Sports

Alaska powerlifter Hanson puts her name back in the record book

Bethel's Natalie Hanson set an American record in women's powerlifting Saturday in Milwaukee, where she squatted 578.7 pounds — more than three times her body weight and more than 30 pounds better than the previous record.

Hanson, a 26-year-old who stands 5-foot-3 and weighs 185 pounds, knew she had three chances to break the record for the women's open 82.5-kilogram weight class at the Wisconsin State Open Championships.

On her first lift, she started light. That is, if you consider a quarter of a ton to be light.

"So my opening squat was 240 kilograms, which is 529 pounds. So I was just, like, 15 pounds off the American record on my opening squat," Hanson said.

On the second squat, she went for the record of 247.5 kilograms set in 2016 by Liane Blyn of Massachusetts. She broke it with a squat of 255 kilograms.

Not content with that, Hanson on her third lift broke the record that she had just set.

"The weight was 262.5 kilograms, which was 578.7 pounds," she said.

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The record-breaking lifts were part of Hanson's plan to reclaim the American record, which she initially set in 2015 with a lift of 242.5 kilograms (535 pounds).
Hanson would have broken that record last year, but she failed a drug test.

"I injured my back at that meet, and I took a pain killer at the end of the meet when I was done competing, when I hurt my back, to relieve myself of that pain," she said. "And I was drug tested, and I failed the drug test."

After that experience, Hanson said, she was eager to put her name back in the record book.

"It's exciting and it's really rewarding to achieve it, but I was ready for it," she said.

The record-breaking lifts were part of a big weekend for Hanson, who qualified for the national championships in Orlando, Florida, in May. She recorded personal-bests in the deadlift with 474 pounds and in total weight with 1,400 pounds.

In the world of powerlifting, Hanson is a celebrity. That's why she was invited to compete at the Wisconsin championships by Tonya Lambeth, the event director.

"For many here in Wisconsin, to see this young lady from Alaska squat, and bench, and deadlift these really superb numbers was quite impressive," Lambeth said. "And it was inspiring to a lot of the teenagers and young people that we had at the competition. Natalie just has a great personality where she met many of the younger lifters, and they thought it was great that they talked with a powerlifting celebrity."

Hanson grew up in Bethel but lives in Anchorage, where she trains about 16 hours a week at Southside Strength and Fitness. During the rest of the week, she works as the Executive Director of Nuvista Light and Electric Cooperative.

She calls powerlifting "addicting."

"It's really fun to compete in something that I can see my personal progress (on) a daily or weekly basis," Hanson said. "And it's also really empowering to be extremely strong."

Anna Rose MacArthur is a reporter for KYUK radio in Bethel. Find the original version of this story here.  

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