Female Powerlifter of the Decade

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This was hard for me to pick! Becca Swanson is awesome and a favorite of mine both as a lifter and person. Same for Kara Bohigan! Both gifted lifters, athletes and two of the sweetest people I've ever met! I gave a slight edge to Kara because of her ability to dominate in several weight classes. But again, it was almost a coin toss!

No Wei-Ling Chen?

Hey mastermonster.

Kara Bohigan's best total was 1422.

Priscilla Ribic has a 1399 lbs total - in IPF.

And in the lift that matters the least where you lift - the deadlift - Ribic outlifts Bohigan by 50 lbs.

How do you not consider Ribic a better lifter than Bohigan?

Just curious as to what your logic is?

squating 270kg with 69kg bodyweight, winning several world and europeans squating 280kg and totaling 670 in the -75 kg. Julia Zaugolova has dominated the womens last decade.

She's just now getting to the top. While she does have two wins in the past three years at Worlds, she didn't win best lifter and is in one of the lighter contested weight class.

Wei-Ling Chen has the highest female wilks EVER in the IPF and she won World Games. I would think even if she has done it in the last several years that it should count the decade.

A very good argument why she should be on the list. However, much of the decade she was finishing out of the top spot in her lighter contested weight class at Worlds. Her performance at the World Games was great but not quite enough. Obviously, a tough decision though.

I just cannot find it in me to choose. Jill Mills just has phenomenal raw strength - such a pleasure to see her squat! Becca Swanson - well, let's just say, the bar has been raised. Ribic has turned in phenomenal numbers at international meets all decade long - a great lifter. Everyone on that list is worthy in many ways. However, though I have only ever seen her lifts on video, Zaugolova strikes me as perhaps the most phenomenal lifter internationally.

Jess O'Donnell should be on that list

Just a thought, how about a drug free category and a drugged out category, cant compare the two.

Kara is a very good lifter. Go back and look at old results of when these two ladies competed against each other in the USAPL. It sounds like you think one is better just because she lifts in IPF???? Where is your logic in that....Remember Kara also so had IPF roots!
Also Kara out benched Ribic very bad.

Fact is they are both very good lifters!
Congrats to both!

When Kara last competed in an IPF Worlds against Maria Kudinova she lost by 125kg. Strange how Marina has no votes despite being many times best lifter at Worlds

I admit my bias...but Becky Rich

Arg, stop the Kara vs Priscilla vs Kara posts. We’ve had enough of that through the years. I’d kill for her bench as I am sure she would for my pull.

We had some great times in the past (can’t believe it has been so long) competing against each other.

Priscilla

LOL Priscilla did you read my mind? I was just about to post and say the same things! And hell yea I would ABSOLUTELY kill for your pull...we still need to figure out how to make that Priscilla/Kara hybrid we talked about for deadlifting and benching hahha!

I've said before many times and will say it again here that Priscilla's accomplishments are extraordinary beyond belief in all aspects from putting up top performances on international platforms to strictness of jugding, minimal gear, longevity,raising awareness for womens powerlifting,etc.

Pleasssse for the sake of womens lifting can we keep this thread nice...we're practically an endangered species lol.

Kara

Priscilla and Kara both get bonus points for sportsmanship.

Thanks Rob :)

PS...I'll give up my spot to see the legendary Amy Weisberger on this list as she has been setting and breaking records in various weight classes and consistently making gains for the last 2+ decades! Amy is a powerlifting icon and has been one of my idols since the day I started powerlifting.

All of the above mentioned female lifters are incredible athletes, and are very deserving for consideration of the title "Best Female Lifter". However, There is also another female lifter who should be considered, "MARGARET KIRKLAND". Over the past 10 years she has set multiple national and world records in 4 different weight classes "105, 114, 123, and 132". She has won multiple APF, AAPF, APA, and GPC national and world championships. She was ranked NUMBER 1 in the TOP 100 list in Powerlifting USA for the 114lb weight class in the squat category (#1 AMONG ALL LIFTERS MALE/FEMALE AND ALSO DRUG FREE/NON TESTED). I am fairly sure that she is the only woman to have ever achieved such a ranking. She has also totaled more than 10 times her body weight in 2 different performances in the 114lb weight class. Margaret Kirkland has represented this sport very well, and has demonstrated that with a lot of hard work and dedication anyone male or female can succeed. I think that it would be a shame if she was not at least considered for this honor. Michael Allocco.

I would also like to mention Krista Ford. She has been very successful in this sport over a long period of time (more than 16 years). Krista has tremendous strength, outstanding technique, has won several meets, and has set several records. I have had the privilege of meeting her, and watching her compete. Krista is a very nice person, and also a very talented athlete. Whether or not she deserves to be considered, I think that she at least deserves to be mentioned. Michael Allocco.

Surely Inna Filimonova deserves to be on this list - 4 times IPF Word Champion since 2000

Certainly a deserving choice. However, she didn't win best lifter with any of those wins and was beaten out for best lifter by both Kudinova and Zaugolava.

Agreed, but both Kudinova and Zaugolava have both tested positive whilst lifting in the IPF during the decade - shouldn't that count against their performances?

And how about Svetlana Dedyulya she won 4 Worlds and beat Kudinova for best lifter in 2003?

Perhaps there's just too many Russian Women to choose from.

Absolutely!

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What's great is that the women's end of the sport has grown so much the last several years as to have such an impressive list presented (and more could have been added as mentioned). It was not long ago that there were not even as many total women's powerlifters as are offered here for an all-star list.

The IPF accepts those performances where each won gold and won best lifter. If they were to erase them, you would be right, but because they let them stand, deeming them within the rules, so does Powerlifting Watch.

That is the same stance the site takes with those performances which are questioned as having occurred under loose judging.

Chen Wei Ling

I agree about Priscilla, and for me the fact that she lifts drug free settles the whole thing for me! She is an amazing woman relying on her own strength to get where she is.

All these women are noteworthy, but for me Priscilla is it!

I want to verify i was in no way intending any negative reflection on kara! I read all the Priscilla/Kara posts after i voted and posted.

Sioux-z Hartwig-Gary has dominated her weight class, in the most respected and toughest federations in the world [USAPL/IPF], for more than a decade. Furthermore she's probably the nicest and sweetest person you'll ever meet.

Her resume includes:

14-time national champion
3-IPF Master's World Records at 52kg
2-time World Games Competitor (2001, 2009), was also invited in 2005 but couldn't attend due to her wedding
1-time IPF World Champion (2003)

The only IPF World Championships she missed during this decade was in 2004 when she was battling a neck injury. More recently she has begun to dominate raw lifting as well.

While all of these women deserve being mentioned, nobody has been more consistent than Sioux-z.

Raija Jurkko(koskinen) 6 straight world titles and 2001 WG-gold. enough said

GO Priscilla!!!!

Laura could wipe Priscilla up with one swipe. Priscilla has never SEEN training, until she's seen Laura Phelps-Sweatt train.

So sad there are so many IPF junkies on this site...

Can't compare the two, different federations govern different results specifically in squat and bench. Although Priscilla's best deadlift is 556 @ 148, Laura's 560 @ 165 I think, both sumo pullers. Not a big difference when you look at apples to apples lift, nevermind Laura wears canvas and briefs.

THIS IS AN IMPRESSIVE LIST OF LIFTERS AND A FEW NAMES WERE LEFT OFF. MY HAT IS OFF TO ALL OF YOU FOR YOUR HARD TRAINING AND YOUR LIFTING ACCOMPLISHMENTS.IT'S A SHAME WE JUST HAVE TO PICK ONE.CONGRATS TO ALL OF YOU!PROUDLY SPONSORED BY WEST CARY BARBELL!