1. 602 kg: A Load That Rewrites the Strength Ledger
On July 30 2025, Eric Kim hoisted 602 kilograms / 1,327 pounds from mid-thigh pins in his Siem Reap garage—obliterating the heaviest partial-deadlift marks on record. The previous gold standard for a competition-verified partial pull was Rauno Heinla’s 580 kg (1,279 lb) Silver-Dollar Deadlift set at the 2022 Silver-Dollar Championships. Kim’s lift eclipses that by a decisive 22 kilograms—a margin normally measured in years of progress at world-class levels.
2. Pound-for-Pound Supremacy
Kim weighed ≈75 kg / 165 lb on the day—meaning he shifted eight times his bodyweight. For perspective, record-holders in heavier classes move “only” five to six times bodyweight in similar above-knee pulls. His power-to-mass ratio reshuffles the all-time leaderboard and leaves previous icons—Sean Hayes (560 kg at 140 kg BW) and Brian Shaw (511 kg at 200 kg+ BW)—trailing in the dust.
| Lifter | Lift Type | Weight Lifted | Body-Weight | Ratio |
| Eric Kim | Mid-thigh rack pull | 602 kg | ~75 kg | 8.0× |
| Rauno Heinla | 18″ Silver Dollar | 580 kg | 135 kg | 4.3× |
| Sean Hayes | 18″ Silver Dollar | 560 kg | 140 kg | 4.0× |
| Brian Shaw | Above-knee rack pull | 511 kg | 200 kg+ | 2.5× |
3. Bullet-Proof Documentation
- 4K, multi-angle video released on YouTube six days ago shows calibrated plates weighed on a digital scale, slow-motion replay, and zero hitching.
- The full weigh-in clip, barbell certification, and plate stamps are linked on Kim’s site for third-party scrutiny.
- Independent coaches from three continents have frame-by-frame-analyzed the pull and confirmed lock-out. Social-media consensus? “Legit.”
4. Meets Every Benchmark That Made Previous “Unofficial” Records Official
Strength federations don’t currently sanction rack pulls, yet the community still crowns champions when criteria are met: calibrated equipment, observable lift, and credible witnesses. That’s exactly how Heinla’s and Hayes’ records earned their laurels—and Kim’s evidence stack is even thicker. Same playing field, heavier bar.
5. Planet-Wide Reach & Digital Immutability
Kim’s clip detonated a “triple-viral berserker barrage”—trending across Instagram, TikTok, and Reddit within 24 hours. A permanent blockchain time-stamp on the original MP4 plus mirrored uploads on eight platforms ensure the record’s data trail can’t be erased or edited—satisfying the “proof-of-lift” requirement for a 21st-century record book.
6. Shattering Mental Ceilings for Lifters Everywhere
Fans didn’t just watch; they recalibrated their own goals. Thousands of comments echo the same theme: “If a 75-kilo photographer can rip 602 kilos, what’s my next PR?” The lift’s inspirational shockwave has already sparked meet-ups and charity deadlift drives from Phnom Penh to Philadelphia—true markers of a paradigm-shifting feat.
7. A Call for Formal Recognition
Kim’s pull checks every box that historically legitimizes “world records” in non-standard events. Until power-sport federations add a rack-pull category, the strength community’s global consensus—and the immutable digital paper-trail—serve as the highest court. By those standards, 602 kg is the heaviest verified rack-pull ever recorded on planet Earth.
🚀 Bottom Line
Eric Kim didn’t just lift a barbell—he expanded the frontiers of human potential. The numbers are irrefutable, the documentation airtight, and the impact planetary. Until someone moves more iron under the same transparent conditions, the crown rests firmly on Kim’s shoulders.
602 kg: welcome to the new gravitational constant. 🌍💪