Women Dominate American Pro as Three World Records Fall

Women’s Powerlifting Hits a Turning Point at the American Pro

Women’s powerlifting records describe the highest loads ever lifted by female lifters in sanctioned competition across the squat, bench press, deadlift, and total, and at this American Pro championship those marks were rewritten in dramatic fashion as elite female lifters in multiple weight classes broke long-standing all-time records in a single event. The headline from Richmond is not that one woman had a good meet; it is that the women’s field seized the stage and set the tone for where the sport is going. When several records fall in one weekend, it signals a shift: the ceiling for female performance is higher than many people assumed. That is the real story of this American Pro—women didn’t just participate, they defined the meet.

Brittany Bowles Raises the Bar with a Raw Total Record

In the U60KG class, Brittany Bowles did more than win—she redefined what a raw total record looks like. Competing at the PLU American Pro on August 7–8, she produced a 581-kilogram (1,280.9-pound) Raw Total All-Time World Record in Richmond, Virginia. That number is not a small nudge; it toppled a seven-year-old mark and confirmed her status among elite female lifters. Her path there was not flawless. Bowles missed her final squat, a moment that had her openly questioning whether a new total was still on the table. She also noted that cutting from 152.4 pounds down to a 131.34-pound weigh-in left her unable to regain all her bodyweight despite consuming nearly 2,000 grams of carbohydrates. The fact she still assembled the record total underlines how aggressive modern meet preparation has become for women chasing all-time numbers.

Marina Castillo Pardo’s World Record Squat Shows the Depth of the Field

If Bowles proved the upper limit of a raw total, Marina Castillo Pardo demonstrated how dangerous the middle weight classes have become. Competing in the U67.5KG division at the PLU American Pro on August 8 in Richmond, she built a flawless nine-for-nine day that peaked with a 227.5-kilogram (501.6-pound) Raw Squat All-Time World Record. That third attempt was not a gamble; it was the culmination of a carefully paced sequence after clean lifts at 205 and 220 kilograms. She weighed in at 63.5 kilograms (140 pounds) yet still achieved a 557.5-kilogram (1,229.1-pound) total and a 596.73 DOTS score, securing second place overall in her division. When the second-place finisher is breaking all-time records, it shows how crowded the top of women’s powerlifting has become—elite female lifters now need world-level numbers just to stay in podium contention.

Why Multiple Records in One Meet Matter for Women’s Powerlifting

Two all-time women powerlifting records falling at the same American Pro championship is not a coincidence—it is evidence of a sport undergoing a competitive shift. Bowles’ U60KG Raw Total All-Time World Record at 581 kilograms and Pardo’s 227.5-kilogram Raw Squat All-Time World Record in U67.5KG happened on the same platform, under the same lights. This clustering of milestones tells you that elite female lifters are no longer spaced out by years; they are pushing each other in real time. It also highlights a hard truth for anyone entering these classes: previous standards are now baseline expectations, not aspirational goals. For athletes, coaches, and fans tracking women powerlifting records, this meet is a wake-up call. The top women are prepared, battle-tested across multiple sanctioned events, and they are willing to take risks that might include missed attempts or harsh weight cuts if it means rewriting the record books.

Conclusion: The American Pro Belongs to the Women Now

The American Pro championship used to be framed around individual stars; this year, the story is the collective rise of women. Brittany Bowles, a lifter with 16 competition appearances and 14 gold medals to her name, now owns one of the most prestigious raw total records in powerlifting history. Marina Castillo Pardo, with nine sanctioned meets and eight wins, added another all-time squat record to a résumé that already includes a wrapped squat world record and victory at the ABS Pro. Together, their performances confirm that women are not playing catch-up—they are setting the pace. The message coming out of Richmond is clear: if you care about the future of strength sports, you cannot treat women’s divisions as an afterthought. The era when female records were footnotes is over; the main event is here, and it is being decided by women.