Some powerlifters seemingly have a great passion and energy for displaying their strength under a big spotlight. German athlete Sonja Stefanie Krüger might be one of them. Krüger is just 22 years old, but has already had over 60 competitive powerlifting appearances since her debut in June 2014. Krüger’s latest stellar performance is a yet another example of top-level lifting.
During the 2022 IPF Equipped World Championships on Nov. 16, 2022, in Viborg, Denmark, Krüger successfully locked out an equipped World Record squat of 280.5 kilograms (618.4 pounds) in the 76-kilogram weight class. (Note: At the time of this article’s publication, the competition is still underway, making it unclear where Krüger has finished in her category.)
The video of Krüger’s astonishing squat isn’t only noteworthy for its showcase of dynamic leg strength on an international lifting platform. As soon as Krüger finished her rep, she stepped away from her loaded barbell, clearly overjoyed as she proceeded to jump around in place in excitement.
Somewhat unlike other competitors at the 2022 IPF Equipped Worlds, a glance at Krüger’s resume on Open Powerlifting will denote she mainly competes while equipped. Of those mentioned 60-plus competitive appearances, Krüger wasn’t equipped in just 18 of them.
Here’s an overview of some of the more notable results from Krüger’s official powerlifting ledger:
Sonja Stefanie Krüger | Notable Career Results
- 2014 Bundesverband Deutscher Kraftdreikämpfer (BVDK) Hessiche Meisterschaft im Kreuzheben (Youth/Raw) — First place | First career victory
- 2014 Global Powerlifting Committee (GPC) World Championships (Youth/Wraps) — First place
- 2015-2016, 2018-2019 IPF World Bench Press Championships (Sub-Juniors/Equipped; Juniors/Equipped) — First place
- 2015-2016 IPF World Classic Powerlifting Championships (Sub-Juniors/Raw) — First place
- 2016 European Powerlifting Federation (EPF) European Classic Powerlifting Championships (Sub-Juniors/Raw) — First place
- 2019 EPF European Equipped Powerlifting Championships (Juniors/Equipped) — First place
- 2021 IPF World Powerlifting Championships (Open/Equipped) — Second place
- 2022 EPF Equipped European Powerlifting Championships (Open/Equipped) — First place
Krüger is no stranger to record lifts. The athlete is now the equipped IPF squat World Record holder in the 69-kilogram (260 kilograms/573.2 pounds), 76-kilogram (280.5 kilograms/618.4 pounds), and 84-kilogram (275 kilograms/507 pounds) divisions. She also possesses the equipped IPF World Record bench press (182.5 kilograms/402.3 pounds) in the 69-kilogram division, which doubles as the equipped Single Bench Press IPF World Record.
Here’s a rundown of Krüger’s all-time equipped competition bests:
Sonja Stefanie Krüger | Equipped All-Time Competition Bests
- Squat — 280.5 kilograms (618.4 pounds) | IPF World Record
- Bench Press — 210 kilograms (462.9 pounds)
- Deadlift — 205.5 kilograms (453 pounds)
- Total — 685 kilograms (1,510.1 pounds)
Even as the 2022 IPF Equipped Worlds start to close on Nov. 20, 2022, there’s little doubt Krüger’s squat record will be one of the contest’s highlights when all’s said and done.
Featured image: theipf on Instagram
