It seems any time everyone looks over to powerlifter Russell Orhii, he’s lifting staggering amounts of weight. On March 31, 2022, Orhii again demanded attention by pulling a 345-kilogram (760-pound) raw deadlift in training.
According to Open Powerlifting, Orhii’s latest deadlift eclipses his heaviest competition deadlift by 11 kilograms (25.9 pounds). It’s another example of the extraordinary heights Orhii might be capable of reaching in due time.
Check out Orhii’s latest conventional deadlift PR below, courtesy of his Instagram page:
Despite a slight snag on his pull, Orhii completes the deadlift relatively easily while maintaining his form. He executes it from a typical conventional stance without wearing wrist wraps. A beaming smile on his face as he locks out the pull appears to indicate how Orhii feels about the lift.
Orhii is no stranger to pushing boundaries as a powerlifter. The 28-year-old is the owner of two International Powerlifting Federation (IPF) records — a 320.5-kilogram (706.7-pound) squat and an 841-kilogram (1,854.3-pound) total set at the 2021 IPF World Championships. Orhii accomplished both feats in the 83-kilogram weight class (182.9 pounds).
Here are Orhii’s full stats from that meet — the last time he competed in a sanctioned event:
2021 IPF World Championships — Russel Orhii
- Squat — 320.5 kilograms (706.7 pounds) | IPF World Record
- Bench Press — 187.5 kilograms (413.4 pounds)
- Deadlift — 332.98 kilograms (734.1 pounds)
- Total — 841 kilograms (1,854.3 pounds) | IPF World Record
A Rising Star
For someone who has only been professionally powerlifting since November 2015, Orhii has already pieced together quite the resume. He’s assuredly making a name for himself from various high-profile IPF events to USA Powerlifting competitions (USAPL).
Here are some of the more notable highlights from the quickly-evolving career of one of powerlifting’s current significant players:
- 2015 USAPL Raw Collegiate Cup — 1st place | First career event
- USAPL Aggie Showdown — 1st place (2016, 2017)
- USAPL Raw National Championships — 1st place (2017, 2018, 2019, 2021)
- IPF World Classic Powerlifting Championships — 1st place (2019, 2021)
It’s worth noting that Orhii’s most recent title attained with the IPF in September 2021 almost never happened.
On August 27th, 2021, the IPF issued a 12-month suspension to the USAPL and its powerlifters due to a failure to be wholly compliant with the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). However, Orhii competed anyway, as he attended the Championships while representing the U.S. Virgin Islands — an official territory of the United States but is otherwise unincorporated as part of the main landmass.
A little over a month after the competition, that IPF suspension turned into an outright expulsion of the USAPL. Given Orhii’s eventual first-place finish and set records, it appears his decision to change his national representation for the time being was worthwhile.
Orhii’s Powerlifting Future
When it comes to a wholesale log of top individual numbers, here are Orhii’s all-time personal bests from competitions. Note that his recent deadlift PR occurred, again, in training:
Powerlifting Competition Records — Russell Orhii
- Squat — 323 kilograms (712.1 pounds) | Raw
- Bench Press — 194.99 kilograms (429.9 pounds) | Raw
- Deadlift — 332.98 kilograms (734.1 pounds) | Raw
- Total — 843 kilograms (1858.5 pounds) | Raw
As the year of 2022 rolls along and Orhii continues to plug away in his training, the powerlifter has not yet announced when his next meet will be.
Some potential competitive possibilities might include the 2022 USA Powerlifting Summer Power Fest in Houston, Texas, on June 25th, 2022. Orhii is a Texas native and has previously competed in many events in the “Lone Star State” early in his career. Assuming he can again represent the Virgin Islands, there is also the 2022 IPF World Classic Open Powerlifting Championships in Sun City, South Africa, on June 6-12, 2022.
Whatever choice Orhii makes, it appears he’ll be ready for the strength rigors of any event.
Featured image: @russwhole on Instagram