Powerlifting: All you need to know about the 2022 World Open Equipped Championships

Powerlifters return to Denmark for the International Powerlifting Federation (IPF) 2022 World Open Equipped Powerlifting Championships from 14-19 November.

There’s plenty of world-class action to follow across the categories with some big battles expected in the men’s -93kg and 105kg, and the women’s 57kg and 79kg classes.

The Olympic Channel will stream the competition live as it happens, and you can watch it all on Olympics.com here.

Here is a quick guide on the top lifters competing, the classes of events to follow, the schedule, and some of the favourites for medals.

World Open Equipped Championships 2022 competition format

There are eight men's categories drawing 106 lifters, and 84 women competitors also spread out across eight classes.

The men’s competition ranges from 59kg to +120kg while women line-up from under 47kg to over +84kg.

The World Open Championships is the main draw in Viborg but there will also be the Special Olympics classes.

The lifters will measure up with three powerlifts in the squat, bench press, and deadlift.

At this World Open, competitors practice equipped powerlifting, meaning they can wear squat/deadlift suits and knee wraps to facilitate their lifting.

The battle of the heavyweights in the men's events

With an admirable total of 1132kg, Joseph Cappellino from the US Virgin Islands, goes in as the favourite in the men’s 120kg. With the heaviest of his squats measured at 460kg, he’s keen to boss the class after topping the 2021 US Equipped Nationals, just five months after taking bronze at the World Powerlifting Championships in Norway last November.

He finished behind Andrii Shevchenko, one of several Ukrainians who will be on the stage in Denmark. Shevchenko, sixth at the 2022 World Games in Birmingham, USA, took silver in the class behind Russia’s Andrei Konovalov.

The men’s 93kg has the highest number of entries with 20 lifters.

The Ukrainian duo of Rysiyev Volodymyr and Kostiantyn Musiienko are the only two powerlifters in the list who have totalled over 1000kg.

Rysiyev is back for his second major competition this year after clinching the 2022 World Games heavyweight gold in Birmingham, Alabama, USA. He leads the class with 1039kg, his total from the Euros last year.

25-year-old junior world record holder Musiienko is angling for his first world senior tile after winning the 2021 European men’s open and the 2022 men’s Equipped titles. Danish star Nicki Lentz, the 2022 Euro Open silver medallist, is also a front-runner for the podium at his home event.

Norwegian four-time world champion Kjell Egil Bakkelund, who totalled 860kg, is the man to beat in the -74kg where he will come up against one of the most accomplished powerlifters of all-time Jaroslaw Olech.

Bakkelund is fresh from winning the 2022 World Games gold medal, which veteran Olech has won thrice.

48-year-old Olech, the winner of 17 straight IPF world titles and also a world record breaker, can still be a force to reckon in the lifting scene.

Tsung-Ting Hsieh of Chinese Taipei with a best total of 790kg, has been in superb shape since his second-place finish at this year’s World Games and leads the race for the men’s 66kg gold.

Exciting contests in the women’s 57kg and 69kg

As always, the women’s 57kg could be one of the exciting women’s categories to watch.

It has the former world junior champion Kimberly Johnson from the US Virgin Islands, who is back seeking another podium finish after the bronze at the 2021 World Open women’s Championships, the silver medallist from the 2021 event Yen-Tzu Huang of Chinese Taipei, and the reigning European women’s open winner Germany’s Emily Finnern.

IPF world record holder Zuzanna Kula leads the race for gold in the 52kg.

The 23-year-old Polish star has made the podium of each of her four events this year, with the highlight being her second world junior title shortly after bagging silver at the World Games. She also finished second at the World Open in 2021.

Karen Hesthammer is another former world junior champion in the class. The Norwegian is also the 2022 Euro gold medallist in the 52kg.

Three-times world medallist Anastasiya Derevyanko returns to the stage after her World Games bronze. The Ukrainian finished just outside the podium in Stavenger last year and has not won a medal at the World Open since taking silver at the 2015 edition.

Her compatriot Larysa Soloviova should continue to make waves in the 63kg class. The seasoned nine-time world champion missed out on the gold in Birmingham and has set her sight on her first title since winning the 2021 Euros in Pilsen.

Reigning world champion Rhaea Stinn of Canada is likely to offer a good fight for the podium in the women’s 84kg class, an event she won at the World Games.

Stinn, two-time powerlifting world champion and one of the best benchers in the IPF, is the world record holder with an amazing 227kg.

Seasoned Ankie Timmers of the Netherlands is second on the group and is eager to win her first world gold to add to her European titles.

Schedule for the 2022 World Open Equipped Championships in Viborg, Norway (all local timings UTC +1):

Monday, November 14

10:00 -12:30 women 47kg

13:30 - 16:00 men 59kg

16:00 -18:30 women 52kg

Tuesday, November 15

12:00 - 14:30 men 66kg

15:00 - 17:30 women 57kg

18:00 - 20:30 men 74kg

Wednesday, November 16

10:00 - 14:00 men 83kg

14:30 - 18:30 men 93kg B-Group

19:00 - 22:00 women 63kg A-Group

19:00 - 22:00 men 93kg A-Group

Thursday, November 17

13:00 - 16:30 women 69kg

17:00 - 20:30 men 105kg

Friday, November 18

11:00 - 14:30 women 76kg

14:30 – 16:30 Special Olympics 

men/women – all categories

17:00 – 20:00 Special Olympics

 men/women – all categories

Saturday, November

09:30 - 12:30 women 84kg B-Group

09:30 12:30 women 84+kg

13:00 - 15:30 men 120+ kg B-Group

16:00 -19:00 women 84kg A-Group

16:00 -19:00 men 120+kg A-Group

How to watch the 2022 World Open Equipped Championships

You can catch all the action from Viborg live on Olympic Channel via Olympics.com here.