Two athletes are currently on everyone's lips this season - Austin Perkins and Russel Orhii. Last season Austin made history with a monster world record total of 851kg, only to impressively finish the recent Powerlifting America Trials with a total of 839kg, which stands as the second-highest total within the history of the 74kg/75kg weight class, unsurprisingly, only to reveal that it was purposeful in attempting only seven out of nine attempts…at this point, Austin’s progression seems unrelenting. But Russel, who hasn't competed for almost two years, came back with a bang by setting a new world record with a total of 860kg in the 82.5/83kg weight class at the Powerlifting America National trials.
As it’s early in the season, whether such dominance is a permanent fixture, only time will tell! However, some may have greatly overlooked twenty-year-old junior athlete, Joseph Borenstein, who has largely experienced a relatively steady linear progression since starting to compete in 2018 at the USAPL Sunshine State Championships, as a teen athlete. Last season, at the USAPL raw nationals, Joseph achieved an incredible feat by becoming one of only four 74/75kg athletes to have achieved an 800kg total or more. With the 2024 season already unfolding, Joseph, at the USAPL Pro Series Raw Finals extended his phenomenal total of 800kg by a margin of 20kg, with a new eye-raising total of 820kg.
Joseph Borenstein’s Going To Be A Problem for Russel Orhii And Austin Perkins?