Lucy Underdown is a British strongwoman. Based out of Kent, Underdown represents England in competition.[1] Underdown began her amateur career in 2018, later appearing in her first professional competitions in 2021. She is known as one of the best female deadlifters in the world, breaking the standard deadlift record in strongwoman three separate times. She is the first (and, as of February 2025, the only) woman to deadlift 700 lb (318 kg) and currently holds the women's record for max deadlift (with strongman refereeing and equipment standards) with 325 kg (717 lb).
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| Nationality | English | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 18 May 1990 England | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Occupation | Strongman | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 115 kg (254 lb) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Early Life
editUnderdown was encouraged to begin athletics after her twin sister, Amy, began sprinting at the age of eleven. Underdown joined the same athletics club and began competing in shot put and discus. She became one of the best female throwers in the United Kingdom, ranking either first or second from age 12 into her 20's.[2] Underdown eventually quit in 2017 after seventeen years of competition.
Strongman Career
editUnderdown began competing in strongwoman in 2018, winning the local Brighton's Strongest Woman show. She later won Britain's Natural Strongest Woman, qualifying her for the 2020 Arnold Amateur Strongwoman World Championships.[2] This was her first international competition. There, she placed seventh out of ten competitors.
She would enter the pro circuit the following year in the 2021 UK's Strongest Woman, where she placed third.[3] Underdown quickly emerged as one of the best deadlifters in women's competition. In 2021, Underdown became the first woman to deadlift 300kg (661lbs) in a strongwoman competition.[4][a] In 2023 at the Official Strongman Games European Championships, Underdown became the first woman to deadlift 700 pounds in contest with a 318kg/702lb pull.[1] In addition, she holds several world records in the deadlift for reps.[1] Notably, Underdown achieved her records without a suit despite it being allowed in competition.[5] Later in 2023, Underdown reached second place in the World's Strongest Woman competition, tying with first-place Rebecca Roberts on points but losing on a tiebreaker.[6]
Underdown had a successful 2024, with wins in the 2024 Arnold UK and 2023 Official Strongman Games European Championships. In 2024, she won Britain's Strongest Woman after coming in first in the final three events, beating Rebecca Roberts after losing by one point in the previous year's competition.[6] She also reached the podium at the 2024 Rogue Invitational (the competition's first year featuring strongwomen and featuring the largest prize pool in strongwoman history) and at the 2024 Arnold Strongwoman Classic, where she would set the world record in the elephant bar deadlift.[7] Underdown broke her own standard deadlift record again with a 325kg/716.5lb pull at the 2024 World Deadlift Championship.[8]
In 2025, she bested her own record in the elephant bar deadlift with a 306.6 kg (676 lb) lift at the 2025 Arnold Strongwoman Classic.[9] Despite this, she would come in 6th place in the show, notably failing to earn any points in the overhead medley and stone-to-shoulder events.
Personal Life
editUnderdown suffers from anxiety.[1] She has expressed frustration at the harassment strongwomen receive on social media. She is close friends with other notable competitors including Donna Moore, Andrea Thompson, and Chloe Brennan.[2]
Outside of strongwoman, Underdown works full-time as a police officer.[1] Shortly before the 2024 Rogue Invitational, Underdown "dealt with a fatal accident" at work, which she described as traumatic. Later in 2024, she was in a major car accident, which she escaped with only minor injuries.[citation needed]
Personal Records
edit- Deadlift on standard bar (raw with figure 8 straps) – 325 kg (717 lb) (World Record)
- Deadlift on elephant bar (raw, and with normal straps) – 306.6 kg (676 lb) (World Record)
- 227kg deadlift for reps – 227 kg (500 lb) x 12 reps (World Record)
- 200kg deadlift for reps – 200 kg (441 lb) x 18 reps (World Record)
- Max log lift - 105 kg (231 lb)
Notes
edit- ^ Two women, Crystal Tate and Becca Swanson, had previously pulled 300+ kg in competition. However, both occurrences were in powerlifting rather than strongwoman competition.
References
edit- ^ a b c d e "Lucy Underdown". Giants Live.
- ^ a b c "Lucy Underdown: Queen of the Deadlift on Top of the World". 14 September 2023.
- ^ "Strongman Archives - Lucy Underdown". strongmanarchives.com.
- ^ Colucci, Chris (September 5, 2023). "Lucy Underdown Breaks Record at 2023 World Deadlift Championship as First Woman to Deadlift 318 Kilograms (700 Pounds)".
- ^ "6 ft, 242 Lbs Strongwoman Becomes "First Woman in History" to Deadlift Nearly Equal to Legend Arnold Schwarzenegger". EssentiallySports. 2023-09-10. Retrieved 2025-03-08.
- ^ a b "Underdown Blows Them Away at Britain's Strongest Woman". Giants Live. 2024-06-24. Retrieved 2025-03-08.
- ^ "2024 Arnold Strongman & Strongwoman Classic Results & Leaderboard | BarBend". 2024-03-02. Retrieved 2025-03-08.
- ^ "Lucy Underdown Sets Massive 325-kg (716.5-lb) Deadlift World Record at 2024 World Deadlift Championships". Fitness Volt. September 29, 2024.
- ^ "Lucy Underdown Sets 676-lb (306.6-kg) Elephant Bar Deadlift World Record at 2025 Arnold Strongwoman Classic". Fitness Volt. 2025-02-28. Retrieved 2025-03-01.