SUN CITY, South Africa – A 62-lifter American delegation closed the 2026 IPF World Sub-Junior & Junior Powerlifting Championships with 46 individual medals, 22 of them gold, and team titles in five of the eight team championships contested. US lifters set nine world records over twelve days of classic and equipped competition against a 502-lifter field from 58 nations.
The equipped Junior men won six of the seven classes they entered and the team title at the maximum 60 points. Ashton Fischer (105kg) posted the largest American total of the championships, 385/250/332.5 for 967.5 in squat, bench, and deadlift, second overall in Sun City to Great Britain’s Joshua Ngoka at 980.5. Ryan Creasy won the 120s at 947.5 with a 280 bench, the heaviest press of the championships. Lawson Lillo took the 74kg class at 830.5 with a world record 245.5 bench and the division best lifter award, and further titles went to Carter Lewis (83kg, 865.5, world record 340.5 deadlift), Bodie Lacoe (59kg, world records in the deadlift at 300 and the total at 702.5), and Brady Price (66kg, 697.5).
The Sub-Junior divisions returned 14 golds and all four of their team titles. In equipped competition, Caeden Stearns (120+kg, 790), Noah Shotwell (120kg, 787.5, 42.5kg over his previous best total), George Cunningham (66kg, 600), Ethan Andrews (59kg, 560), and Trey Nguyen (53kg, 435) won five of the men’s classes, and Elaina Canales (84kg, 430), Lylah Jones (52kg, 385), and Joanie Cannon (47kg, 332.5) led the women to the team gold. In classic, Austin Wilson won the 105s at 838.5 with world records in the squat at 321.5, the deadlift at 332, and the total. Gianna Ancona took the women’s 69kg title at 473 with a world record 210.5 deadlift, 23kg over her previous best competition pull and 55.5kg over her total at last year’s Sub-Junior Worlds. Anika Olson (84+kg, 475), Katelyn Plourde (57kg, 317.5), Masato Gentle (59kg, 547.5), and Ahmed Al Fatli (53kg, 485) added four more golds.
In the classic Junior divisions, Cardin Do won the men’s 59kg class on his final deadlift. He came to the pull 12.5kg behind France’s Valentin Dupuy Noel, who closed at 637.5, made 260 and 272.5, then called for 297.5: a 25kg jump, 30kg over the heaviest deadlift he had made in competition, and the exact minimum for gold, since a tie at 637.5 would have gone to the lighter Frenchman on bodyweight. He made it for 640 and the title by 2.5. Sophia Fortin took the women’s 63s at 505, and Evelio Gonzalez squatted a world record 259 in the 66kg class on his way to silver at 701.5. Both American classic Junior teams finished second, the men at 48 points behind Great Britain and the women level on points with France at 45.
Six US lifters set nine of the 29 world records at the championships, in both classic and equipped competition. The equipped Junior women completed the team scoring with bronze at 38 points.
Full results: IPF results. Roster and schedule are on the event page.