Lifting Records in Moscow
In June 1955, Paul Anderson, a powerlifter from Georgia nicknamed the “Dixie Derrick,” stunned the Soviet Union. During a USA vs. USSR meet in Moscow, he clean and pressed 193 kg (425 lb) in front of 15,000 spectators. Soviet officials were so shocked they requested the lift not be counted—claiming Anderson was “not a normal human being.” A month later, he lifted a total of 518 kg (1,142 lb) in the three Olympic lifts during another Moscow event, though it wasn’t recognized as a world record since it wasn’t performed at an official international championship.
Olympic Gold by Bodyweight
At the 1956 Olympics in Melbourne, Anderson tied Argentine lifter Humberto Selvetti at 500 kg (1,102 lb) total. Anderson, weighing 137.9 kg (304 lb) to Selvetti’s 143.5 kg (316 lb), won gold due to the lighter bodyweight tiebreaker. He remains the last American to win the super heavyweight class in Olympic weightlifting.
The 2,840 Kilogram Backlift
In 1957, in Toccoa, Georgia, Anderson reportedly performed a 2,840 kg (6,270 lb) backlift—an extreme feat where a platform loaded with weight is lifted on the back. Though listed in the Guinness Book of Records, the claim was later disputed due to its unprecedented magnitude.
In 1955, American weightlifter Paul Anderson stunned a Soviet crowd by lifting weights they had never seen touched.
Nicknamed the “Dixie Derrick,” Anderson’s strength seemed so unreal that Soviet officials refused to count one of his lifts, calling him not a normal man…🧵👇 pic.twitter.com/IqzipPHVSp
— Detective Tiger's Stories (@TigerDetective) May 3, 2025