04/03/2026
Colton Engelbrecht just pulled 520 kilograms off the floor and the strength world stopped.
The South African powerlifter, just 24 years old, executed a sumo deadlift of 520kg (1,146.4 pounds) at the 2026 Siberian Power Show on March 28. That is the equivalent of lifting roughly 4.3 times his own bodyweight in a single pull.
To put that number into context, 500kg was considered an almost unreachable barrier in the sport just a few years ago. Colton was filmed repping out 500kg in training as recently as March 2026, a clip that spread rapidly across strength communities for the sheer scale of the number.
But then the Siberian Power Show arrived, and Engelbrecht did not just clear 500kg. He went to 520.
The lift was performed sumo style with lifting straps, which means it does not count under IPF powerlifting rules or official strongman regulations. That distinction has already split opinion, with some calling it the heaviest deadlift ever recorded and others arguing it sits outside the boundaries of any sanctioned category.
What is not in dispute is the total Engelbrecht put together on the day. He recorded a 1,155kg combined total at the meet, a number that adds to a career already built around rewriting what people believed was physically possible.
Earlier in 2026, Engelbrecht had already set what BarBend reported as the all-time raw powerlifting total record, posting a 2,645-pound (1,200kg) combined squat, bench, and deadlift at a domestic South African competition.
The Siberian Power Show performance was covered within 48 hours by FitnessVolt and BoxRox, two of the most widely read outlets in strength sport. YouTube footage labeled it the world's heaviest deadlift and drew significant traction within days of being posted.
Whether the lift is accepted as a record depends entirely on which ruleset you apply. What is harder to argue against is the number itself. 520kg. A weight that very few people alive could move at all, let alone lock out cleanly above the knee.
The conversation about where this lift belongs has only just started.
