She beat Wisconsin resident Elizabeth Cleveland, who finished second with 427.5 kg.
“It’s crazy because usually when I go to these meets specifically I either have no competition or they’re so much older than me that I always know where I’m going to place,” Davis said. “It was really nice to have some competition and feel like I actually accomplished winning it because it was difficult.”
The Springfield resident set American records in both deadlift (185 kg/358 pounds) and bench press (95 kg/209 pounds).
She began the competition with a 162.5 kg (358 pounds) squat and took the lead after the 95 kg (209 pounds) press bench. In her final of three deadlift attempts, she cleared 185 kg (408 pounds) to take the lead. Cleveland wasn’t able to clear the 200 kg needed to beat Davis in her final deadlift attempt.
Davis had previously competed in similar competitions against juniors and seniors in her weight class. Heading into the competition, Davis knew she had a chance to bring home a national title.
“She’s been working real hard for a long time to obtain a status like this and win a meet like this,” said her father Ray Davis. “We’re terribly proud of her. I don’t think I’ve ever hugged as hard as I did when she came off the stage after that last deadlift and even more so after she won. She puts the time in the gym day-in and day-out and she’s been doing it since she was 10 or 11 years old. The stars kind of aligned for this one and it worked out for us.”
This summer, Sammi Davis will compete in America’s Strongest Teen in San Francisco. The event will include stone throwing, car deadlifts and log press, she said.
“It’s a lot of fun,” Sammi Davis. “You do some crazy stuff. It’s really cool. You get to move around and lift crazy stones. It’s a lot of fun.”
She hopes to someday begin training for the Olympics or become a professional Strongman competitor.
“It’s something I feel like I’ve done forever,” Sammi Davis said. “It’s my routine. I’ve been doing it forever. I’ve met some amazing people through it. I wanna do it forever.”
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