“I’m being told this one’s a big deal …”

Van Ulft wore a lifting belt and utilized knee wraps to help her notch this strength feat.

Astonishing milestones of strength and power for someone in her age group are nothing new for van Ulft. The athlete has built a reputation for being uncommonly strong for someone who has spent just a decade on the planet. What might be even more impressive is that van Ulft hasn’t painted herself into a strength sports corner. She has shown proficiency with both powerlifting staples (like this squat) and Olympic weightlifting standards.

Some documented examples include van Ulft logging a raw 111-kilogram (244.7-pound) sumo deadlift while weighing 32.3 kilograms (71.1 pounds) in September 2022. Then, earlier this year, in January 2023, van Ulft recorded a 66-kilogram (145.5-pound) clean & jerk during the 2023 Variety Village Open in Toronto, Canada. The latter lift made van Ulft the youngest-ever person, regardless of gender, to clean & jerk double their body weight during a sanctioned lifting competition.

These days, in Spring 2023, van Ulft seems to be pushing it full steam ahead. Moreover, she’s showing off even more athletic versatility and coordination. Recent Instagram clips on van Ulft’s managed profile feature the athlete occasionally making a foray into competitive gymnastics. Given the distinctive contrasting demands of strength and balance in powerlifting, Olympic weightlifting, and gymnastics, it’s becoming apparent van Ulft can tackle seemingly any athletic endeavor.

For a competitor dipping her toes in various strength sports and competitive fields, only time will tell what stellar milestone van Ulft next showcases in public. The only fact that seems inevitable in advance will be how much her achievement stands out for someone of her young age.

Featured image: @roryvanulft on Instagram

The post 10-Year-Old Rory van Ulft Reaches New Milestone Squatting Triple Her Body Weight appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

On Jan. 21, 2023, van Ulft captured a 66-kilogram (145.5-pound) clean & jerk during the 2023 Variety Village Open in Toronto, Canada. According to the caption in a video of the feat from van Ulft’s Instagram, facilitated by a parent/manager, van Ulft had a body weight of 32.8 kilograms (72.4 pounds) on contest day. In turn, that makes van Ulft the youngest person ever, regardless of gender, to successfully finish a clean & jerk that was double their body weight during a sanctioned competition. Not to be outdone, a final total of 254.39 Sinclair — the International Weightlifting Federation’s (IWF) primary tool for contextualizing an athlete’s strength by weight class — van Ulft officially notched the best-ever performance by a 40-kilogram female competitor.

A mind-bending achievement for someone of her young age aside, van Ulft’s clean & jerk wasn’t her only major accomplishment from the Toronto contest. Per the same Instagram caption, the athlete broke six Canadian provincial 15U and 17U records on previous lifts during the competition. The final double-body weight clean & jerk appeared to act more like gravy layered over an already prolific day for the youthful elite competitor.

The parent/manager of van Ulft’s Instagram credited a few people for training van Ulft to enjoy such a productive day while simultaneously making history. They included the athlete’s coach, Spencer Moorman, who can be seen in the background of the clip of van Ulft’s milestone encouraging the lifter. Others receiving praise included trainers like “Cierra” (last name undisclosed) and the CANAM Strength and Conditioning team from van Ulft’s native Ottawa, Canada. The Ontario Weightlifting Association (ONWA) also earned a shoutout.

“An enormous thank you to Coach [Moorman] (who deserves to win Coach of the Year in at least one country for this!), [Cierra], and the entire [CANAM Strength and Conditioning] team for their incredible support at this event, as well as to the [Ontario Weightlifting Association] for putting on such a fun and welcoming event!”

For context on an American scale regarding van Ulft’s new achievements and results, the athlete’s 66-kilogram (145.5-pound) clean & jerk is eight kilograms (17.6 pounds) more than the USA Weighlifting (USAW) Youth Women’s record for the 40-kilogram weight class. Kendra Hoover holds the mark with a clean & jerk of 58 kilograms (127.8 pounds). However, Hoover notched her lift when she was 12, roughly three years older than van Ulft.

The year 2023 has only just begun, and van Ulft is already acting as a lifting pioneer for her age group and beyond. If this is how the athlete starts a fresh new calendar, time will only tell as to what other sparkling heights she might achieve through the ensuing 11 months.

Featured image: @roryvanulft on Instagram

The post 9-Year-Old Rory van Ulft Logs a Staggering 66-Kilogram (145.5-Pound) Clean & Jerk appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

On Sept. 12, 2022, van Ulft posted an Instagram clip where the young athlete locks out a 111-kilogram (244.7-pound) raw deadlift from a sumo stance while wearing lifting straps during a training session. It is unclear whether van Ulft is wearing a lifting belt in the footage. According to the reigning three-time United States National Champion’s caption, the pull is 3.43 times her body weight of 32.3 kilograms (71.1 pounds) at the time of the filmed lift.

[Related: How to Do the Goblet Squat for Lower Body Size and Mobility]

Notably, van Ulft’s loaded barbell does shift a bit as she initially tries to lock out her rep. Still, she manages to complete a lockout on a lift that would likely count in an official powerlifting competition.

The strongest kid ever is a girl!?

For more context, van Ulft’s deadlift is one kilogram (2.2 pounds) above the USA Powerlifting (USAPL) Youth Boys’ division record in the 67.5KG weight class — a category over twice her size. Jackson Bo Jensen holds that official mark of 110 kilograms (242.5 pounds) from the 2021 USAPL Youth Nationals.

On an international powerlifting scale, van Ulft’s achievement holds up to an impressive par, too. Her new massive deadlift from training is similarly one kilogram (2.2 pounds) higher than the second-heaviest all-time raw deadlift in the Men’s Youth division 53-kilogram weight class. Elbrus Dzhatiev owns that figure with a pull of 110 kilograms (242.5 pounds) at the 2019 Global Powerlifting Alliance (GPA) European Cup.

 

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A post shared by Rory van Ulft (@roryvanulft)

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Based on her rapid training progress in recent years, a deadlift like this might have been inevitable for van Ulft.

In September 2021, when she was eight, the weightlifter deadlifted 80 kilograms (176.4 pounds). Earlier this year, in April 2022, the athlete scored a beltless deadlift of 90 kilograms (198.4 pounds). For someone whose social media is rife with clips of snatches and clean & jerks to prepare for her primary niche as a weightlifter, van Ulft showing versatile strength on a lift outside of that competitive sphere is plenty commendable.

At the time of this writing, van Ulft has not revealed any upcoming plans for formal competition. Though, it might not be long before she defends her title again. The athlete might parlay her training milestones into a fourth National Championship whenever she is seen on a sanctioned weightlifting platform once more.

Featured image: @roryvanulft on Instagram

The post Check Out 9-Year-Old Weightlifter Rory van Ulft (30KG) Notching a 244.7-Pound Deadlift appeared first on Breaking Muscle.