Kjell Egil Bakkelund

Kjell Egil Bakkelund (born 18 July 1988) is a Norwegian powerlifter. Bakkelund has won 7 gold medals at the world championships (both classic & equipped) and 9 gold medals at the European championships in the IPF. He is also a three-time World Games medallist, winning a silver medal in 2013 World Games in Cali, a gold medal at the 2022 World Games in Birmingham, and a bronze medal at the 2025 World Games in Chengdu, as well as a gold medal at the 2025 SBD Sheffield Powerlifting Championships.

Career Bakkelund began his career as a junior in 2011. Since then, he won both classic and equipped world titles, including the 2022 World Equipped Powerlifting Championships which were held in Viborg, Denmark. In 2022, he secured a gold medal from the 2022 World Games. Following his switching between classic and equipped powerlifting throughout his career, Bakkelund decided to focus on classic meets. He competed at both 2023 IPF World Classic Championships in Malta and at the European Powerlifting Federation's Equipped Championships where he got a gold medal for totaling 907.5 kg. As a result of his competition, Bakkelund broke both the IPF classic deadlift and total world records in 74 kg weight class.