Size truly doesn’t matter for Ava Allen. Standing at 4 feet 8 inches tall and weighing less than 100 pounds, Allen can deadlift three times her weight and she has the record to prove it.

“My best total is 305 kilograms, I think it's like 672 pounds. So that's my most squat bench and deadlift combined,” says Allen.

Last month, Allen competed in the USA Powerlifing High School and Teen National Championship in Aurora, Colorado, and beat two All-American records in her weight class. 

“It was pretty cool. It was so many people there supporting me and it was really awesome just having like my whole support system just there and screaming for me,” says Allen.

The 18-year-old deadlifted 319 pounds, which set a new national best for the 18-20 age division. She also beat the total weight category for a combined weight of 672 pounds for her deadlift, squat press and bench press.

Her coach Matthew Santiago, owner of Sport of Iron Fitness, says he was not surprised. 

“I kind of just knew she was gonna do it,” says Santiago. “I was like this is easy for her, I think she's gonna be, you know, continue to be a national champion and maybe be a world champion one day.”

Allen was an avid soccer player, and is no stranger to the gym, but she really started to get into deadlifting after a friend suggested that she try it.

“My friend Adrian. He decided that one day I should start deadlifting, so I was like, that sounds pretty fun. So I started lifting at our local gym and I liked it a lot, so I just started doing it for fun,” says Allen.

To be able to lift such a large amount Allen trains four to     five times a week, three-and-a-half hours a day, and she says being able to lift so much is like being a superhero finally showing their true self, especially when she walks into the gym to train.

“Everyone turns their head and looks at me when I come into the gym because they're like 'who is that, what the heck are they doing, they're gonna hurt themselves or something,'” says Allen.

But for this “Wonder Woman,” it puts a smile on her face to show the naysayers how strong she is. And for young girls out there who are thinking about weightlifting, Allen has a little advice.

"All the myths about you turning into the Hulk are false and that you should be getting into the gym because it’s super fun and it’s good for you," she says.

She hopes to compete at the world competition in Sweden later this year, but because of the pandemic, she is not sure if any athletes will be sent.