The 2023 IPF World Juniors and Sub-Juniors Classic Championships started on August 24th in Cluj Napoca, Romania, but the competition has only been underway for a few days. During these couple of days, we got to witness multiple incredible performances, with Joya Khairallah being one of the standout athletes. She left her mark on the competition with two incredible Junior IPF World Records in the Deadlift & Total events.
Joya Khairallah competed in the raw division of the 52-kilogram weight class, alongside some other impressive athletes. However, there was only one woman who managed to come close to her, but she also lost to Joya once all events concluded.
Going into her last deadlift attempt, Joya Khairallah knew that she was the winner of her division. Nonetheless, she was still extremely motivated by the prospect of breaking the Junior IPF World Record. The mark to beat was previously set by Giulia Grechi, who deadlifted 182.5 kilograms (402.3) at the 2021 IPF World Classic Powerlifting Championships.
So, in order to break the record, Joya Khairallah opted for an 183.5-kilogram (404.5-pound) final deadlift attempt, and completed it with a relatively narrow sumo stance and a mixed grip. She also only utilized a lifting belt, as that is the only piece of equipment allowed in the raw division. She showed moderate signs of struggle and let out a piercing scream of celebration afterwards.
Watch the lift here:
Joya Khairallah Full Performance
Joya Khairallah was born in 2001 and is a great representative of Lebanon, having secured a gold medal for her country at the 2023 IPF World Juniors and Sub-Juniors Classic Championships. However, although her performance did end up being incredible, Joya had a less-than-desirable start to the competition, having missed two of her squat attempts. Luckily, she managed to succeed in the bench press and deadlift events.
Squat
- Unsuccessful — 147.5 kilograms (325.2 pounds)
- 147.5 kilograms (325.2 pounds)
- Unsuccessful — 152.5 kilograms (336.2 pounds)
Bench Press
- 95 kilograms (209.4 pounds)
- 97 kilograms (213.8 pounds)
- Did Not Attempt
Deadlift
- 177.5 kilograms (391.3 pounds)
- 180 kilograms (396.8 pounds)
- 183.5 kilograms (404.5 pounds) — U52KG IPF Raw Junior World Record
Total — 428.5 kilograms (944.7 pounds) — U52KG IPF Raw Junior World Record
Joya Khairallah’s Competition History
Personal Bests
| Equip | Squat | Bench | Deadlift | Total | Dots |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Raw | 330.7 | 215 | 330.7 | 937 | 502.58 |
Competition Results
| Place | Fed | Date | Competition | Division | Total | Dots | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| 1 | IPF | 2023-07-18 | Arab Cup | Juniors | 937 | 502.58 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| 2 | IPF | 2022-08-31 | World Junior Classic Powerlifting Championships | Juniors | 925.9 | 489.44 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| 1 | UAEPA | 2021-12-10 | Desert Barbell Classic | Open | 888.5 | 456.52 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| 6 | IPF | 2021-09-23 | World Classic Powerlifting Championships | Juniors | 881.8 | 467.09 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Joya Khairallah has now taken part in five sanctioned powerlifting competitions and registered three victories. It is also worth mentioning that she competed in the 2022 IPF World Junior Classic Powerlifting Championships, as well as finished in second place. So, she achieved the top position this year after improving her ranking from 2022.
While Joya Khairallah’s main goal was to claim the gold medal, she has managed to exceed everyone’s expectations by setting two new Junior World Records. She will now set her sights on further goals, which are currently unknown.
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