The sport of powerlifting, on the whole, doesn’t seem to be short on young stars and up-and-comers at the moment. With a fresh performance under his belt, there might be another big name to throw into a growing competitive ring. On Oct. 2, 2022, during a victory at the Australian Powerlifting League (APL) Strength Quest II, 19-year-old powerlifter Theo Maddox broke two raw Teen 18-19 World Records in the 140-kilogram weight class. The contest took place at the GroundZeroW Gym in Arundel, Australia.
Maddox’s first record was a 390-kilogram (859.8-pound) deadlift that Maddox pulled from a sumo stance with a mixed grip while wearing a lifting belt. The pull surpasses Max Shethar’s previous figure of 350 kilograms (771.6 pounds) from the 2021 United States Powerlifting Association (USPA) Ragnarok Invite II. Maddox’s second feat was a 962.5-kilogram (2,117.5-pound) total, exceeding Jackson Powell’s past mark of 897 kilograms (1,977.5 pounds) from the 2022 United States Powerlifting Coalition Big Bend Classic.
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Here’s an overview of Maddox’s complete performance at the 2022 APL Strength Quest II, where he also earned all-time raw competition bests on his squat and bench press:
Theo Maddox (140KG) | 2022 APL Strength Quest II Top Stats
- Squat — 355 kilograms (781 pounds) | All-Time Competition Best
- Bench Press — 217.5 kilograms (478.5 pounds) | All-Time Competition best
- Deadlift — 390 kilograms (859.8 pounds) | Teen 18-19 World Record
- Total — 962.5. kilograms (2,117.5 pounds) | Teen 18-19 World Record
With four competitions to his name according to Open Powerlifting, Maddox has yet to lose in his budding competitive career. Here’s a rundown of his complete career results:
Theo Maddox | Complete Career Results
- 2020 New Zealand Powerlifting Federation (NZPF) WBOP Regional Championships (Sub-Juniors/Raw) — First place
- 2020 NZPF Nationals (Sub-Juniors/Raw) — First place
- 2021 NZPF North Island Championships (Juniors/Raw) — First place
- 2022 APL Strength Quest II (Teen 18-19/Raw) — First place
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Despite his most recent impressive result undoubtedly putting him on the powerlifting map, Maddox didn’t appear satisfied with a record-breaking output. As the 19-year-old athlete would explain in a post on his Instagram, he’s treating this stellar finish as a learning experience.
“Look, it wasn’t the day I wanted, but it was good to get on the platform again after so long off,” Maddox wrote. “I have a lot to learn and improve upon, and that’s honestly very exciting to have acquired all this new information. I am now in a very good position to build some of my foundations up and work on my weaknesses. A break will do me good, however. I need to take care of my mental [health] and plan a fair amount out. Talk less, do more. Talk is cheap, after all.”
Featured image: @theo_maddox on Instagram
