Corrigan can call herself a well-deserved World Champion.
In a way, the 2023 International Powerlifting Federation (IPF) World Classic Powerlifting Championships have become a staging ground for terrific debuts from athletes like Natalie Richards and the extension of budding dynasties like Tiffany Chapon’s. Powerhouse New Zealand powerlifter Evie Corrigan slots seamlessly into the former category.
Corrigan made her second Open appearance at the flagship competition in Valletta, Malta, during the week of June 11-18, 2023. The athlete did not disappoint, capturing the IPF raw World title in the Open division 52-kilogram weight class for the first time. The new title can now sit alongside her win at the 2018 IPF World Classic Powerlifting Championships in the Juniors division. To score her latest title, Corrigan successfully dethroned the winner from the 2022 edition, Noémie Allabert, who finished as the runner-up to her peer.
Unlike some of her weight class peers, such as Farhanna Farid, Corrigan didn’t set any IPF World Records in the process of her victory. She also did not mark down any personal all-time raw competition bests. That said, the athlete leaned on consistency, successfully finishing eight of her nine lift attempts between her best squat, bench press, and deadlift. Notably, if Corrigan had successfully pulled off her failed final deadlift of 203 kilograms (447.5 pounds), the athlete would’ve easily surpassed her own total IPF World Record of 460 kilograms (1,014.3 pounds) from the 2023 Sheffield Powerlifting Championships (SPF). Instead, with her overall performance, Corrigan tied her own World Record total.
Nonetheless, Corrigan still captured the impressive first-time victory. At the time of this writing, without complete footage from Corrigan’s performance, it is unclear what sort of equipment the competitor wore on her squat. Based on photography from White Lights Media (@whitelightsmediauk on Instagram), the athlete donned a lifting belt to assist with her sumo stance, mixed grip deadlift, and completed her bench press completely raw.
Here’s an overview of the powerlifter’s top stats from the 2023 IPF Worlds:
Evie Corrigan (52KG) | 2023 IPF Worlds Top Stats
- Squat — 162.5 kilograms (358.3 pounds)
- Bench Press — 100 kilograms (220.5 pounds)
- Deadlift — 197.5 kilograms (435.4 pounds)
- Total — 460 kilograms (1,014.1 pounds)
As the defending 2023 SPF champion, Corrigan has now secured a spot in the 2024 edition of the contest automatically just by competing in the 2023 IPF Worlds. Leaving with the IPF Worlds win anyway is quite a new addition to her resume.
With the 2023 IPF Worlds included, Corrigan has now left triumphant from her last four sanctioned powerlifting contests, per Open Powerlifting. Something says an extended hot streak could only just be beginning for this 52-kilogram dynamo.
Featured image: @whitelightsmediauk on Instagram
