British lifting duo smash record with 997.5-pound deadlift

June 7 (UPI) -- A pair of British bodybuilders broke a Guinness World Record when they teamed up to deadlift 997.5 pounds.

Married couple Sam Taylor and Sue Taylor-Franklin, who previously broke the Guinness World Record for fastest 20-meter A320 aircraft pull by a team of two (female), originally planned to follow up their feat by tackling the record for heaviest deadlift by a team of two (female).

Their plans to take on the record were canceled when Taylor suffered a knee injury, but the couple recruited friend Izzy Tait to be Taylor-Franklin's partner in the attempt at the U.K.'s Strongest Woman event at the Motorpoint Arena in Nottingham.

The duo needed to break a record of 641 pounds, and smashed the record on their first try with a 997.5-pound deadlift.

The new record coincides with Pride Month, which Taylor described as "vitally important."

"It's a chance to reflect on history and the people that went before me to give me the freedoms that I've got today. That's why it's important for people like myself and my wife to be out there promoting equality," she said.