Watch One of the Year’s Best Powerlifting Battles (Plus David Ricks’ Amazing Shoes)

It’s a couple weeks after USA Powerlifting Raw Nationals in Atlanta, but we’re still basking in the squat, bench, and deadlift glory from down South. And while super heavyweight Ray Williams‘ 1,000+ pound squat made international (and mainstream media) headlines, one of the best battles of the event occurred in the men’s 93kg category.

Jesse Norris — a 22 year old powerlifting prodigy with an impressive career already under his belt — just beat out David Ricks, the 57 year old strength legend who recently came out of retirement to take on competitors well under half is age. And one powerlifting fan has compiled a video of each lifter’s attempts — embedded below — that captures the battle in dramatic fashion.

Norris has reportedly been dealing with several injuries over the last year or so, and the competition didn’t necessarily feature him at his strongest. But on this day, the two were closely matched, and to seal his victory, Norris needed an impressive make at the end after missing his second deadlift.

And though the competition didn’t feature equipped lifting, there was still plenty to look at as far as gear. Most notable were Ricks’ Nike Air Monarch sneakers during the deadlift, one of the more unconventional choices for powerlifting footwear we’ve ever seen. Ricks is rocking some old school style while staying at the top of the craft at 57 years young.

Jesse Norris

Squat: 307.5, 327.5, -340

Bench Press: 152.5, 160, -167.5

Deadlift: 330, -350, 350

David Ricks

Squat: 290, 310, 320

Bench Press: 182.5, 195, 202.5

Deadlift: 272.5, -290, 307.5

Featured image: Powerlifting by Fred on YouTube

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