Dubai - He might not have looked his sharpest in the training hall a few days ago, but as the weights got heavier, there was no doubt today about who ruled the platform at the Asian Weightlifting Championships.


The next time you clean and jerk 260 kg, you are allowed to roar too. Hossein Rezazadeh sweeps the gold medals in the supers at the Asian Weightlifting Champions today in Dubai. Randall J. Strossen, Ph.D. photo.

Weightlifting fans are going to be happy not just about Rezaazeh's performance, but also because Saeed Salem Jaber (Qatar) returned to competition.

Jaber opened with 180 kg in the snatch, which was a little rough, but he made it no problem. He took 190 on his second attempt and it was overhead, but it popped out, so he took it again on his third attempt for a good lift.

Rezazadeh made an easy 190 on his first attempt, an easier 195 on his second attempt, and for his third attempt, he snatched 200 kg as if it were a feather.

In the clean and jerk, Jaber made a nice first-attempt lift with 220 kg, and followed it with good lifts at 226 kg and 232 kg.

When everyone else had finished, Rezazadeh started, making an easy 240 kg, followed by a very easy 250 kg, which was capped off with an awesome 260-kg clean and jerk.

Earlier in the day, Said Saif Saad (Qatar) won the 105-kg category with a 390-kg total. Mohsen Beiranvand (Iran) got the silver medal with 383, and Dmitry Frolov (Kazakhstan) got the bronze with 368.

Here they are, the finalists for the 2005 MET-Rx World's Strongest Man contest:

Jarek Dymek
Dominic Filiou
Ralf Ber
Elbrus Nigamutalin
Mariusz Pudzianowski
Don Pope
Janne Virtanen
Dave Ostlund
Jesse Marunde
Tarmo Mitt

Boris Haraldsson, who finished 1/2 point out of second place in Group Two, is the reserve competitor.

It was a tremendous day with huge crowds, close finishes and blazing times on the Atlas Stones.

The finals begin on October 4.

Dubai - Ashgar Ebrahimi (Iran) uncorked three good snatches and never looked back as he won all three gold medals in the 94-kg category at the Asian Weightlifting Championships today.


Ashgar Ebrahimi (Iran) at the top of his pull on his opening snatch (165 kg) at the Asian Weightlifting Championships today in Dubai. Randall J. Strossen, Ph.D. photo.

Starting after everyone else had finished, Ebrahimi made a very nice 165-kg snatch on his opener, and then he followed it with an equally nice 170 on his second attempt. His third attempt, 175 kg, was just as good, although not quite as easy.

The young Iranian lifter had his even younger teammate Ali Deghanian to contend with in the clean and jerk, although there wasn't quite enough pressure on him to force him up to his top weights.

Ebrahimi opened with a successful lift at 195 kg, and Deghanian responded with 196 for his opener, also making a good lift. Sergey Sedov (Kazakhstan) was the only other lifter left at this point and he also took 196 and made a strong-looking lift for a good third attempt, power jerking the weight with authority.

Deghanian took 203 kg on his second attempt, for a good lift and the junior Asian record in the clean and jerk, and Ebrahimi made a solid 205 on his second attempt, although the weight was slowing down as he stood up - Ebrahimi noticeably sets his back before the jerk and he rammed the weight overhead. Deghanian called for 206 on his third attempt, but could not rack it, and, with all three gold medals in hand, Ebrahimi passed on his third attempt.

Following the two Iranian lifters, Sedov got the bronze in the total for his 356.

Earlier today, Ulanbek Moldodosov (Kyrgyzstan) won the 85-kg category via a 151-kg snatch and a 190-kg clean and jerk. Hsieh Wei-Chun (Taipei) got the silver with 147/187 for a 334-kg total, and Zang Wei (China) captured the bronze with 152/180 for a 332-kg total.


Ulanbek Moldodosov (Kyrgyzstan) pulls himself under 190 kilos, en route to winning the 85-kg category at the Asian Weightlifting Championships earlier today in Dubai. Randall J. Strossen, Ph.D. photo.

The qualifying round of the 2005 MET-Rx World's Strongest Man contest continued today, with some big changes in the point positions, and in more than one group, making the finals is going to come down to the very last point tomorrow.

Here are the top two competitors in each group through today.

Group One: The top two positions remained unchanged today, as Jarek Dymek retained his lead and Raivis Vidzis held onto second place, but Dominic Filiou and Josh Thigpen are close behind

Group Two: Ralf Ber has been strong all through the qualifiers, so strong in fact that he not only has held onto his first-place position in Group Two after three days of competition, but he is also the only competitor who has already guaranteed himself of being in the finals - he cannot be eliminated tomorrow. Elbrus Nigamutalin has moved into second place.

Group Three: Yes, Mariusz Pudzianowski is still number one in this group, but Don Pope is now back in second place, and Mikael Starow and Steve Bourgeois are pushing hard.

Things are also running extremely tight in Group Four, as Jessen Paulen has moved into first place, but Janne Virtanen and Dave Ostlund, who are tied, are only one point behind.

Group Five: The Jesse Marunde show continues in Chengdu, as he has stayed in first place, and his performance on the Fingal Fingers today is leading to predictions that he might well break the world record in the event in the finals. Although not yet guaranteed a slot, Marunde should lock up a position in the finals tomorrow. Terry Hollands is in second place, and Tarmo Mitt is close behind.

Unfortunately, Mark Philippi, one of only two competitors to make it through all the weights in the squat yesterday, tore both quads in the process, and even though he gamely gave it a shot today, he had to retire from the competition.

Tomorrow is the final day of the qualifying round for the 2005 MET-Rx World's Strongest Man contest. Groups One, Three and Four face off in the Overhead Log Lift for Reps, and then all five groups have at it in the Atlas Stones.

Dubai - Vladimir Kuzentsov (Kazakhstan) swept the gold medals in the men's 77-kg category at the Asian Weightlifting Championships today.


Vladimir Kuznetsov (Kazakhstan) drives himself under his third-attempt 190-kg jerk to sweep the gold medals in the 77-kg category at the Asian Weightlifting Championships today. Randall J. Strossen, Ph.D. photo.

Kuznetsov and Sufyan Abbas Nader (Qatar) looked to be the frontrunners in this class and the they ended up finishing gold and silver, respectively, across the board.

Nader opened with 150 kg in the snatch, but it was too far out front to save. Kuznetsov opened the same 150-kg, for a good lift although he had to run forward a couple of steps to control it. Nader, who was lighter, responded with a very nice 150 for his second attempt, to move into the lead. Kuznetsov made a good lift with 155 kg on his second attempt, to move into first, and Nader took the same weight on his third attempt, pulled it high enough, but it was out front and even though he chased it, he couldn't save the lift. Kuznetsov took 158 on his third attempt, looking to increase his lead, but he couldn't fix the bar overhead.

Kuznetsov opened first in the clean and jerk, with a good lift with 181 kg. Nader has a strong clean, but the jerk has let him down more than once, so when he got on the board with his opener, 186, it probably took a lot of pressure off him. Kuznetsov missed the jerk on his second attempt, 190 kg, after noticeably oscillating the bar, and on his third attempt, going straight into the jerk as he recovered from the clean, he nailed the lift.

Nader had been waiting it out, and now he had two shots at the gold medal in the clean and jerk, and in the total, but the jerk with 195 eluded him both times - on his second attempt, he had the bar overhead, but out front, and he couldn't chase it down, and his third attempt wasn't as close.

Kuznetsov ended the night with a 345-kg total, Nader hit 336, and Kim (People's Republic of Korea) was third, with 325.

The hammer dropped at the 2005 MET-Rx World's Strongest Man qualifiers today as squats and deadlifts were thrown into the mix.

Both the squat and the deadlift advanced from the opening weight as up to six barrels were added to boost the load, ending at 750 pounds in deadlift, and at 794 pounds in the squat. Here are the top two in each group after the second day of the qualifying round:

Group One: Jarek Dymek leads, after having a great day - hitting all seven weights in the deadlift - followed by yesterday's leader, Raivis Vidzis.

Group Two: Ralf Ber maintained his lead, but Mark Philippi showed what his legs can do as he moved into second place after squatting all seven weights.

Group Three: Everyone might expect to hear that Mariusz Pudzianowski is still in first place, and he is, but he can't coast because Mikael Starow, who made all seven squats, and Steve Bourgeois are pushing him hard.

Group Four: Janne Virtanten, who made all seven deadlifts, has stormed to the front, Kevin Nee has moved into second place, and Slawomir Toczek and Dave Ostlund, tied for third, are very close behind, in what is a tightly-bunched group.

Group Five: Jesse Marunde has held onto his lead, and Tarmo Mitt and Karl Waitoa are sharing second place.

The quest to make it into the finals continues tomorrow as Groups Two and Five do the Truck Pull, and all five groups do Fingal Fingers.

Dubai � Lifting in the mens's 69-kg class, Yao Yuewei (China) had a record-setting evening at the Asian Weightlifting Championships tonight.


69-kg Yao Yuewei (China) lays it on this 156-kg Junior World Record snatch at the Asian Weightlifting Championships. Randall J. Strossen, Ph.D. photo.

Yao opened with a good 145-kg snatch, followed with another success at 152, and then he hit a nice 156 for a Junior World Record and a Junior Continental record.

Yao's teammate Luo Shaomeng won the gold medal in the clean an jerk with 176 kg, but Yao's silver medal 175 gave him the gold in the total, as well as the Junior Continental Record in the total. Yao's total of 331 was well ahead of silver medalist Luo's 316, who also had a little elbow room over bronze medalist Kuanysh Rakhatov (Kazakhstan), who totaled 294.

Eariler, Zhang Jie (China) got off to an early lead by snatching 132 kg, for an eight kilogram lead over his teammate Li Chunseng, and even though Li got the gold medal in the clean and jerk by running three good lifts (153, 160 and 164), Zhang won the gold medal in the total in the men's 62-kg class.

Zhang ended the night with a 295-kg total, Li finished in silver medal position with 288, and Yang Sheng-Hsiung (Tapei) got the bronze medal in the total with 271 kg, edging Krithpet Niwat (Thailand) on bodyweight.

The 2005 MET-Rx World's Strongest Man contest got off to a roaring start as last night's welcome dinner was attended by about 50 members of the local press and TV media, as well as the heads of the Chengdu Government and Sports Ministries, a fitting introduction to today's qualifiers.

The battle to make it to the finals of this year's WSM contest began, with two competitors ultimately advancing from each qualifying group. Here are the top two from each group, after the first day:

Group One: Raivis Vidzis is first and Josh Thigpen is second. Group Two: Ralf Ber leads, followed by Boris Haraldsson. Group Three: Mariusz Pudzianowski is in first place, and Don Pope is in second. Group Four: Slawomir Toczek is in first and Dave Ostlund is in second. Group Five: Jesse Marunde leads, followed by Tarmo Mitt.

Mariusz Pudzianowski is reported to be in the best shape of his life, looking "unbelievable," and he was the only competitor today to finish the very heavy carry and drag event. Jesse Marunde had a tremendous day, playing to the crowd as he won both of his events. Don Pope and Dave Ostlund also turned in great first-day performances.

Tomorrow it's squat and deadlift for all the competitors, so everyone who has paid his dues in the gym is likely to shine.

Dubai - Looking like a future star, Hoang Anh Tuan (Vietnam) won the men's 56-kg category today at the Asian Weightlifting Championships.


Flying under his opening snatch, 122 kg, was just the beginning of a great performance for Hoang Anh Tuan (Vietnam), and it gave the young lifter the 56-kg title at the Asian Weightlifting Championships today. Randall J. Strossen, Ph.D. photo.

Hoang nailed 122 kg in the snatch, and then had a beautiful success with 125 before missing 126 - he couldn't quite fix it overhead, much to his disappointment.

This guy is a must-see lifter, but don't blink when he comes up on the platform because he goes straight to the bar and - bam! - he's attacked it without a pause.

After the snatches, things were looking good for Hoang, but when he missed his opening jerk, 150 kg, it looked like things might turn south in a hurry. He came back, made a good lift with the same weight, and then took 152 kg on his third, for a great lift with a very deep jerk. Wang Shin-Yuan (Taipei) was second with 125/151 and his teammate Yang Chin Yi was third in the total via 118/153.

Strongman fans worldwide have been waiting for it and now it's about to begin: the 2005 MET-Rx 2005 World's Strongest Man kicks off tomorrow, with the qualifying rounds that will determine who goes on to the finals.

As ever, there could be last-minute changes, but here's the just-released official list of who's going head-to-head, and just what they will be doing in their quest to make the 2005 WSM finals.

Group One events are Medley, Deadlift with Barrels, Pillars of Hercules, Fingal Fingers, Overhead Log Lift for Reps, and Atlas Stones. The athletes are Jarek Dymek, Raivis Vidzis, Josh Thigpen, Mick Gosling and Dominic Filou.

Group Two events are: Medley, Giant Log Lift, Squat, Lorry Pull, Fingal Fingers and Atlas Stones. Mark Philippi, Ralf Ber, Boris Haraldsson, Elbus Nigmatulin and Sol Bathaiee are the competitors in this group.

The events for Group Three are: Medley, Squat, Pillars of Hercules, Fingal Fingers, Overhead Log for Reps and Atlas Stones. Mariusz Pudzianowski, Mikael Starow, Don Pope, Brian Irwin and Steve Bourgeois are the athletes.

Group Four events are: Medley, Deadlift with Barrels, Pillars of Hercules, Fingal Fingers, Overhead Log Lift for Reps and Atlas Stones. Janne Virtanen, Jessen Paulin, Slawomir Toczek, Dave Ostlund and Kevin Nee will be battling it out in this group.

Group Five events are: Medley, Giant Log Lift, Deadlift with Barrels, Lorry Pull, Fingal Fingers, and Atlas Stones. The competitors in this group are: Jesse Marunde, Tarmo Mitt, Terry Hollands, Carl Waitoa and Gu Yan Li.

The results after Day One are:

Zydrunas Savickas 55 points
Raimonds Bergmanis 51 points
Vidas Blekaitis 50.5 points
Robert Szchepanski 43 points
Vasyl Virastyuk 43 points
Mikhail Koklyaev 42.5 points
Andrus Murumets 39 points
Phil Pfister 35.5 points
Tomi Lotta 35.5 points
Geoff Dolan 28.5 points
Mark Felix 23.5 points
Magnus Samuelsson 22.5 points
Travis Ortmayer 21.5 points
Igor Pedan 14.5 points
Svend Karlsen 14 points (injured)

It's back - the GNC Grip Gauntlet, run by Blobmaster Wade Gillingham, is on for this year's Mr. Olympia, so if you're going to be in Las Vegas and think you've got strong hands, or just want to have some fun, stop by the GNC booth.


Wade Gillingham does an easy (for him) double at the GNC Grip Gauntlet at the 2004 Show of Strength (Atlanta, Georgia). Come on Wade, at least pretend it's hard to do. Randall J. Strossen, Ph.D. photo.

The GNC Grip Gauntlet has become a celebrated event at the major bodybuilding-fitness shows around the country and why not? With ace grip guy Wade Gillingham there to show that it really can be done, as he demonstrates time and again, thousands and thousands of people have gone hand to hand with these three bedrock tests of grip strength: Captains of Crush grippers, Rolling Thunder, and the Blob.

Open to all to try, it doesn't matter if you strike out or hit a homerun, because you'll have fun while seeing just how strong your hands really are.

IWF director Aniko Nemeth-Mora briefed IronMind this morning on the current status of the Turkish Weightlifting Federation.

As reported earlier this week by a number of reputable mainstream news sources, the Turkish Weightlifting Federation has been provisionally suspended by the International Weightlifting Federation due to, "a series of breeches of WADA and IWF anti-doping policies." Specifically, Ms. Nemeth-Mora enumerated the following points:

- violations of the strict requirements for detailing each athlete's precise location at all times
- attempts to have third parties masquerade as the athletes called for testing
- the outright refusal of one person to supply a sample as requested
- threats delivered to the doping-control official, leading her to resign from her position

Ms. Nemeth-Mora was quick to credit the president of the Turkish Weightlifting Federation, Dr. Hassan Akkus, for addressing the matter directly, as he explained to the press that an internal investigation of the charges would be launched.

In the meantime, the Turkish Weightlifting Federation is provisionally suspended, Ms. Nemeth-Mora said, and the IWF Executive Board is scheduled to review the matter on November 15, which effectively bars Turkey, a superpower in the sport, from competing in this year's World Weightlifting Championships.

Although the doping problems in weightlifting are insignificant compared to the recent scandals in baseball, cycling or athletics, for example, weightlifting has often been singled out for criticism by the mainstream press, although the aggressive out-of-competition testing program run by WADA and the IWF, which has effectively caught a number of anti-doping policy violators, has also been hailed at the highest levels of sports administration as an indication of the sport's commitment to and progress toward eradicating banned substances.

When Bill Kazmaier retired from strongman, that left a big gap in terms of American competitors; in the mid-1990s Phil "Stonehenge" Martin came along and got everyone's attention in a really big way, and then a guy named Mark Philippi became part of the international professional strongman circuit, bringing the Stars and Stripes back into the lineup and restoring respect for American strongmen internationally.


In days of old, when . . . and the log really was . . . Mark Philippi bangs out another rep at the 1997 World's Strongest Man contest (Primm, Nevada). Randall J. Strossen, Ph.D. photo.

The UNLV strength coach is a busy man: as if his day job and being a world-class strongman competitor were not enough, the father of four is also an in-demand personal trainer who works with NFL players and professional boxers, among other clients.

He's known for letting his actions do the talking, but Mark Philippi put WSM-7 in perspective: "You always appreciate making it to World's Strongest Man," but saying that this one is particularly special, he added, "The first time or two you can always think about the next year, but now, I don't know how many more I have left in me."

Because of a last-minute change in plans, Mark's wife, Tracey - always his number one fan and cheerleader - was not able to make the trip with him. "I'm extra motivated to do well, now," Mark said. "It's not easy taking care of four kids by yourself," explaining that if he could do well, that would help make up for the extra burden on his wife.

The specific events always play a role in determining who does well in a particular strongman contest, and Mark said the events at the 2005 MET-RX World's Strongest Man are "middle of the road" for him, with "some strength events and some running around," and he called the overall event selection "well rounded."

As far as his own preparation, Mark said, "My legs are strong," which is probably an understatement coming from the guy who's always in the hunt for top honors on the basic strength events such as any type of squatting or deadlifting. And with his cardio also reported as good, Mark looks to be all set for another top WSM performance.

They're what connect you to the bar, so if your hands let you down, don't expect to get any stronger and don't expect to see three white lights.


Weighing a little under 122 kg, MILO coverguy Evgeni Chigishev (Russia) chalks up for a crack at a 210.5-kg snatch at the 2005 European Weightlifting Championships (Sofia, Bulgaria). Randall J. Strossen, Ph.D. photo.

No armchair expert, Jim Schmitz is a three-time USA Olympic weightlifting team coach, and his gym, The Sports Palace, was a legend among lifters. Even if you're not lucky enough to know Jim Schmitz in person, here's your chance to benefit from his knowledge, and this month, he'll teach you the basics of hand care, from a weightlifter's perspective.

Follow Schmitz on the Lifts from the IronMind home page, or just click on this link:

/Lifts/lifts.html

Last year, Steve Belanger invited a bunch of guys over to his Los Angeles-area home to squeeze grippers, bend steel and do a Rolling Thunder tug of war, among other fun things.


Then 18-years old, Kevin Bussi eyes his No. 3 Captains of Crush gripper just before he nailed it, en route to becoming one of the youngest people ever certified on this benchmark feat of grip strength - just so you know the kind of history that has been made in Belanger family driveway. Randall J. Strossen, Ph.D. photo.

Steve, who really does this right, has scheduled the encore for December 10, and as he put it, "It's for any grippers and benders, at any level to come and have a good time meeting others with the same interests. Not really a contest but there will be some competing for the fun of it. Best of all it's free. If interested contact me at bigsteve057@hotmail.com."

Incidentally, rumor has it that Pavel Tsatsouline, the man who put kettlebells on the map, and his ace instructor Brett Jones, might be there, with both gentlemen ready to take a crack at getting certified on the No. 3 Captains of Crush gripper - if this happens, our money is on Pavel and Brett to succeed.

Shane Hamman, who recently retired from weightlifting, is working full time as a national spokesman for Rachel's Challenge, a group dedicated to bringing positive change to high schools by altering how students treat each other.


Shane Hamman rewrote the record book at the Athens Olympics, as this 237.5-kg clean and jerk broke the American records in the clean and jerk, and in the total (Athens). Randall J. Strossen, Ph.D. photo.

Shane Hamman owns all three American weightlifting records in the superheavyweight class, and before he moved over to weightlifting, he was a very successful powerlifter: Hamman still holds the IPF superheavyweight world record in the squat, at 457.5 kg (about 1009 pounds), done back in 1996. Hamman said that he made the transition because weightlifting offered him the opportunity to go to the Olympics - something he could never do as a powerlifter or a strongman. "Just being an Olympian is awesome," said Hamman. "It was the highlight of everything for me."

Hamman realized his dream, competing in two Olympics, and at the Athens Olympics in 2004, he broke the American records in the clean and jerk, and in the total, with 237.5 kg and 430 kg, respectively.

Rachel Scott died in the Columbine High School tragedy, but her acts of kindness became the foundation for this life-changing school program which, "inspires, instructs and enables students to bring positive change" to their school. For more information on Rachel's Challenge, please check their official web site: http://www.rachelschallenge.com/

"Franz Beil won his first international competition," said World Strongman Cup manager Martin Muhr, in what was described as a, "hard fight between him and Ralf Ber."


Franz Beil, doing the crucifix, on his way to winning the World Strongman Cup event in Nuernberg, Germany yesterday. Martin Muhr photo.

Set in Nuernberg, Germany, the contest left Muhr gushing: "Great weather, a perfect crowd of about 2500, and a German win in Germany!"

Final places and points are:

1. Franz Beil 45.5 points
2. Ralf Ber 41.5
3. Michael Starov 38
4. Tarmo Mitt 37
5. Raivis Vidzis 32
6. Slawomir Orzel 32
7. Grant Higa 28
8. Simon Flint 28
9. Oleg Dudkin 23.5
10. Florian Trimpl 23.5

Several of the athletes from this contest will be leaving this week, to compete in the upcoming World's Strongest Man contest, Muhr said.

With his deep roots in strongman's glamour event, Colin Bryce - as head referee - is among the familiar names staffing the key positions at the 2005 MET-Rx World's Strongest Man contest.


The multitasking Colin Bryce works on his tan while emceeing the 2004 MET-Rx World's Strongest Man contest (Paradise Island, Bahamas). Randall J. Strossen, Ph.D. photo.

Bryce is replacing the very man who introduced him to the show in 1996, Dr. Douglas Edmunds, although Bryce is quick to say, "I will be trying to fill colossal shoes and a huge hat," referring to Dr. Edmunds's stature in the sport and his signature black hat.

"Nobody could really do that," Bryce added. "Douglas Edmunds is a huge figure in the sport," said Bryce, who emphasized his indebtedness to the man who is regarded as the godfather of strongman.

Bryce, himself, is no lightweight, and even though he modestly only acknowledges that he, "carried it a good ways before they told me to put it down," Bryce created quite a buzz at the 1997 WSM contest when, as a tester and much lighter than the average competitor, he was informally credited with notching up the longest distance in the Husafell stone.

Since his days as a tester, Bryce has worked as an emcee at World's Strongest Man, and this year marks his debut as the chief referee.

Two-time World's Strongest Man winner, and still one of the most popular winners ever, Jouko Ahola will be in charge of the equipment, backed up by an all-Finnish support team.

Mr. Strongman himself, Bill Kazmaier, is the presenter, and TWI vice chairman Barry Frank, the man who created the World's Strongest Man contest, will personally be on hand as well.

The qualifying round for the 2005 MET-Rx World's Strongest Man contest will be much like what was used previous to the 2004 competition.


Two-time World's Strongest Man winner Mariusz Pudzianowski will one of the favorites in this year's event. Pudzianowski looked formidable throughout the WSM Super Series this year, not only qualifying for WSM 2005, but also emerging as the 2005 WSM Super Series overall champion. Randall J. Strossen, Ph.D. photo.

The 2005 MET-Rx World's Strongest Man qualifiers will divide the 25 athletes into five groups of five, and the top two competitors from each group will go forward to the finals. The qualifiers begin on September 27 in Chengdu, China.

Although noting that they remain subject to change, TWI has released to IronMind the official list of events for the 2005 MET-Rx World's Strongest Man contest.

Once again, a qualifying round will be followed by the finals, and this year, each athlete will compete in six events from this pool of nine possible qualifying events:

Carry and Drag
Pillars of Hercules
Fingal's Fingers
Deadlift
Squat
Overhead Log Lift
Atlas Stones
Giant Log Lift
Truck Pull

Events for the finals are:

Farmer's Walk
Fridge Carry
Atlas Stones
Squat
Log Lift
Fingal's Fingers
Pillars of Hercules

With the promise getting a pro card for winning the lightweight or the heavyweight class, the 2005 NAS US Nationals will be held on November 5 at the Kentucky Convention Center, Dione Wessels told IronMind today.

In the United States, NAS is the gateway to getting the competition and recognition you need to make it to the pro ranks in strongman and last year's heavyweight winner, Travis Ortmayer, has already gone on to have an impact on the pro circuit this year.

Wessels said that she expects approximately 100 competitors at this year's NAS nationals and for details about how to qualify for the NAS nationals, please email Dione Wessels: dione@nastrongman.com

Todd Kartchner told IronMind that he will holding the 2005 USAWA Eric Townsend Memorial Southwest Gripfest in Tempe, Arizona on November 5.

"Captain of Crush Eric Townsend passed away last year," Kartchner said. "He and I were going to put on a grip competition together, and now that he's gone, it seems appropriate to hold one in his honor."

"The events will include handgrippers, two hand pinch, one hand deadlift with 2-inch diameter barbell, rectangular fix, one hand vertical lift, and middle-fingers deadlift. A barbeque lunch will be served, and there will be an informal bending competition during lunch as well," said Kartchner.

For more details, please contact Todd Kartchner at: traditionalstrongman@hotmail.com.

The Diesel Crew's Jim Smith said that with a week to go, all the pieces are coming together for the 2005 Global Grip Challenge.

Smith mentioned that Richard Sorin, the first man certified on a No. 3 Captains of Crush gripper and an inspiration to countless grip guys, will be there and, "serving as a guest judge in some events."

Jim Smith and his partner Jedd Johnson have been working hard make this contest a big success, and Smith said, "The winner will be someone who possesses overall hand strength as the events points are weighted evenly."

Bob Lipinski and Brian Carlton are forging ahead with the grip federation they are forming.

Brian Carlton had initially told IronMind that he and Bob were, "in the process of developing a small grip federation. Nothing fancy for now. We just want to get together a loose group of contest promoters, share a general list of lifts, records, and rules of performance. We can see what any additional needs might be from there if it takes off. Bob and I are still in the early discussion phase of this, but I think that we're onto something good that won't get bogged down in complications and minutiae."

Well, things are moving forward, and Bob added that, "work is going steadily on the proposed grip federation. Brian and I are in the process of drafting up a set of rules, and should be done shortly." Bob also mentioned the list of US grip competitions that is posted at

http://www.powerandbulk.com/id14.html

and said that this should not be seen as the finished product, explaining, "it is a start, though!"

Canadian Federation of Strength Athletics President Hugo Girard held a press conference earlier today in Quebec City explaining why his group, "does not recognize IFSA Strongman as the governing body of strongman," or the upcoming IFSA contest in Quebec, "as the world championships of strongman."

Strongman competitors and fans have been torn as the sport has split into a handful of groups this year - the principal players are IFSA Strongman and the World's Strongest Man Super Series.

Unquestionably, World's Strongest Man is the most recognized strongman contest, and as even more than the leading brand name, for years it has served as and has been recognized within the field as the world championships to such a degree that strongmen typically have referred to it as simply, "Worlds."

IFSA Strongman emerged this year with a master plan for recasting the sport on a much grander scale and, most observers would say, by relying heavily on the WWE model.

In today's press conference, Girard explained that his purpose was not to undermine the IFSA contest, but to clarify who would and would not be there, especially since the top Canadian strongmen would be competing in this year's World's Strongest Man contest, not the IFSA World Championships.

IFSA Strongman has just released, "the confirmed list of athletes" for its upcoming world championships.

1. Zydrunas Savickas
2. Raimonds Bergmanis
3. Vasyl Virastyuk
4. Magnus Samuelsson
5. Andrus Murumets
6. Tomi Lotta
7. Mikhail Koklyaev
8. Igor Pedan
9. Robert Szchpanski
10. Svend Karlsen
11. Vidas Blekaitis
12. Phil Pfister
13. Travis Ortmayer
14. Karl Gillingham
15. Geoff Dolan
16. Mark Felix

This contest is scheduled for September 24 - 25, in Quebec City.

John Brookfield literally wrote the book on grip training and since he's also been doing a lot of kettlebell training lately, it's not surprising that he's got something new that combines the two interests.


Snapping keys in half while balancing a sledgehammer, John Brookfield entertains the crowd at the 2005 IRONMAN Pro (Pasadena, California). Randall J. Strossen, Ph.D. photo.

Follow John's advice and while we can't guarantee that you will close a No. 3 Captains of Crush gripper, we will guarantee that you'll be a lot stronger than you were before:

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Everyone who lifts, or is an official, will have multiple opportunities to either cut corners or to do things right.

This isn't exactly the stuff you usually read about in lifting circles, but Steve Jeck, as you might have the privilege of knowing, is not an ordinary lifting guy. Check it out, and see what Steve has unearthed in that famous quarry of his:

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Heartland Armwrestling is hosting a tournament in Omaha, Nebraska this Saturday, offering, "prayer and compassion for our brothers and sisters in the South," and some serious pulling for all who are interested in competing or just enjoying the action.

There are classes for everyone in what is being billed as, "the best event in the Midwest." Please email armwrestle@aol.com for contest details.

Incidentally, showing that the name of her organization, Heartland Armwrestling, is more than a geographical term, Mary McConnaughey is reported forgoing a trip to the World Armwrestling Championships and hoping to spend two weeks working in the South instead, helping with the Katrina relief efforts.

He's been trying for six years and today he succeeded: Jessen Paulin won the 2005 Canada's Strongest Man competition, and for an encore, he's on his way to the World's Strongest Man contest.

"I am very proud of Jessen," said Hugo Girard, the very man who has had an unshakeable grip on the title, but who was forced to the sidelines this year as the result of a torn Achilles tendon.

Run in conjunction with the Gatineau, Quebec Hot Air Balloon Festival, this three-day competition drew a crowd of approximately 8,000 each day, and things got off to a roaring start when Californian Ken Brown was invited up to take a shot at the Silver Dollar Deadlift record. Ken made his mark on this lift four years ago, so it was especially well received when he blasted through the 500-kg barrier on the lift that was run on equipment made to the specifications of the famous event used in the World's Strongest Man contest, and, adding to the luster of Brown's success, Girard said everything was weighed and run under the expert eye of international strongman referee Marc Lauzon.

The top places in the Canadian national title were in constant flux and, "nothing was certain until the final event," Girard pointed out, but when the dust had settled, the top five were:

1. Jessen Paulin
2. Travis Lyndon
3. Dominic Filiou
4. Steve Bourgeois
5. Christian Savoie

Jessen Paulin and Dominic Filou had already qualified for the 2005 World's Strongest Man contest, and just in case you ever doubted Quebec's special role in the strength world, it should be noted that four of the top five finishers in this year's Canada's Strongest Man Contest were Quebecers, as Hugo Girard pointed out with pride.

Returning to competition in impressive form, Jarek Dymek won the 2005 Europe's Strongest Man competition in what was called, "a very tough and competitive" contest.

"The level of competition has definitely been raised," Odd Haugen said, pointing to how, in the farmer's walk, seven athletes completed the 30-meter (100-foot) course with 175 kg (385 pounds) in each hand, with Janne Virtanen winning the event in a world record time of 15:94!"

Final places were:

1. Jarek Dymek (Poland)
2. Janne Virtanen (Finland)
3. Michael Starov (Ukraine)
4. Slawomir Tomcek (Poland)
5. Raivis Vidzis (Latvia)
6. Alexander Pekanov (Ukraine)
7. Odd Haugen (Norway)
8. Ralf Ber (Austria)

Ryan Vierra and Shannon Hartnett each added another victory to their impressive records as champions at Pleasanton, with Vierra picking up his sixth overall title and Hartnett getting her 15th, as she has, quite simply, won every single year there has been a women's class.


Taking her final throw, Shannon Hartnett - who opened the door to Highland Games Heavy Events for women and who is an inspiration to many people - hammers the field one last time at Pleasanton, California. Randall J. Strossen, Ph.D. photo.

Coming off his win at the World Championships, Ryan Vierra was the man to beat in the Open Class, and also based on the results from Fergus, Sean Betz was favored to push Ryan the hardest. And that's how things turned out, with Vierra taking the win with 16.5 points, followed by Betz in second, with 20 points, and Ken Lowther taking third, with 34 points.

Earlier, Shannon Hartnett had announced that this would be her final Highland Games - Hartnett is Highland Games for women, because she not only opened the door, but she also has proved to be virtually unbeatable since she first walked onto the field.

In a special awards ceremony for the woman whose fame and influence far exceed even her longest throws, Shannon, who was showered with accolades, thanked Jan DeSoto for introducing her to the Highland Games and her parents, "for always being there for me."

Canadian strongman fans are getting an eyeful this weekend at the Canada's Strongest Man contest, and California's Ken Brown has contributed to the huge performances by absolutely demolishing the world record in the silver dollar deadlift.

As reported by Samuel Dube, Ph.D., the action has been consistently outstanding:

"[Last night] Ken Brown shattered his own world record of 1062.5 pounds in the silver dollar deadlift set nearly four years ago to the day here in Gatineau, Quebec, Canada.

In front of an awestruck crowd at the Casino de Lac Lemy, and as part the 2005 Canada's Strongest Man Contest weekend at the annual Gatineau Hot Air Balloon Festival, Ken made short work of 1071 pounds in front of international referee Marc Lauzon. Then, instead of attempting 1100 pounds the requisite additional weight was added to bring the aggregate to 500 kg (just over 1102 pounds) which he absolutely destroyed for a second world record in the span of five minutes!

Prior to this historic lift, Hugo Girard casually pressed a [standard] replica Inch Dumbbell to full lockout for five reps with his right arm. Hugo, who is taking time off from competing to recover from his torn Achilles tendon at the Arnold this year, still made his presence felt at the Canadian's through some announcing, much to the jubilation of the crowd.

With two days left in the contest, the battle appears to be between Travis Lyndon, Jessen Paulin, and Dominic Filiou. Dominic also set a new World Record in the Viking Press (300 lbs. at the handles in the form of a Harley Davidson motorcycle) with, 29 reps (yes, twenty-nine repetitions!). (I believe the previous record was held by Hugo with 22 reps.)"