The 2016 AAU Junior Olympic Games might be seven weeks away, but 17-year-old Evan Pittman is intensifying his training regime with an eye toward setting multiple world powerlifting records in Houston.

“This year marks my eighth and most likely last Junior Olympics,” Evan said between sets during a recent training session.  “I’m also training to make it my most significant.”

The 11-time national and 7-time world champion athlete hopes to add another national title and become the youngest powerlifter in history to break 100 or more world records at the Junior Olympics powerlifting competition on July 29th. Currently at 97 lifetime world records, Evan plans to defend his Junior Olympic Games title in the 16-17, 148 lb. class in Houston, where he will try for world records in the squat, deadlift and 3-lift total.

No powerlifter in high school or college has ever broken more than 100 world powerlifting records.  In addition, Evan holds more than two dozen world records in AAU Feats of Strength events, and is the only three time JO Games combine winner, which is the Games’ multi-event competition testing speed and power.  In 2015, he was selected as AAU Strength Sports Male Athlete of the Year.

“It has taken me seven years of hard training and competition to get to this point,” Evan said.  “A couple of years ago, my dad and I decided to go for the 100 world records because it is a big, round number that had never been achieved by a junior lifter. We’re targeting the 50th anniversary Junior Olympic Games meet because the JO Games are where I started, and that would be a great place to hit that milestone.”