If you asked a random person on the street who the strongest woman in the world is, they’d probably shrug or maybe guess a CrossFit athlete they saw on Instagram. But in the world of professional Strongwoman, the answer isn’t just one name—it's a high-stakes, heavy-metal debate between three or four titans who are currently rewriting what the female body can actually do.
Honestly, it’s a weird time for the sport. Records are falling so fast that by the time you finish reading this, someone might have added another five kilos to a world record deadlift. We aren't talking about "gym strong" here. We're talking about women who pull semi-trucks for fun and press logs over their heads that weigh more than most grown men.
The Current Queen: Andrea Thompson’s 2025 Comeback
Right now, if we’re looking at the official trophy cabinet for the most prestigious title, Andrea Thompson is the name at the top. The 2025 World’s Strongest Woman (WSW) competition in Arlington, Texas, was absolute chaos.
Originally, the event ended with Jammie Booker taking the top spot, but the results were overturned just days later due to a disqualification regarding eligibility rules. That moved Thompson into first place, making her a two-time WSW champion. She first won it back in 2018, and seeing her take it again in late 2025 proves that she’s basically the "ageless wonder" of the sport.
Thompson is a technical master. She doesn't just rely on brute force; her overhead pressing is legendary. At the 2025 WSW, she was the only woman to finish the Dumbbell Ladder, locking out four massive implements while others were getting stuck on the second or third. It was a clinic in grit.
The "Static Monster" Lucy Underdown
But wait. If you define "strongest" as who can move the most absolute weight in a single lift, the conversation shifts immediately to Lucy Underdown.
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Lucy is a freak of nature in the best possible way. She’s the first woman in history to deadlift 325 kg (that’s roughly 717 lbs) under strongwoman rules. Think about that for a second. That is more than three refrigerators.
While she finished 5th at the Rogue Invitational recently, her "static strength"—meaning her ability to lift a stationary object from point A to point B—is arguably the highest we’ve ever seen in the history of the female gender. In early 2025, she also set a new Elephant Bar Deadlift world record at the Arnold Strongwoman Classic, pulling 306.5 kg (676 lbs). If you put a barbell in her hands, she’s the favorite every single time.
Inez Carrasquillo: The New Dominant Force
While Andrea has the WSW title and Lucy has the deadlift, Inez Carrasquillo might actually be the best all-around athlete on the planet right now. In late 2025, she didn't just win the Rogue Invitational in Scotland; she defended her title and took home a $100,000 paycheck.
Inez represents the new era. She started as an overhead specialist—someone who could press anything but maybe struggled with moving events—and transformed into a terrifyingly complete competitor.
- She won the 2025 Arnold Strongwoman Classic.
- She set a World Record in the "Big Jerk" with a 160 kg (352 lbs) behind-the-neck press.
- She dominated the Power Drive (pushing a massive sled) at Rogue, showing she has the engine to match her strength.
If you’re betting on who will be the "strongest woman in the world" across all metrics by the end of 2026, Inez is the safest bet. She’s younger, she’s getting faster, and she seems to have found a gear that no one else can reach.
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Rebecca Roberts and the Battle of Consistency
You can't talk about the strongest woman in the world without mentioning the 6'3" powerhouse from Wales, Rebecca Roberts. She won the WSW title in 2021, 2023, and 2024.
Roberts has one of the most incredible stories in sports—going from weighing over 30 stone (420+ lbs) and struggling with her health to becoming a triple world champion. While she had a bit of a rougher 2025, finishing 7th at Rogue, she is still the "Final Boss" of the sport. Her height gives her a massive advantage in the Atlas Stones and the Yoke Walk. Watching her move a 280 kg yoke in 10.9 seconds is like watching a freight train with legs.
Why the Title is Kinda Complicated
Most people don't realize there isn't just one "World's Strongest Woman" show anymore. You have:
- The Official Strongman Games (WSW): The traditional title.
- The Arnold Strongwoman Classic: Often considered the most prestigious because of the heavy "static" lifts.
- The Rogue Invitational: The biggest prize money and the most elite, invited field.
Because different women win different shows, the title of "strongest" usually depends on who won the last big event. Right now, it’s a three-way split between Thompson (WSW), Carrasquillo (Arnold/Rogue), and Underdown (The Deadlift Queen).
How They Get This Strong (It’s Not Just Protein)
If you're wondering how these women reach this level, it’s a full-time job. We're talking 20+ hours a week in the gym, sure, but it’s the recovery that’s wild. Most of these athletes are eating 4,000 to 5,000 calories a day just to maintain the muscle mass required to move these weights.
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It’s also very much a mental game. When you’re standing in front of a 150 kg Atlas Stone, your brain is telling you "No, don't do that, you'll break." Overriding that survival instinct is what separates the strongest woman in the world from a standard powerlifter.
What's Next in 2026?
The 2026 season is shaping up to be a total collision course. Lucy Underdown is chasing the elusive 350 kg deadlift, a number that seemed impossible five years ago. Meanwhile, Inez Carrasquillo looks nearly unbeatable in "medley" events that combine strength and speed.
If you want to follow the sport or even just improve your own strength based on how these pros train, here are the reality-based takeaways:
- Focus on the "Big Three" but add variety: These women aren't just benching and squatting. They use odd objects—sandbags, fat bars, and stones. Adding "unstable" carries to your workout builds a type of core strength that a machine can't touch.
- Track your "Static" vs. "Dynamic" power: Lucy is the queen of static, but Inez wins because she's dynamic. For real-world strength, you need both. Don't just lift heavy; move heavy things over a distance.
- Watch the 2026 Arnold Classic: This will be the first major showdown of the year where we’ll see if Andrea Thompson can hold off the younger surge of Inez and Lucy.
The "strongest woman in the world" is no longer a static title—it's a moving target held by a small group of women who are pushing human evolution to its absolute limit. Keep an eye on the leaderboards at Strongman Archives; the numbers are only going up.
Next Steps for Strength Enthusiasts
To get a better feel for the sheer scale of these lifts, look up the 2025 Rogue Invitational "Mons Meg" stone highlights. It provides a visual context for the weights discussed here that numbers on a page simply can't convey. You should also follow the official Strongman Archives to track the 2026 season rankings as they update in real-time.