Astonishing video footage has captured the moment a male coach claims to be a woman and smashes the female bench press record at a powerlifting competition in Canada.
Bearded Avi Silverberg is shown calmly approaching the bench in men’s clothing as part of a protest against gender self-identification policies in sport.
Silverberg then unofficially breaks the female bench press record for the 84+ kilograms women’s category – a record officially held by a transgender powerlifter.
The move, which took place Saturday at the Heroes Classic tournament in Lethbridge, Alberta, was apparently designed to protest rules outlined by the Canadian Powerlifting Union (CPU).
Silverberg has yet to comment on his decision to enter the contest and subsequent victory.
It allows anybody who self-identifies as a woman to compete in the female category, sparking concerns that trans women who’ve gone through male puberty may have a considerable physical advantage over biological female rivals.
The CPU released its ‘trans inclusion policy’ in February which was based on guidance from the Canadian Center for Ethics in Sport.
Avi Silverberg claimed to be a woman in a powerlifting competition and smashed the female bench press record in protest of gender self-identification policies in sport
Silverberg participated in the women’s category at the Heroes Classic Powerlifting Meet in Lethbridge, Alberta last Saturday.
He smashed a record set by transgender powerlifter Anne Andres, who previously mocked women for being ‘so bad’ at bench pressing.
‘Why is women’s bench so bad?’ she said in February.
‘I mean not compared to me, we all know that I’m a tranny freak, so that doesn’t count.
‘I mean, standard bench in powerlifting competitions for women. I literally don’t understand why it’s so bad.’
She made the statements in a video uploaded online.
At the time, Riley Gaines – a spokeswoman for the Independent Women’s Forum and a competitive swimmer who was beaten by transgender athlete Lia Thomas – hit out at Andres.
She wrote on Twitter: ‘Anne Andres (male who identifies and competes as a woman) doesn’t understand why female powerlifters are so ‘bad’ at bench press…
The move was apparently designed to protest rules outlined by the Canadian Powerlifting Union (CPU) which allows anybody who self-identifies as a woman to compete in the female category
Silverberg unofficially broke the record for the 84+ kilograms women’s category
‘Well I don’t know Anne, but maybe it’s because you have 20 times more testosterone than them. Just a thought…’
ICONS Women, a campaign group dedicated to defending the rights of female athletes in single-sex sport, posted the clip of Silverberg on their Twitter account.
The issue of allowing transgender athletes to compete in women’s sport has become increasingly contentious after a series of high-profile cases.
In 2022 transgender swimmer Lia Thomas divided the sports community after spending three years on the University of Pennsylvania’s men’s swimming team.
Thomas – who is 6 foot 3 inches – came back for her final year as a female swimmer and began breaking records in the pool.
She beat out Gaines who has since become a vocal advocate for protecting female spaces in sport.
Gaines took objection not only to Thomas’s unfair advantage, having been born a man, but also claimed it made her feel uncomfortable in the locker room.
‘You have someone with male genitalia pulling his pants down, watching you as you undress. It throws you off,’ she said at the time.
The official women’s 84kg+ record-holder is transgender powerlifter Anne Andres, who previously mocked women for being ‘so bad’ at bench pressing
And in 2021 New Zealand weightlifter Laurel Hubbard qualified for the Tokyo Olympics despite being nearly twice the age of her female rivals.
She had transitioned in her 30s in 2012, having competed in male weightlifting competitions beforehand.
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 90kg class in California.
She was able to qualify for the Olympic Games after the International Olympic Committee changed their rules to allow women to compete if their testosterone levels are below a certain threshold.
In 2021 she was controversially named sportswoman of the year by the University of Otago.
And earlier this month, a transgender cyclist won first place at a female race in New York City amid ongoing debates over the inclusion of trans athletes in female competitions.
Tiffany Thomas, 46, who was born male, ended the Randall’s Island Crit cycling race atop the podium, blowing the competition out of the water to snatch first place.
Despite only taking up cycling in 2018, Tiffany quickly found success and has dominated competitions in the years since.
She recently landed a place on top cycling team LA Sweat, where her oldest teammate is just 32.
Riley Gaines was beaten by transgender swimmer Lia Thomas last year at the NCAA championships. Thomas competed as a male swimmer for three years before returning as a woman and began breaking records in the pool
New Zealand weightlifter Laurel Hubbard (pictured) was controversially named sportwoman of the year by New Zealand’s University of Otago
Hubbard transitioned in her 30s in 2012, having competed in male weightlifting competitions beforehand
It comes after the World Athletics announced it would prohibit transgender athletes who have been through ‘male puberty’ from competing in women’s world ranking sports.
World Athletics President Sebastian Coe said the organization ‘believes the integrity of the female category in athletics is paramount.’
The decision means Thomas will not be able to compete in the world championships or the Olympics.
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