A seminal moment in Kodama’s powerlifting career.
Written by Robert Zeglinski
During the 2023 International Powerlifting Federation (IPF) 2023 IPF World Classic & Equipped Bench Press Championships, powerlifter Daiki Kodama captured a 230.5-kilogram (508-pound) raw bench press en route to a first-place performance in the single-lift contest. The mark is a new raw IPF World Record in the 83-kilogram weight class, albeit of a single-lift, non-full-power-meet distinction. At 44 years old, Kodama was a Masters 1 competitor during this competition.
According to the IPF records database, Kodama’s lift officially surpasses his peer Owen Hubbard, who bench pressed 218.5 kilograms (481.7 pounds) for the past record in the 83-kilogram class. Kodama wore wrist wraps and a lifting belt to help achieve his milestone. Both pieces of equipment constitute raw implements in a sanctioned powerlifting context.
Kodama actually participated as both a raw and equipped competitor at the 2023 IPF World Bench Press Championships. In addition to his raw IPF World Record, Kodama recorded a 275-kilogram (606.2-pound) bench press while wearing a single-ply shirt during the equipped portion. While the lift isn’t an IPF World Record, it was enough to give Kodama another first-place result in the competition.
Per his page on Open Powerlifting, Kodama is a predominant bench press-only competitor. In a career spanning back to September 2001, Kodama has been a participant in full power meets on just four occasions. With his raw and equipped first-place performances from the 2023 IPF World Bench Press Championships, Kodama can now boast more than 20 separate gold medals (raw and equipped) from the contest as recognition of his remarkable upper-body strength.
In his native Japan, Kodama is also a frequent participant in Japanese bench press competitions. The athlete can highlight another 20+ distinct gold medals, both raw and equipped, in bench press-only Japanese competitions. (Note: This does not count victories in competitions featuring a specific profession, such as law enforcement or firefighters, as the main class of competitors.)
Notably, Kodama also possesses the IPF Raw World Record bench press in the 74-kilogram division. He scored this lift of 225 kilograms (496 pounds) at the 2019 IPF World Men’s Open Classic Bench Press Championships, which ironically took place in Japan during the spring of 2019.
At this stage of his powerlifting career, Kodama likely has nothing else to prove. His rap sheet has established him as arguably one of the greatest bench pressers of all time. At the very least, he’s certainly been one of the most prolific. However, rewriting the record books yet another time had to be a satisfying milestone for this seasoned upper-body specialist.
Featured image: @theipf on Instagram
About Robert Zeglinski
Robert is a seasoned and adept editor and writer with a keen, passionate penchant for the writing craft. He’s been a leader in newsrooms such as SB Nation, USA TODAY, and WBBM Newsradio, with various other content and art production teams, and first made a name for himself in his hometown of Chicago. When not knee-deep in research or lost in a stream of consciousness for a thorough piece, you can find Robert inhaling yet another novel, journaling his heart out, or playing with his Shiba Inu, Maximus (Max, for short).