WTOL 11 photojournalist breaks powerlifting record at national meet

ROYAL OAK, Michigan — When you watch WTOL 11, some of what you see on screen or online – from interviews to b-roll to livestreams – is recorded by photojournalist Gina Lundquist, even if you never see her on camera. Though a photojournalist by day, Lundquist can lift more — much more, in fact — than just a camera and tripod.

Lundquist attended the American Powerlifting Federation’s (APF) National Championships in Royal Oak, Michigan over the weekend, where she competed in the “Full Power” category; that means she did bench presses, squats and deadlifts.

It was for squats that Gina secured a national record for her class (women age 33-39). She squatted 380 pounds, beating APF’s previous national record in her class by 65 pounds. 

Lundquist deadlifted 391 pounds, also beating the existing national record. However, another contestant exceeded the 391-pound record following Lundquist’s performance. 

For the whole category overall, Lundquist nabbed second place by 22 points. 

The second place victory qualified Lundquist for the world championships in powerlifting which, this year, will be held in South Africa, and qualifies her for U.S. nationals the following year. Lundquist has also previously earned ‘best lifter’ at two previous competitions.

Lundquist said she’s eager to come back next year and perform at an even higher caliber. 

“I could take a year off [from competing] and come back next year and beat the girl that beat me,” she said. “Think about a 22-pound dumbbell. That’s the weight that somebody beat me by. That frustrates me to no end.”

Some of her goals for 2026 include upping her lifts. She said she’s convinced she can increase her squat and deadlift to over 400 pounds each. Getting to that point, however, will necessitate ample amounts of training.

But she doesn’t do it alone. Lundquist competes on a powerlifting team called Landers Strength Syndicate. She said it’s her team, along with the support of her husband, Ryan, that made these accomplishments possible. 

However, Lundquist said she doesn’t plan on attending the South Africa World Championship, and instead said she’s hoping to qualify for world’s again next year, when it’s slated to be held in the United States. 

But despite her literally world-class strength, Lundquist said she still gets tired while holding WTOL 11 microphones during interviews. (Those things are surprisingly heavy!)