Stunning video footage has captured the moment a male trainer, claiming to be a woman, smashes the female bench press record at a powerlifting competition in Canada.
Bearded Avi Silverberg calmly approaches the bench in men’s clothing as part of a protest against gender self-identification politics in sport.
Silverberg then unofficially breaks the female bench press record in the 84+ kg category – a record officially held by a transgender powerlifter.
The move, which took place at Saturday’s Heroes Classic tournament in Lethbridge, Alberta, was apparently designed to protest rules set by the Canadian Powerlifting Union (CPU).
Silverberg has yet to comment on his decision to enter the competition and subsequent win.
It allows anyone who self-identifies as a woman to compete in the female category, raising concerns that trans women who have gone through male puberty may have a significant physical advantage over biological female rivals.
The CPU released its “Trans Inclusion Policy” in February, based on guidance from the Canadian Center for Ethics in Sport.
Avi Silverberg claimed to be a woman in a powerlifting competition and broke the female bench press record in protest at gender self-identification politics in the sport
Silverberg competed in the women’s category at the Heroes Classic Powerlifting Meet in Lethbridge, Alberta last Saturday.
He broke a record held by transgender powerlifter Anne Andres, who previously poked fun at women for being “so bad” at the bench press.
‘Why is women’s bank so bad?’ she said in February.
“I mean, not compared to me, we all know I’m a tranny freak so that doesn’t count.
“I mean, standard bench press in women’s powerlifting competitions. I literally don’t understand why it’s so bad.’
She made the statements in a video uploaded online.
It was then that Riley Gaines — a spokeswoman for the Independent Women’s Forum and a competitive swimmer who was beaten by transgender athlete Lia Thomas — lashed out at Andres.
She tweeted: “Anne Andres (a man who identifies as a woman and competes) doesn’t understand why female powerlifters are so ‘bad’ at the bench press…
The move was apparently designed to protest against rules established by the Canadian Powerlifting Union (CPU) that allow anyone who self-identifies as a woman to compete in the female category
Silverberg unofficially broke the record for the women’s 84+ kg category
“Well, I don’t know Anne, but maybe it’s because you have 20 times more testosterone than her. Just a thought…’
ICONS Women, a campaign group dedicated to defending the rights of female athletes in same-sex sports, shared Silverberg’s clip on her Twitter account.
The question of whether transgender athletes should be allowed to compete in women’s sports has become increasingly contentious following a string of high-profile cases.
In 2022, transgender swimmer Lia Thomas divided the sports community after spending three years on the University of Pennsylvania men’s swim team.
Thomas – who is 6ft 3 inches tall – came back for her senior year as a swimmer and started breaking records in the pool.
She beat out Gaines, who has since become a vocal advocate for protecting female spaces in sports.
In addition to objecting to Thomas’ unfair advantage given that he was born a male, Gaines also claimed that she was uncomfortable in the dressing room.
“You have someone with male genitals pulling down their pants and watching you undress. It throws you off,” she said at the time.
🏋️Anne Andres, identifying a transgender man, is Alberta Canada’s women’s powerlifting record holder on the bench
🚨Competing in the women’s category at the 2023 CPU National Championships next month🚩 Does not recognize the differences in upper body strength between men and women
🧵 pic.twitter.com/DYEyEWZTLr— ICONS women (@icons_women) January 4, 2023
The official women’s 84kg record holder is transgender powerlifter Anne Andres, who previously poked fun at women for being “that bad” at the bench press
And in 2021, New Zealand weightlifter Laurel Hubbard qualified for the Tokyo Olympics despite being almost twice the age of her female rivals.
She had switched in 2012 in her 30s, having previously competed in male weightlifting competitions.
She took a 16-year hiatus from the sport before returning as a woman in 2017.
She won two world championship silver medals in the 90 kg class in California.
She was able to qualify for the Olympics after the International Olympic Committee changed its rules to allow women to compete if their testosterone levels were below a certain threshold.
In 2021, she was controversially named Athlete of the Year by the University of Otago.
And earlier this month, a transgender cyclist won first place in a women’s race in New York City amid ongoing debates about including transgender athletes in women’s competitions.
Tiffany Thomas, 46, who was born a male, finished on the podium in the Randall’s Island Crit cycle race and blew the competition out of the water to take first place.
Although Tiffany only started cycling in 2018, she quickly found success and has dominated the competitions ever since.
She recently snagged a spot on top cycling team LA Sweat, where her oldest teammate is just 32 years old.
Riley Gaines was beaten by transgender swimmer Lia Thomas at the NCAA Championships last year. Thomas competed as a male swimmer for three years before returning as a woman and beginning to break records in the pool
New Zealand weightlifter Laurel Hubbard (pictured) has been controversially named Athlete of the Year by New Zealand’s University of Otago
Hubbard switched in 2012 in her 30s, having previously competed in male weightlifting competitions
It comes after World Athletics announced it would ban transgender athletes who have gone through “male puberty” from competing in world-ranking women’s sports.
World Athletics President Sebastian Coe said the organization “believes the integrity of the female category in athletics is of paramount importance”.
The decision means Thomas cannot compete in the World Championships or the Olympics.