Ashleigh Hoeta-Williamson of New Zealand has established herself as a major player in the world of strength. Not many athletes are both arm wrestling champions and world-record bench pressers, but Hoeta-Williamson is.
Hoeta-Williamson etched her name in equipped powerlifting history on Nov. 25, 2023, at the International Powerlifting League (IPL) IPL Tombstone Meet in Papakura, NZ. She became the first female powerlifter to successfully bench press 700 pounds in an equipped meet. Hoeta competed with a bench press shirt, which provided support and assistance from the bottom position of the bench. The historic lift can be seen below, courtesy of her TikTok page:
@ashleigh_hoeta All time BIGGEST equipped bench for women in the WORLD #sports #strongwomen #equippedbench #nz #powerlifting
Hoeta weighed in at 109.4 kilograms (241.4 pounds), meaning her record press was 2.9 times her body weight. Even though she has competed in full meets in the past, she only performed the bench press in this contest.
Once Hoeta, wearing a weight belt and wrist wraps, received the barbell, she slowly lowered it to her chest due to the tightness of her bench press shirt. Once she received the press command, it took about five seconds for her to press and lock out the weight to the head referee’s satisfaction. She then received the rack command, and three spotters helped her return the barbell.
2023 IPL Tombstone Meet — Ashleigh Hoeta-Williamson, 110KG
- Bench Press
- 280 kilograms (617.3 pounds)
- 305 kilograms (672.4 pounds)
- 317.5 kilograms (700 pounds)
Not only did Hoeta break the elusive 700-pound barrier, but no other female powerlifter before her has broken the 300-kilogram (661-pound) mark before. According to Open Powerlifting, the heaviest press by a female athlete heading into this event was Rae-Ann Miller’s 294.8 kilograms (650-pound) lift at the 2023 MM Bench for Wolfe II meet in Celina, OH.
Hoeta wasn’t done with only a milestone bench press. She also entered the 2023 New Zealand Arm Wrestling National Championships as the defending champion. She successfully retained the title and shared highlights of her title defense in an Instagram Reel. Hoeta dedicated her efforts in both sports to her father, who passed away earlier in 2023.
Based on comments in her posts, Hoeta-Williamson has set her goals for 2024, including maintaining her arm wrestling title. She told RNZ in New Zealand that she hopes to push her bench press to 350 kilograms by May 2024. Now that she has proved it possible to eclipse a highly sought-after bench press milestone, many in the strength world will likely pay close attention to her future strength pursuits.
Featured image: @ashleigh_hoeta on TikTok.
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