Margaret Necaise Wins Female Raw Challenge at the 2026 Arnold Sports Festival

Arnold Sports Festival, Columbus, Ohio

Margaret Necaise delivered a dominant performance to win the USA Powerlifting Female Raw Challenge at the Arnold Sports Festival, pulling away from the field with a near-flawless day that included a world-record squat and a world-record deadlift.

Margaret Necaise Dominates Female Raw Challenge at the 2026 Arnold Sports Festival

The squat session set the tone immediately. Stephanie Scoville put up 202 kilograms, only to have Madison Lewis answer with 205 kilograms later in the same session. On the other platform, Anjyl Hwang put together a breakout performance, sweeping a series of junior world-record squats and finishing with 205 kilograms. Necaise then delivered the biggest statement of the session, standing up 230 kilograms to put herself firmly in control of the overall standings. Meanwhile, Kate Cohen’s day became much harder early, as she made her opener but missed both her second and third squat attempts.

Bench press widened Necaise’s edge. She went 112.5, 117.5, and 122.5 kilograms to reach a 352.5-kilogram subtotal after two lifts. Lewis stayed in the hunt with a perfect bench series, finishing at 115 kilograms, while Cohen managed only her opener at 75 kilograms after missing her second and third attempts. Hwang continued to shine in the lighter classes, with the broadcast identifying multiple junior world-record bench attempts during the session.

By deadlifts, the win was Necaise’s to lose, and she never let the field back in. She opened at 232.5 kilograms, added 245, and then closed at 258 to finish with 610.5 kilograms and 570.336 DOTS. Behind her, the fight for the podium tightened dramatically. Cohen recovered with a perfect deadlift series, topping out at 207.5 kilograms to move back into second overall. Lewis also went three-for-three in the deadlift, finishing at 205 kilograms and ending the day nine-for-nine for a 525-kilogram total and third place. Sarah Michelitch stayed consistent all day and finished fourth on 525 kilograms and 530.062 DOTS, while Heather Grinkley claimed fifth with 487.5 kilograms and 519.095 DOTS.

The final open standings were:
1. Margaret Necaise
2. Kate Cohen
3. Madison Lewis
4. Sarah Michelitch
5. Heather Grinkley

Beyond the podium, the session featured several standout performances. Hwang emerged as one of the stars of the meet, collecting multiple junior world-record lifts and finishing ninth overall. Scoville and Lewis produced one of the most memorable moments of the day when Lewis surpassed Scoville’s just-set squat mark within minutes. The session also showcased the depth of the field, with several lifters staying in the cash-place race deep into deadlifts before the final order settled.