October featured the IAWA World Championship, Q3 Postal Results and the Herman Goerner Deadlift Dozen. Denny Habecker earned lifter of the month with his massive 105kg Straddle Deadlift in the IAWA World Championship. Combined with impressive lifts across the board, Denny was the top USA finisher and 15th overall.
Denny is a 1997 Hall of Fame inductee and this is his 6th time being recognized as lifter of the month. He had been the long running president of the USAWA and is on the IAWA Technical Committee and serves as USA Vice President to the IAWA. He stands alone with over 600 records set in the 45, 50, 55, 60, 65, 70, 75, and 80 age groups including 17 ALL age class records and 23 NAT records. He is a regular on the United States and International circuit and a gentleman on and off the platform.
He has been promoting the Postal league, Memorial Record Day and President’s Cup. In 2026 he will be promoting the IAWA World Championship.
Congratulations Denny!
Do you know a USAWA member who should be recognized as a future Lifter of the Month? Send nominations to the acting Secretary at sanjiv_gupta@hotmail.com
The 2025 Gold Cup in Derby, UK was one for the history books! Held at the outstanding University of Derby Sports Centre, the venue proved to be the perfect setting for a day filled with strength, camaraderie, and unforgettable moments.
Flawless Execution and Teamwork
Under the expert leadership of Steve Gardner and his dedicated crew, the meet ran like clockwork. With over 30 lifters competing across three groups on two platforms, the first attempts kicked off promptly at 10 AM and wrapped up by 1 PM—a remarkable feat made possible by the collective effort of lifters, loaders, and judges. Everyone pitched in, and the teamwork on display was nothing short of inspiring.
Personal Highlights and Record-Breaking Lifts
For some reason I chose the Middle Finger Straddle Deadlift and was happy to set a new 105KG record with a 141KG lift. Happily, my fingers came away unscathed 🙂
The day was packed with outstanding performances:
Josh Davidson delivered the heaviest Strict Bent Press in IAWA history for his 2nd lift—a flawless and powerful lift that extremely fun to watch! His first lift was a full Gardner that also performed to perfection!
Chloe Brennan with a massive 306KG Shanks Lift! So impressive to see how she handles the shanks lift and the Dinnie Stones!
Matt Jones and Paul Halum both tackled the Domaal Squat, but Matt stole the show with a standout 70KG lift.
John Moss impressed with a Two One-Inch Vertical Bar Lift of 250KG—a phenomenal display of grip strength.
Michael Perry, at 60 years old, executed a 70KG Straight Arm Pullover that was simply unbelievable.
Two lifters completed 60 reps of Bodyweight Deadlifts, pushing their limits in a truly grueling challenge.
In a friendly family rivalry, Al Myers edged out his dad, Laverne, in a 2-Inch Bar Deadlift grudge match, 67.5KG to 65KG. Laverne narrowly missed 70KG on his fourth attempt!
Celebrating Community and Legacy
As always, the highlight for me was reconnecting with old friends and making new ones. These international meets are more than competitions—they’re reunions of a passionate and supportive community. I encourage all USAWA lifters to make the effort to attend an international event. You won’t be disappointed!
Evening Banquet and Special Awards
The day concluded with a wonderful banquet at Poms Restaurant, where every lifter received their Gold Cup. Several special awards were presented:
The Karen Gardner Award, created by Frank Ciavattone, honors a female lifter who embodies Karen’s spirit. With an unenviable decision to make, this year, Chloe Brennan was the deserving recipient.
The IAWA Commitment Award, presented by Paul Berette, recognized lifters who participated in the IAWA Worlds, Gold Cup, and World Postal. (Steve Gardner will provide a full recap of recipients.)
Matt Jones received the Howard Prechtel Award for his outstanding Domaal Squat performance.
The evening’s most emotional moment came with the presentations to Al Myers. I had the honor of presenting Al with a Lifetime Membership on behalf of USAWA. Al’s contributions are immeasurable—he updated the USAWA website, rewrote the rulebook, updated the record list, launched the Old Time Strongman division, revamped the officials program, and initiated the awards program. He’s also been a tireless promoter, competitor, and blogger.
Immediately following, Al was awarded the IAWA Award of Merit. Al served as IAWA President for 12 years, attending nearly every World Championship and Gold Cup during his tenure. His commitment and humility are truly inspiring.
Final Thoughts
The 2025 Gold Cup was a shining example of what makes our sport so special—dedication, sportsmanship, and a deep sense of community. Congratulations to all the lifters, organizers, and supporters who made this event unforgettable.
Thank you, Steve Gardner, and thank you, Al Myers, for your unwavering commitment to the strength community
As we await the results of Hermann Goerner Deadlift Dozen Plus One, I wanted to revisit the Hermann Goerner Club. Al Myer’s dubbed the Hermann Goerner Club in 2011 for athletes that met Goerner’s standard of a 308.5-pound middle fingers deadlift.
As of an update in 2019, only (5) athletes had made the list:
Kevin Fulton 400 pounds – 1999 SuperGrip Challenge Dan Wagman 316 pounds – 2017 Iron Warrior RD Ben Edwards 315 pounds – 2016 USAWA Grip Championships Chad Ullom 310 pounds – 2019 Dino Gym Challenge Bill DiCiccio 309 pounds – 1994 IAWA Gold Cup
Since 2019, no new names have been added to the list. The highest recorded records by year are as follows:
2020 – Female – Amorkor Ollennuking (105 lb); Male – Lance Foster (205 lb) 2021 – Female – NA; Male – Bill Clark (75 lb) 2022 – Female – NA; Male – Chad Ullom (325 lb; moving up the list to #2) 2023 – Female – NA; Male – Jeff Wenzel (225 lb) 2024 – Female – Lisa Gore (75 lb); Male – Dan Wagman (316 lb) 2025 – Female – Lisa Gore (150 lb); Male – Denny Habecker (134 lb)
Personally, I am not a big fan of finger deadlifts. I respect the strength and pain tolerance required to perform these lifts, especially at a world class standard. My personal best middle fingers deadlift is a meagre 85 pounds.
Regarding Female lifters, the USAWA adopted the 1.33 gender adjustment at the 2024 Annual General Meeting. Taking 308.5/1.33 = 232.0-pound female equivalent of Hermann Goerner’s mighty feet. The highest recorded USAWA female middle fingers deadlift is 230 pounds by Mary McConnaughey in 2005. Had she known about the club and had the benefit of gender adjustment, I am certain she would have gone for 232 pounds.
Do you have a favorite lift or historic benchmark that deserves attention? Consider submitting an article to Sanjiv for publication on the website.
The forms for renewing your individual and club memberships are available under “About Us” and then “Forms and Applications”. Check it out.
Also, the record lists were updated last weekend. Take a look at the Records page. I made a few simple changes to better organize the page. All the Individual Records and past records are in one place and all the Team Records are also in one place. it’s a small change, but the page is a little better organized. As usual, let me know if there is anything we can do to make it more functional.
September was an exciting month with the Andy Goddard Memorial World Postal, Old Time Strongman Championship, Colorado OTSM Classic, One Ton Challenge and the Two-Fisted Challenge. Chad Ullom earned lifter of the month by winning the Old Time Strongman Championship primarily on the strength of his massive 725-pound Kennedy Lift (a masters and ALL age class record). Only (5) USAWA athletes have broken 700 pounds on this lift.
Chad is a 2016 Hall of Fame inductee and this is his 7th time being recognized as lifter of the month. He has been the long running Vice President of the USAWA and Vice President of the IAWA. He currently holds 347 individual records and 72 team lift records.
Congratulations Chad!
Do you know a USAWA member who should be recognized as a future Lifter of the Month? Send nominations to the acting Secretary at sanjiv_gupta@hotmail.com
