Canadian powerlifter Anne Andres, an athlete born a man now identifying as a woman, set a national and unofficial world record at the 2023 Western Canadian Championship on Sunday, dominating the competition in the process.
Andres came into the event holding multiple powerlifting records in the female division and only added to that.
The total weight lifted by Andres in squat, bench, and deadlift resulted in a final score of 597.5 kilograms. This was over 200 kilograms more than SuJan Gill, who finished in second place at 387.5 kilograms.
The Canadian Powerlifting Union announced a gender self-identification policy earlier this year that allowed athletes to participate in women’s competitions on the basis of self-declared gender alone. This allows anyone to compete in the women’s division of the sport in Canada based on how they identify.
Transgender athletes competing in women’s sports has been a highly debated topic, and this world record on Andres will certainly only add to the controversy.
Fellow female powerlifter April Hutchinson recently spoke about Andres’s latest record, voicing her frustrations about the situation during an appearance on Piers Morgan Uncensored.
“It just goes to show the physical advantages that a male has over a female. Whether it is muscle mass or bone mass, or lung capacity. I can go on, but it has been very disheartening.”
"A lot of women yesterday dropped out of the competition because they knew that Anne [Andres] would be lifting."
Powerlifter April Hutchinson says the federation is 'doing nothing' amid concerns over a trans woman competing in the female category.@Lea_Christina4 | @RooLockwood pic.twitter.com/otFLjpMllM
— Piers Morgan Uncensored (@PiersUncensored) August 14, 2023
It can certainly be debated whether Andres’s involvement in female powerlifting competition is fair, but it sounds like Hutchinson is not the only competitor frustrated about her performance.
Hutchinson added that a number of female competitors pulled out of the competition upon hearing that Andres was competing.
[Fox News]
