Looking Out for the Good: Spanish Fork teen sets world record
Jan 9, 2025, 11:07 AM | Updated: 8:18 pm
SPANISH FORK — A teenager from Spanish Fork proves you can crush your goals at any age.
Bridger Davis picked up the sport of powerlifting just 2 1/2 years ago.
His friends pressured him to enter his first competition and set in motion his path to a world championship.
He put in a lot of work at the gym.
“I originally just wanted to look good like every guy does. I just wanted to get big,” Davis said.
It didn’t take long for him to start packing on the muscle.
“I found a good group of friends at the gym, and they started to notice my strength was above average for my size because I was a pretty small kid,” Davis said.
They secretly signed him up for a school weightlifting competition and he was hooked.
“All these teenagers lifting all this weight and they’re all yelling at each other. And it’s just like a madhouse,” Davis said. “I was like, ‘This is awesome. I want to do this more.’”
Within a year of competing, Davis won a state championship and qualified for nationals.
His dad Brian Davis said he’s proud of what he’s done thus far.
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“His form is just almost perfect. It’s amazing because he hasn’t had any formal coaching.”
His skills were put to the test at the U.S. Powerlifting Nationals in November.
Davis deadlifted 568 pounds! Weighing in at 142 pounds, Davis took first place in his weight class and set a new world record for his weight.
He wasn’t expecting to win.
“I was shooting for podium, like top three I would have been happy with,” Davis said.
The 17-year-old also set state records for the squat and bench. He is determined. And he always has been, his mother Angela Davis said.
“The fact that he’s found this thing that he absolutely loves and so passionate about and so disciplined with, it just makes my heart overjoyed,” Angela Davis said.
His strategy for success relies heavily on those at the top of their game and building confidence one rep at a time.
“They failed more times than you’ve attempted anything in that sport,” Bridger Davis said. “Not giving up when you fail is a really important thing that I found.”
Davis earned a spot on Team USA and said he looks forward to competing in a new weight class and crushing more goals.
