Black History Month: 5 Black Powerlifters You Should Know
Happy Black History Month, everyone!
We all know that this month is about highlighting the many achievements, struggles, efforts, and experiences of Black people; especially as they’re underrepresented in the mainstream. This extends to Powerlifting.
Strength sports have previously & currently been overwhelmingly white- due to many potential factors (read more here). We want to actively change that. BIPOC athletes deserve recognition, opportunities, and resources, and if we believe that strength is for all, efforts must ensure that.
To help celebrate and further that sentiment, let’s highlight some major Black Powerlifters you should know about- and the importance of this topic in strength sports.
Tamara Walcott
Tamara Walcott is one of the most transformative and impactful women in Powerlifting ever, without a doubt. She's featured in CNN, People, The Guardian, and The Ellen Show- due to her monumental 638-pound deadlift that changed the trajectory of women in strength sports. There’ve been many female 300- and 400-lb deadlifts, an incredible reflection of a lot of hard work. There’ve been a few 500+ deadlifts, which is mind-blowing- and very rare. But for a female athlete to deadlift 600 lbs- changes the entire perception of what women are capable of in this sport, and that is precisely what we need in the Powerlifting world.
What’s more significant is her story to reach that. A 600-lb deadlift is never an accidental occurrence, and Powerlifting can signify and mirror so much more in one’s life. As a woman facing adversity in many areas, she shares how profoundly this endeavor impacted her, “Powerlifting saved my life… It saved me from myself, saved me from food addiction; it was my therapy, it saved me from depression, and it changed my life.” (1). Powerlifting paved a path for Tamara to succeed consistently, building entirely from scratch and undergoing immense struggle. The passion built in that pursuit preceded her 600-lb deadlift.
She speaks individually about her experience being one of the few women in a male-dominated environment and the negative comments she initially received, “guys telling me: ‘Don’t bench because women shouldn’t bench. It’s going to change how your chest is, so you shouldn’t bench," often being the only woman in the weight room. And yet, she became an inspiration for women everywhere. We’ve seen a drastic shift in the perception of female Powerlifters, even in the last 3-5 years. As a plus-size Black woman, empowering women to take up a similar experience as hers is one of her top priorities, and she states, “Sometimes, I wear lipstick – because it’s okay to be beautiful, it’s okay to be sexy, it’s okay to be a woman and lift heavy.”
Not only does Tamara’s story resonate with women looking to get into strength training, but it empowers them to dream big for themselves and that they can break away from the barriers into what’s “possible.” It’s not just about getting more women & women of color in the gym- it’s about showing them that they can achieve so much, and Tamera blows past any potential limitations previously imposed, just read her OpenPowerlifting as evidence.
Her deadlift undoubtedly made history- and she is an athlete to commemorate for years ahead. Check out her website here for coaching, interviews, inquiries, and upcoming events, as well as her apparel line (Fitness King & Queen Apparel), and you can find her on Instagram @tamarawalcott.shw
2. Nora Langdon
If you haven’t heard of 78-year-old Powerlifting Grandma Nora Langdon, you’re missing out. Age is a commonly perceived barrier to Powerlifting, as many 50+ athletes believe lifting heavy will lead to injuries, incidents, and danger- inhibiting them from participating. The truth couldn’t be farther from the opposite. Strength training has been demonstrated- time and time again- to improve bone density & cognitive function, reducing the risk of falls, muscle loss, and osteoporosis that come with aging- and these benefits extend further in older adults. It is never too late, and the empowerment that coincides with strength can increase in elderly populations- where feelings of independence and strength/capability/athleticism may be a rare experience.
Nora, a perfect example, has been featured in Barbend, Refinery29, and other news sites, highlighting her incredible accomplishments at 78 years young. In 2021, she shared an IG post of her squatting a whopping 350 lbs, proclaiming, “I feel strong when I powerlift,” (2). She competed in the 2021 World Powerlifting Congress Amateur World Championships as a Masters lifter. On OpenPowerlifting, she holds world records, including the total & individual lifts as an 84 kg lifter (equipped/raw) in the 82.5 and 90 kg classes.
Nora first got into Powerlifting after recognizing that she was out of shape, “feeling out of breath climbing stairs while showing a prospective buyer a home,”(2) as a real estate agent. She met a trainer through mutual friends, and during her first session, she questioned if she was “getting too old for this.” But, she continued showing up, making rapid gains, beginning her Powerlifting debut at a USAPL meet in 2006. Since then, she’s done multiple competitions annually, including USAPL Nationals and Worlds, continuing to move up as a 70-79 Masters lifter. Her story inspires those wondering if their Powerlifting windows have passed- we’ve seen a surge in Masters lifters over the last few years. It’s beautiful to witness the diversity, in many aspects, grow in this sport. Age, race, sex, sexuality, gender identity, athletic background, and religious background- should never be a barrier to strength and the tremendous impact it can have on individuals who immerse themselves in it. Nora says it best, “Age is no number. If you got the strength and the willpower to do it, you can do it.” (2) She sets an example, especially for elderly women in the sport- exceeding traditional stereotypes. Grandmas don’t have to resort to the 2-lb dumbbells, as evidenced by her 350-lb squat (which compares to some of her Open competitors in the same weight class). You can find her at @noraliftsheavy on Instagram.
3. Ayecia Bryant
Listen to her story here
Ayecia Bryant is a Florida-based Powerlifter & Powerlifting coach, running the team “Queenz of Power.” Her journey resonates and echoes the sounds of many who have found a long-term investment within this sport- it carries far beyond the gym to them. Ayecia shares her story of finding Powerlifting after escaping a domestically violent relationship, where she found herself unhealthy, depressed, and somewhat lost. She dropped 80 lbs after working out on a nearly daily basis to cope & support her mental and physical health but grew tired of the treadmill monotony. She recalls that experience, “I hired a coach and got started with my strength training. In the beginning, I struggled with the lifts because it started to sink in that I was attempting to lift an unimaginable amount of weight that I had never dreamed of touching before!” (3)
On OpenPowerlifting, Ayecia herself has won National-level meets and traveled to international ones, highlighting the incredible potential that athletes who’ve overcome life struggles can find in this sport. In the process of competing in Powerlifting, she noticed a significant disparity, “There were only five African American women there, out of 50 states, there were five of us, and I was like, ‘I don’t like that.” (4) This experience is evident at most Powerlifting meets- racial diversity, especially among women, is severely lacking. Ayecia wanted to elicit change in the Powerlifting community, leading her to found Queenz of Power, a training team for women of color. She states, “Women are strong, we can do just what men do, and we can do it a little bit better too,” (4) a sentiment we can all resonate with. Her athletes share similar perspectives, feelings of empowerment, breaking stereotypes, and finding connections in a unique and sacred way. The team competes together at local and national meets. You can find information on her coaching and services here.
4. Mike Hall
Further back toward the origins of Powerlifting, Mike Hall was a transformative figure during his career for multiple reasons, for his time and the future of Powerlifting. For one, he's titled the first Black Super Heavyweight Powerlifter to win a World Championship, see OpenPowerlifting. During his time in the sport, throughout the 80s-90s, Powerlifting lacked even more diversity than today. Most athletes looked similar- a heavier, white, middle-aged man on steroids was the mainstream norm. Mike Hall, one of the few Black Powerlifters at the time, was an incredibly strong athlete. His career reads as a long list of accomplishments- such as winning Nationals meets multiple times in the same year- and being the first super heavyweight lifter to win IPF Worlds, where he also became the first American lifter to squat 900 & a total of 2200 as a natural athlete.
On that note, Hall also helped pioneer the drug-free Powerlifting movement in a very steroid-heavy environment. While today, raw, natural Powerlifting is far more popular, back then, it was very rarely recognized. Mike Hall demonstrated the expression of strength without supplemental enhancements, which was groundbreaking for the sport. As a result, he became known as the “World’s Strongest Drug-Free Man,” encouraging younger athletes to follow suit: in 1992, he “appeared on a poster titled Natural Power, which is part of a campaign by the National Federation of High Schools to combat steroid and drug use. The posters were sent to 20,000 schools in the United States, reaching 11 million students.” (5) His influential accomplishments helped further the representation of Powerlifting in multiple facets, highlighting him as an inspirational figure. Though he’s retired, his lifts are still ever-memorable: a 930 squat, 633 bench, 771 deadlift, 2336.9 total & 539 DOTS are noteworthy meet performances, especially for a drug-free athlete.
5. Lamar Gant
Another older-school Powerlifter who won his recognition into the IPF Hall of Fame in 1980 (and for good reason), Lamar Gant is a monumental Black Powerlifter. Introduced to Powerlifting by his junior high gym teacher, Lamar learned that; on day one of lifting, he'd already broken existing records. He derived an immediate passion from it: “I found a home when I found those weights. Man, I would never miss a training session. Never! I'd be shaking those weights around like some kind of bulldog. Boom! Boom! Those were some good days." (6) He competed at a low body weight of 123/132, and his numbers were shockingly high, proportionally.
He wasn't just your average, freakishly strong athlete, either- Gant suffered from idiopathic scoliosis. He was diagnosed at 14, later sustaining a noteworthy Powerlifting career- a relatively rare occurrence in the sport. In 1980, surgery was presented as an option- but since this would inhibit his lifting aspirations- he declined it. His condition manifested as a severe lateral curvature of the spine. During his heavy deadlifts, it would take an excessive S shape, yet- this was his best lift- an indication that pain & medical conditions don’t have to be athletic inhibitors. His first world record was set in 1974- far before Powerlifting was anything close to mainstream, where he deadlifted 524.5 pounds at a body weight of 123.
Over a decade later, he became the first person in history to deadlift five times their body weight (7), pulling 300 kilos (661 lbs) @ 60 kilos (132) body weight- a monumental feat and one that very few have repeated in nearly forty years since. His Powerlifting career began at 16 and ended at 40- a whopping 24 consecutive years in the sport, with 41 meets in that timeframe (almost two annually), shown on OpenPowerlifting. We don’t see this often- but that’s what it takes to be one of the best, as evidenced by Lamar’s incredible progression. His highest lifts in competition were 595.2 squat, 352.7 bench, 683.4 deadlift, and 1587 total @ 132 bodyweight (607.71 DOTS), with nine world titles across all his meets. His deadlift records still stand in those weight classes today, and will they be broken? Time will tell.
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These athletes were selected based on their impactful contributions to the Powerlifting community & history of the sport. Admittedly, information and stories on Black Powerlifters are limited, which highlights a greater issue of this community- and the need for change. We support Black athletes everywhere, not just those breaking records and making history- but all of these individuals are worth uplifting and recognizing for their incredible accomplishments.
All mentioned athletes have specially contributed to this sport in their own unique and powerful ways, and we must take time to highlight that. We want to increase access, inclusivity, safe spaces, and support for Black & BIPOC athletes specifically. We must recognize all of their achievements on a daily basis.
Announcement:
Coach Gabi & Natalie are running a BIPOC-only Deadlift workshop at the end of this month, to help celebrate Black History Month & make strength training more accessible.
We are also hosting a GoFundMe along with it, to provide scholarship opportunities to Black/BIPOC folk looking to get into strength training, but don’t have the means to afford a coaching membership. Please donate here.
This will be offered as a recurring monthly donation to clients/members, reach out to gains@ironsidetraining.com if you’d like to participate in that. Check our Instagrams (@gabigirl_prostrongwoman, @rageagainstthesmithmachine, @ironsidetraining for more info).
References
(1) Ramsay, George. “After Years of Food Addiction, Record-Breaking Strongwoman Tamara Walcott Says Powerlifting ‘Saved Me from Myself.’” CNN, Cable News Network, 13 Sept. 2022, www.cnn.com/2022/09/13/sport/tamara-walcott-powerlifting-spt-intl-cmd/index.html.
(2) Blechman, Phil. “78-Year-Old Nora Langdon Is a World Champion Powerlifter Who Deadlifts over 300 Pounds.” BarBend, 2 Aug. 2023, barbend.com/78-year-old-powerlifter-nora-langdon/.
(3) Contributor. “Voices: Strength Is My Beauty.” LALtoday, LALtoday, 19 July 2021, laltoday.6amcity.com/ayecia-white-voices.
(4) Boyd, Robert. “Ladies Powerlifting Team Trying to Break Records and Stereotypes.” ABC Action News Tampa Bay (WFTS), ABC Action News Tampa Bay (WFTS), 2 Dec. 2021, www.abcactionnews.com/community/around-town/ladies-powerlifting-team-trying-to-break-records-and-stereotypes.
(5) “Mike Hall (Powerlifter).” DBpedia, dbpedia.org/page/Mike_Hall_(powerlifter). Accessed 8 Feb. 2024.
(6) He Bends but He Doesn’t Break - Sports Illustrated Vault | Si.Com, vault.si.com/vault/1984/10/22/he-bends-but-he-doesnt-break. Accessed 8 Feb. 2024.
(7) “Lamar Gant.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 28 Nov. 2023, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lamar_Gant.
