At an all-ages competition in Ohio last month, Lucy Milgrim deadlifted 180 pounds in pigtails and a custom weight belt to set her third American record with USA Powerlifting as AC/DC’s “Thunderstruck” blasted in the background.
The lift immediately caught the attention of professional powerlifters and racked up 60 million views on an Instagram video showing her lifting roughly three times her weight. The athlete who achieved the feat? A 9-year-old fourth grader from Long Island, New York.
Lucy is now considered among the top young powerlifters in the country after just her first year in the sport.
“I felt really excited, and I was really pumped that I hit that weight,” Lucy said. “I’ve been going at it for a while, and that was the first time I hit it.”
As a youth powerlifter, Lucy is among athletes as young as 8 who compete in bench pressing, dead lifting and squatting. Through USA Powerlifting, the largest powerlifting organization in the country, youth lifters can participate at the local level and progress to regional, national and international competitions. On average, youth nationals include 50 to 100 participants, while local meets typically feature 10 to 20.
“The impact this sport has on youth is pretty incredible,” said Heather Faas, a powerlifter of 13 years and the executive director of USA Powerlifting. “It helps with self-awareness and having fun, while also executing these lifts with great form and technique.”
And Lucy’s achievements are impressing athletes who have been lifting since long before she was born. In addition to her 180-pound deadlift, Lucy set the bench press record at 74 pounds and the squat record at 131 pounds.
“It’s pretty rare that we see an athlete, especially someone her size, be able, mentally and physically, to lift three times their body weight,” Faas added.
“That’s a big deal for adult athletes to eventually attain, so for a youth of her age to do that is incredible,” she added, noting that she’s never seen anyone quite like Lucy.
The achievements and records are especially exciting for the 9-year-old, who says her primary athletic focus is wrestling, which she trains for about four or five days a week with her two coaches — her dad and Vougar Oroudjov, an Olympic bronze medalist in light-flyweight wrestling.
About a year ago, Lucy began powerlifting after one of her wrestling “besties” joined.
“It’s really the type of sport where the more work you put into it, the more you get out of it. And powerlifting is very similar in that sense,” Lucy’s dad, Brett Milgrim, said.
Milgrim said he prioritizes Lucy’s safety. Coaches do not emphasize max lifts, and the training often includes “micro-plates,” which allow for smaller, safer weight increases suited to her size. He added that proper posture and technique are always emphasized.
“I want smooth reps each time, focusing on postural control and being able to repeat that over and over again,” said Milgrim, who is also a former wrestler.
In fact, Lucy’s mom, Michelle, added that her daughter has only attempted maximum weights at three competitions — including the Arnold Sports Festival in Columbus, Ohio, on March 7.
In the video, Milgrim is seen shaking out her arms before stepping up to the bar, wearing a powerlifting belt with her first name, pink shoes and knee-high socks. With her dad behind her, she lifts the bar for a few seconds before releasing it, beaming a smile as she flexes her muscles.
“What I like about powerlifting that I can’t do in wrestling is that I get to put on makeup while I lift and have a pretty hairstyle,” she added. “In wrestling, I can only do battle braids or ponytails.”
And Lucy says her athletic success is already inspiring others. At a state wrestling match on March 15, a 5-year-old girl introduced herself. The girl’s brother told Lucy’s mother that his sister said she hopes “to be the next Lucy.”
“It makes me feel really excited and great that lots of little girls are looking up to me,” Lucy said.
Despite her already impressive strength, Lucy is thinking long term.
“I want to be an Olympic gold medalist in wrestling,” she said, “and I want to open my own wrestling club and beat my dad’s record.”
