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Natural Bodybuilding, Figure and Fitness
News
The
Strongest of All
For the
past eight years the strongest men in the world have come
to Columbus Ohio for the Arnold Strongman Classic.
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Zydrunas Savickas
of Lithuania has won every Arnold Strongman Classic
competition except for the inaugural event in 2002, which
was won by former Olympian and current pro wrestler Mark
Henry of the United States. This year a new champion will
be crowned because Savickas, who will appear as a judge,
will take the year off from competition.
Also on hand will
be strongman celebrities Bill Kazmaier, one of history’s
strongest men; Magnus ver Magnusson, four-time winner of
the World’s Strongest Man contest; Vasyl Virastyuk, past
winner of both the World’s Strongest Man contest and the
IFSA World Championship; and Mark Henry, who has the
highest Weightlifting/Powerlifting combined total in
history.
The winner of this
year’s Arnold Strongman Classic will deserve to be called
The Strongest Man in the World. The events featured rely
heavily on sheer brute strength. The contest features
extremely heavy weights for overhead and pulling events as
well as for lifting and carrying special implements short
distances.
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Meet the
colossal athletes:
Vidas Blekaitis
- Lithuania
Training partner of Zydrunas Savickas and two time Baltic
Strongest Man, he’s one of the very few men to have made
an overhead log-lift of 440 lbs. He stands 5’lO” and
weighs in at 340 lbs.
Ervin Katona -
Serbia
The Balkans’ Strongest Man, Katona is a newcomer but he
has made great strides over the past year. At 6’2”, Katona
weighs in at 341 lbs.
Mikhail
Koklyaev - Russia
Six time Russian National Weightlifting Champion, 3rd
place finisher at last year’s Arnold. A favorite of many
fans, Misha is considered the greatest strength athlete in
the world because of his high ranking in the Strongman
sport as well as his lifts of 462 lbs. in the snatch and
551 lbs. in the clean and jerk. He stands 6’3” and weighs
335 lbs.
Andrus Murumets
- Estonia
Three time Estonia Strongest Man, 3rd at Arnold in 2007,
Andrus has set numerous world records in the farmers walk
and is considered to have the greatest grip in the sport.
He’s 6’2”, 320 lbs.
Travis Ortmeyer
- USA
Winner of the 2008 Madison Square Garden Strongman contest
over a number of top strongmen, including Derek Poundstone.
Travis owns the world’s heaviest Manhood Stone, at 600
lbs, and he has almost mastered it in practice. He is
6’4”, 320 lbs.
Dave Ostlund -
USA
2007 Venice Beach Super Series, 1st Place; 2008 Hawaii’s
Strongest Man, 1st Place; 2008 World’s Strongest Man, 3rd
Place. He stands 6’7” and weighs 340 lbs.
Oleksandr
Pekanov - Ukraine
Is one of the best deadlifters and overhead pressers in
the history of the sport and is the strongest man in the
Ukraine now that the great Vasyl Virastyuk has retired.
He’s 6’2” and 400 lbs.
Phil Pfister -
USA
Winner of the 2006 World’s Strongest Man contest and the
first American to do so since the great Bill Kazmaier. He
is a very tall 6’6” and weighs 380 lbs.
Derek
Poundstone - USA
Along with Koklyaev is the favorite to win this year. He’s
the 2008 World’s Strongest Man, 2nd place; 2008 Mohegan
Sun Champion; 2008 Fortissimus Champion where he beat
Zydrunas Savickas, and 2008 Arnold Runner up, he deadlifts
an amazing 900 lbs. He’s 6’1” and weighs 320 lbs.
Brian Siders -
USA
Brian is the world’s top superheavyweight power lifters,
he benches 771 lbs, squats 1000 lbs, and and deadlifts
nearly 900 lbs. He’s won the World Super Heavyweight
Powerlifting Championships twice. Siders stands at 6’2”
and weighs 345 1bs.
Mariusz
Pudzianowksi of Poland, who won the World’s Strongest Man
title for a record fifth time in 2008, has been invited to
compete as well. The invitation will remain open until the
competition begins, according to the director of the
Arnold Strongman Classic, Dr. Terry Todd.
The events they’ll
attempt to conquer include the Timber Carry, Apollon’s
Wheel, Tire Deadlift, Manhood Stones, Heavy Yoke and
Circus Dumbbell.
The men will
compete for the largest prize package in the Strongman
sport–$40,000 in cash, a $25,000 watch, and a $10,000, 50
lb. bronze statue of Louis Cyr.
The 2009 Arnold
Strongman Classic will be held March 6-7 during the Arnold
Sports Festival at the Greater Columbus Convention Center.
The final event will be held March 7 at Franklin County
Veterans Memorial.
Source -
Arnold Sports Festival Newsletter
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