73-year-old powerlifter Mary Duffy lifts virtually 3 times her physique weight — 140.6 kilograms (310 kilos) — with chains
Duffy has seemingly (and quite literally) pulled out all the stops.
On May 18, 2023, powerlifter Mary Duffy shared an Instagram video of herself Capturing a 140.6 kilogram (310 pound) chain deadlift during a training session. According to the caption of Duffy’s social media clip, the 73-year-old’s weighted barbell weighed 180 pounds. By attaching chains to each end, Duffy made it clear that they added an additional 130 pounds to the strength of her last lift.
Duffy wore a lifting belt to help her with the massive pull effort and completed it from a conventional mixed-grip deadlift stance. This chain deadlift is nearly three times Duffy’s most recent competitive bodyweight of 52.2 kilograms (115 pounds).
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Duffy has been competing as a powerlifter since her mid-60s, when the athlete made her recognized weightlifting debut at the 2015 International Powerlifting Association (IPA) Connecticut Ironman Push/Pull Showdown. In the years since, today’s 70-74 Amateur Masters athlete has had a mostly excellent competitive record. She only lost once in her career.
However, Duffy could make real headlines, and she rose to fame in 2022 when she chain-smashed a 136-kilogram (300-pound) deadlift on the raw trap bar. The feat was 2.4 times Duffy’s usual competition bodyweight, and she has now expanded it accordingly with a more traditional pull position and execution.
After pulling off that trap bar deadlift over the summer, Duffy took first place with rings in the 120-pound weight class as an Amateur Masters 70-74 competitor at the 2022 IPA Connecticut State Powerlifting Championships that fall. The win gave Duffy her fifth wraps title in six appearances in the competition (2015-2017, 2019, 2022). It’s clear that the athlete in The Constitution State may have her own powerlifting dynasty.
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These days, as is usually the case with Duffy, she’s kept busy with her weight training, at least according to the casual tidbit shared on her Instagram page. At the time of writing, Duffy hasn’t announced any immediate plans to compete anytime soon, and it’s unclear when she will return to an official platform. If her commitment to outstanding fitness says anything, it’s only a matter of time for this older but still powerful athlete.
Featured image: @mduff2404 on Instagram
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