James Ellison, a Special Olympics powerlifter from Plymouth, Michigan, recently set two impressive records at the Special Olympics Michigan Summer Games: an unofficial world powerlifting record in the deadlift, and a state record in the squat.

His 660-pound deadlift is one of the heaviest pulls in the history of any Special Olympics powerlifting meet, including the World Summer Games from 2015. Ellison’s 565-pound squat is the heaviest ever by a Special Olympics competitor in Michigan. Overall, he went 565/335/660 for a 1560-pound total.

The 24-year-old has been lifting since he was 16, and has competed in several different Special Olympic sports since he was 10, including softball, basketball, and bowling.



Ellison has been a fighter since day one. Soon after he was born, he showed signs of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, including breathing issues and seizures. To aid his recovery, he was placed in a medically induced coma, which affected his eyesight and mental and physical capacities.

But by the time he turned a year old, Ellison’s eyesight and motor skills began to recover. He still has issues with memory and some mental processes, but fully regained his vision.

Now, he’s a record-breaking, powerlifting machine.