The past weekend marked the 2022 World Raw Powerlifting Federation (WRPF) The Ghost Clash in sunny Miami, Florida, on Feb. 13. Multiple all-time world records were broken, including Shane Haller's 420kg (925.9lbs) squat in the 140kg weight class and Naomi Sheppard's squat with 262.5 kg (578.7 Pounds) in the 67.5kg class!
What is the Ghost Clash?
The 2022 World Raw Powerlifting Federation (WRPF) hosted The Ghost Clash in Miami, FL, on Feb. 13, 2022, a clash between some of the best amateurs and all-time world record holders. This meet is brought to you by WRPF State Chair Alex Uslar, who is known for putting on one of the largest powerlifting meets around The Hybrid Showdown. So you know people are coming out to compete!
The goal of this meet? To see some of the strongest people lift some heavy-ass weights, in fact, some records were even broken this weekend during the event. To top it all off, $36,000 in prize money was handed out at The Ghost Clash. The top three in the male, female, and wraps & sleeves divisions were all paid out!
Shane Haller Sets All-Time World Record Raw Squat
Shane Haller is a house at 6'6" and weighing 139kg (~306lbs)! Haller has been making noise since 2016, when he transitioned to powerlifting after playing college football. He's won 10 of the 11 sanctioned events that he competed in. Last year he won the 140kg class at the 2021 WRPF The Bucked Up Showdown.
On Feb. 13, 2022, The Ghost Clash Haller set his first World Record with a 420kg squat. Here's a video of the stellar lift below:
Records Are Meant to be Broken
Most of the hype surrounding this event was from the Men's 140-kg class (308.6 lbs); the story of the event was Shane Haller, who broke a new all-time world record raw squat with 420 kg (925.9 lbs). Not only did he break a record, but he also managed to lockout eight of his nine attempts on competition day to earn himself the following total:
Squat
✅385 kilograms (848.9 pounds)
✅410 kilograms (903.9 pounds)
✅420 kilograms (925.9 pounds) — All-Time Raw World Record
Bench Press
✅230 kilograms (507.1 pounds)
✅247.5 kilograms (545.6 pounds)
✅252.5 kilograms (556.7 pounds)
Deadlift
✅370 kilograms (815.7 pounds)
✅392.5 kilograms (865.3 pounds)
🆇 405 kilograms (892.9 pounds)
Total — 1,065 kilograms (2,347.9 pounds)
Shane isn't the only one that was breaking records; 25 minutes into day two, powerlifter Naomi Sheppard Shattered the All-Time World Record Raw (with Wraps) Squat With 262.5 kg (578.7 lbs). At only 67.5kg, this meant she was able to squat almost four times her body weight.
Watch Naomi Sheppard's All Time World Record Raw
What is the Wilks Formula?
The Wilks Formula, or rather coefficients, developed by Powerlifting Australia's Robert Wilks is a method by which the strength of a Powerlifter is measured against the performances of other lifters of a different bodyweight. The Wilks Formula is used widely worldwide as it is one of the best ways to keep competitions fair without having to separate competitors based on their weight.
Weighing in at 139.4 kg, Haller's total locked him in as the Male Best Overall Lifter at the 2022 Ghost Clash with a Wilks score of 595.513. Jawon Garrison of the 82.5-kg class ranked second overall with a Wilks of 580.451, and Jordan Faria in the 110-kg class ranked third overall with a Wilks score of 563.935.
The final Wilk's scores for the top three athletes in each division are with the competition over below.
2022 Ghost Clash Results:
Men's Raw w/ Wraps
🥇 Daniel Bell: 612.53 Wilks
🥈 Kody Blazek: 601.21 Wilks
🥉 Daniel Miscencik: 582.16 Wilks
Men's Raw:
🥇Shane Haller: 595.51 Wilks
🥈Jawon Garrison: 580.45 Wilks
🥉Jordan Faria: 563.93 Wilks
Women's Raw w/ Wraps:
🥇 Naomi Sheppard: 616.32 Wilks
🥈 Haley Hill: 593.19 Wilks
🥉 Kiersten Scurlock: 574.25 Wilks
Women's Raw:
🥇 Yelena Espinoza: 602.19 Wilks
🥈 Dr. Ashley Contorno: 580.32 Wilks
🥉 Tamara Walcott: 559.55 Wilks
CLOSING THOUGHTS
This year's competition during The Ghost Clash was intense, with a couple of people managing to break all-time world records. So if you use Wilk's calculator above, make sure to comment below what you got!
Kiel DiGiovanni
Author