Battle of the Regions Closes Out USA Powerlifting at the 2026 Arnold Sports Festival

Arnold Sports Festival, Columbus, Ohio

The USA Powerlifting competition at the 2026 Arnold Sports Festival concluded Sunday with the Battle of the Regions, a full-power showdown that brought together top lifters from across the country. Held at the Greater Columbus Convention Center in Columbus, Ohio, the event featured athletes who earned invitations by finishing on the podium at their 2025 regional championships. The Battle of the Regions placed lifters from different bodyweight classes into a single field, with final standings determined by DOTS coefficient.

USAPL Battlle of the Regions Champions Toby Headley and Shandel Yanney at the 2026 Arnold Sports Festival

The women’s competition turned into one of the tightest battles of the weekend. After the squat and bench press rounds, Shandel Yanney and Morgan Rebernik emerged as the leading contenders, with the projected standings shifting repeatedly as the meet moved into deadlifts. Yanney ultimately took control on her final pull, locking out 187.5 kg (413 lb) and earning a 2-to-1 good lift to secure the title. She finished with 469.822 DOTS, while Rebernik claimed silver with 461.574 DOTS after making 192.5 kg (424 lb) on deadlift. Gabrielle Dempsey rounded out the podium in third, finishing with 455.732 DOTS after a strong 210 kg (463 lb) deadlift. Just off the podium were Brittany Rabe in fourth at 448.300 DOTS and Tien Tran in fifth at 447.055 DOTS.

The men’s session featured some of the biggest lifting of the meet. Philippe Sarkis opened with a massive 365 kg (804 lb) squat and later took 382.5 kg (843 lb) in an American-record attempt, but the lift was ruled a no-lift on depth. Even with those misses, Sarkis stayed in the fight and eventually finished second overall. The championship, however, went to Toby Headley, who rebounded from an opening squat miss to post a 320 kg (705 lb) squat, a 220 kg (485 lb) bench press, and a 320 kg (705 lb) deadlift. That total gave him a big 519.263 DOTS and the overall Battle of the Regions title. Sarkis finished second with 509.761 DOTS.

The race for third was especially close, and Jesse Kurisko delivered one of the biggest moments of the session by pulling 340 kg (750 lb) on his final deadlift. The lift completed a perfect 9-for-9 day and secured the bronze medal with 507.629 DOTS, just over two DOTS points behind Sarkis. Marcus Brown placed fourth with 492.454 DOTS, and Makenan Mitchell finished fifth with 484.835 DOTS, showing the depth of talent at this powerlifting meet.

Battle of the Regions closed out USA Powerlifting’s Arnold weekend with exactly the kind of drama expected from a best-of-the-best invitational: close DOTS races, massive lifts, close final attempts, and podium places decided late in the deadlift round. From Yanney’s deadlift-powered win in the women’s field to Headley’s steady march to the men’s title, the meet provided a strong finish to USA Powerlifting’s 2026 Arnold Sports Festival.