One need only see Nabil Lahlou lift once to verify why he’s the so-called “French Phenom,” per his Instagram bio. The 23-year-old powerlifter is a prolific competitor, and his latest demonstration of strength was a doozy.
On Oct. 22, 2022, Lahlou shared an Instagram clip of himself capturing a 362.9-kilogram (800-pound) raw deadlift during a training session. According to Open Powerlifting, the feat is a personal record (PR) for Lahlou by 44.9 kilograms (99 pounds). It’s a significant and rapid jump forward for Lahlou, who previously pulled 317.9 kilograms (701 pounds) during the 2022 United States Powerlifting Association (USPA) Drug-Tested The Good Guys UN Invitational. (Note: That meet was roughly only two weeks earlier.) The athlete wore a lifting belt and utilized lifting straps to help with this latest achievement.
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For Lahlou, the 800-pound deadlift might be even more impressive, considering his body composition.
Per Lahlou’s Instagram post, the athlete weighed 163 pounds (73.9 kilograms) at the time of his lift. That means his massive pull was 4.9 times his body weight. Factor in Lahlou apparently not even planning to deadlift before he was “feeling the warm-ups,” and this milestone resembles something quite eye-opening for a young star powerlifter.
Here’s an overview of Lahlou’s all-time raw competition bests:
Nabil Lahlou | All-Time Raw Competition Bests
- Squat — 237.5 kilograms (523.6 pounds)
- Bench Press — 130 kilograms (286.6 pounds)
- Deadlift — 317.9 kilograms (701 pounds)
- Total — 678 kilograms (1,494.7 pounds)
In terms of his overall resume, Lahlou doesn’t have many blemishes. Since he began competitive powerlifting in November 2020, there have been just three instances in Lahlou’s career where he hasn’t finished with an outright victory.
Here’s a rundown of some of the more notable results of Lahlou’s career:
Nabil Lahlou | Notable Career Results
- 2020 USPA Drug-Tested NOVA Fall Classic (Juniors 20-23/Raw) — First place
- 2021 USPA Drug-Tested PWRBLD Gym March Madness Powerlifting Meet (Juniors 20-23/Raw) — First place
- 2021 USPA Drug-Tested District Championships (Juniors 20-23/Raw) — First place
- 2021 World Raw Powerlifting Federation (WRPF) Drug-Tested Nationals (Juniors 20-23/Raw) — First place
- 2021 USPA Kentucky State Championships (Open/Raw) — First place
- 2021 USPA Beast of the East (Open/Raw) — First place
- 2022 USA Powerlifting (USAPL) Got Em’ Mustache Classic (Juniors/Open/Raw) — First place
- 2022 USPA Drug-Tested The Good Guys UN Invitational (Open/Raw) — First place
Lahlou has participated as a 67.5-kilogram competitor since the 2022 USPA Drug Tested King of the Cave in June 2022. This was his weight class for much of his career before a shift to the 75-kilogram category from December 2021 to June 2022. At the time of this writing, it is not clear if he plans to make a transition back to this division or another.
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When Lahlou competes next is uncertain. However, should he return to the 75-kilogram weight class while notching this deadlift in said next contest, it would break the current World Record of 362.4 kilograms (799.1 pounds) held by Adlet Moldagaliev. Such a staggering mark would act as a perfect notch in the belt for this “phenom.”
Featured image: @kinng_67 on Instagram
