Butters’ European Championship performance is the perfect culmination of a recent journey.
Bobbie Butters has been a competitive powerlifting fixture for over a decade. Per Open Powerlifting, as a raw Teen competitor, she began her career with a victory at the 2012 British Drug Free Powerlifting Association (BDFPA) West Midlands Divisional. From that point on, she’s been a mainstay at several tentpole contests over the years. Her latest performance might be one of the biggest highlights of an extended career.
On Dec. 1, 2022, Butters captured her first European championship during the 2022 European Powerlifting Federation (EPF) European Classic Powerlifting Championships. The athlete featured in the raw 57-kilogram weight class — a category she has occasionally vacillated between over the years. The contest is taking place from Nov. 25, 2022, to Dec. 4, 2022, in Skierniewice, Poland.
Butters’ performance saw the athlete record all-time raw competition bests on her squat, bench press, and total. Here’s an overview of her top stats from the 2022 European Championships:
Bobbie Butters | 2022 EPF European Classic Powerlifting Championships
Squat — 185.5 kilograms (408.9 pounds) | All-Time Raw Competition Best
Bench Press — 112.5 kilograms (248 pounds) | All-Time Raw Competition Best
Deadlift — 185 kilograms (407.8 pounds)
Total — 483 kilograms (1,064.8 pounds) | All-Time Raw Competition Best
Butters’ victory could be more notable given her recent spate of podium results. Before she took home the 2022 European 57-kilogram title, Butters’ last victory occurred at the 2019 English Powerlifting Association (EPA) The Roses Cup. Since then, Butters had enjoyed a handful of podium finishes — most notably a third-place result at the 2022 International Powerlifting Federation (IPF) World Classic Powerlifting Championships — but hadn’t been able to finish off an appearance with a win.
That is, until Butters came out on top in the 2022 European Championships.
In addition to her new European title, according to the IPF database, Butters recorded the current IPF squat World Record (183 kilograms/403.4 pounds) at the 2022 IPF contest. Here’s a rundown of some of the more notable results of Butters’ career:
Bobbie Butters | Notable Career Results
2012 BDFPA West Midlands Divisional (Teen/Raw) — First place | First career victory
2013 BDFPA British Powerlifting Championships (Teen/Raw) — First place
2016 EPA North West Team Competition (Open/Raw) — First place
2017, 2019 EPA The Roses Cup (Open/Raw) — First place
2018 EPF European Classic Powerlifting Championships (Open/Raw) — Third place
2019 British Powerlifting (BP) British Women’s Classic Powerlifting Championships (Open/Raw) — First place
2021-2022 IPF World Classic Powerlifting Championships (Open/Raw) — Third place
The 2022 European Championships might be the last time Butters is seen on a sanctioned lifting platform during the 2022 calendar year. By the time she competes next, she may well parlay her European victory into some momentum for consistent flourishes next year.
Featured image: @bobbie.butters on Instagram