BILLINGS — It's the bar, the breath and the lift — that's the recipe for 17-year-old West High powerlifter Halle Sawicki, who has chalked up 11 world records and shows no signs of slowing down.
The decorated wall at Sawicki's home hints at achievements beyond those world records, displaying evidence of a powerlifting career that's already reached extraordinary heights for someone her age.
"I have two world championship titles and three national titles … and I'm going for my fourth state title in March," Q2's Athlete of the Week told MTN Sports.
Watch Halle's story and why life after powerlifting may surprise you:
She most recently set four world records at a competition in Las Vegas, competing against challengers sometimes years ahead in age and experience.
"I don't see a lot of people my age. I mostly see people in mid-20s, 30s and even older," she said.
Sawicki was invited to the elite IPL Pro Olympia in Las Vegas — a meet only top-ranked lifters can enter — and competed in both the junior (16–17) and open divisions in the three main lifts: squat, bench press and deadlift, plus bench-only and deadlift-only events (the combined total of the three lifts is called Raw Full Power).
She won every division she entered, was named Best Overall Female Lifter, and set four world records for 16–17-year-olds in the 110 kg class with a 479.5-pound squat, a 243.61-pound bench, a 490.53-pound deadlift and a combined total of 1,213.64 pounds.
When defining Sawicki's excellence, it's easy to get lost in weight classes and age groups, kilograms and pounds. But her results speak for themselves.
"The numbers that she's moving is pretty unheard of in the strength game," Kyle Young, Team USA's powerlifting coach, told MTN Sports.
Young, who also serves as Sawicki's trainer, lives in Houston, so they typically connect by phone or FaceTime once a week, and coordinate training through an app.
"Regardless of tenure, drug tested, untested, age … it doesn't happen," Young continued.
Even as a world record setter, Sawicki admits to feeling butterflies on the big stage.
"I care so much about doing good that I'm a little nervous, but after squats I kind of remember that I'm here to have fun," Sawicki said.
Speaking of impressive numbers, Sawicki's max squat is close to 500 pounds — 480 to be exact. For perspective, that's nearly three times the weight of an average adult.
"In our sport, world records are awesome," Young said. "All-time world records are the golden caveat because it's undisputed. You are the only human in the world who's done X. No one else has accomplished that feat and she's broken more than one of those in a pretty short career."
Shouldering the load has become a trending challenge for Sawicki — last month on the Las Vegas Strip after worlds, at home with her principal and at football games, the requests keep coming.
"Yeah, at homecoming, girls and their pictures … I had quite a few people on my shoulders," Sawicki said with a smile.
While weightlifting is an Olympic sport, powerlifting currently is not. Should that change, Sawicki would love to compete at that level. Otherwise, her post-lifting plans might surprise you.
"I want to go to cosmetology school and do hair and lashes, and I want to wax," she said.
Right now, she's mostly waxing opponents. She's focused on training both muscle and mind, and turning pain into power, rep by rep.
