Marcelle came, saw, conquered, and almost did it by accident.
An unmitigated powerhouse, Sherine Marcelle entered 2023 with big plans and a roadmap to fulfill them. The superstar powerlifter seems to have fulfilled her mission.
On Mar 25, 2023, during the World Raw Powerlifting Federation (WRPF) Femme Fatale III, Marcelle (90KG) captured a monstrous 262.3-kilogram (579-pound) raw back squat while wearing a lifting belt and knee sleeves. According to Open Powerlifting, the mark is an all-time World Record in the 90-kilogram weight class. It surpasses Samantha Rice, who squatted 257.5 kilograms (567.7 pounds) at the 2022 United States Powerlifting Association (USPA) Pro Raw Championships.
Marcelle’s record milestone might be even more noteworthy, considering a potentially disastrous mistake made beforehand. According to Marcelle’s Instagram post marking the occasion, her barbell was misloaded by 4.53 kilograms (10 pounds). It is not clear where the counting mistake was made or by whom, but Marcelle originally planned for a 258-kilogram (569-pound) squat. Such a lift would’ve still given Marcelle the World Record. Instead, she powered through the counting snafu and extended the record by 5.1 kilograms (11.3 pounds) rather than her expected 1 kilogram (2.2 pounds).
Here’s an overview of Marcelle’s complete performance from the 2023 WRPF Femme Fatale III, where the athlete also recorded all-time raw competition bests on her bench press, deadlift, and total.
Sherine Marcelle (90KG) | 2023 WRPF Femme Fatale III Top Stats
- Squat — 262.3 kilograms (579 pounds) | All-Time Raw World Record
- Bench Press — 130 kilograms (286 pounds) | All-Time Raw Competition Best
- Deadlift — 240 kilograms (530 pounds) | All-Time Raw Competition Best
- Total — 633.5 kilograms (1,396.6 pounds) | All-Time Raw Competition Best
In that same Instagram post, Marcelle almost seemed taken aback at what she accomplished during this meet. To be sure, it’s probably an appropriate reaction to such a power showcase.
“Many of you who know my resume in this sport know I’ve been chasing this for a while for an extremely long time and I’ve always fallen short,” Marcelle wrote. “I don’t have any regrets in my failures rather than pride and admiration for my will to not give up. Seven years and I did not once hang my belt up. I kept trying. I’m still soaking everything in …”
More than seven years into her career, Marcelle has turned in the best performance on her powerlifting resume to date. Though, as the athlete wrote in reflection, this meet appears to have just been “Chapter 1 to an amazing start.”
Featured image: @sincerelysherine on Instagram
