is unclear when and where the 2023 WSW will precisely take place. Recent precedent suggests the contest may once again occur sometime in mid-November 2023 in Daytona Beach, FL. By then, Carrasquillo might be more than ready to finally ascend one of the highest summits in strongwoman.
Featured image: @alecjose on Instagram
