Saturday morning, Hugo Girard did an exhibition for Harley Davidson and then later in the day, he was off to the DeWalt Night of Champions, which he organized and where, incidentally, he benched 740 pounds, and in a couple of days, he'll be on his way to compete in the WSMSS Mohegan Sun Grand Prix.

It's quite a schedule that Hugo Girard maintains, but he seems to be thriving on it. The 740 was a PR bench for Girard and - get this - he's not even in the peak strength period of his training cycle, as he has his sights fixed on really hitting his stride in September, for the MET-Rx World's Strongest Man contest.

"It's been almost a year and half," Girard said, since he was injured at the 2005 Arnold Strongman competition, so "I'm starting all over again . . . it's almost like being brand new [to the sport]." His modesty aside, Girard is coming off setting a world record on the Inch Dumbbell and now his PR bench press, so when he admits to being "fairly strong everywhere," it sounds like an understatement.

The personable powerhouse will be in the star lineup of strongmen competing at the Mohegan Sun on June 1, so if you are there, and come to the meet and greet area immediately following the contest, you can say hello in person - maybe ask Hugo for tip on boosting your pressing power while you have the chance.

Ken Brown made a powerful impression on MILO guys with his spectacular debut at the 1997 US Strongest Man contest, where he tried to dent a flatbed with his chin on the loading event, got knocked down, but picked himself up and finished the event; and Ken has gone on to make his name synonymous with world record silver dollar deadlifts.

Tonight was no exception, as Ken Brown blasted away on the signature strongman event for big pullers, and he picked up where he had left off in 2005 when he pulled an even 500 kg (1102-1/2 pounds) at the strongman contest run in conjunction with the Gatineau Hot Air Balloon Festival.

The setting was perfect for a huge lift as once again, Quebecers proved their love of strength with approximately 3,500 fans attending the DeWalt Night of Champions in Quebec City's Les Galere De La Capital in what Hugo Girard described as an "non-stop action event." This contest alternated powerlifting with boxing, as a three-round boxing match was held after the squat, another one after the bench press and a third one after the deadlift. That would have been enough for a great night's entertainment, but wait, who's this guy from California, the guy who's quiet because his deadlifts tell the story for him.

Ken Brown called for 1111 pounds on his first attempt, for a good lift and a new world record. Ken took 1161 on his second lift, got it to about mid-thigh, but the elevated platform was flexing under the load, Girard said, and the lift was no good, and with the new world record in hand, Ken called it a night.

Incidentally, whereas some strongman events are run with a decidedly imperfect understanding of what the implements weigh, once again, this silver dollar deadlift was was done by the books: the boxes and bar had previously been weighed, and IPF-certified Ivanko plates were used to make up the required total poundage; and the actual lifts were officiated by Marc Lauzon, Head Referee for the Canadian Federation of Strength Athletes and a well-known, highly-respected figure in international strongman circles.

Powerlifting, boxing and a world record silver dollar deadlift - the DeWalt Night of Champions cut no corners in building a great show in Quebec City tonight.

With a beautiful day to help celebrate his birthday, Glenn Ross, who is still nursing an injured shoulder, managed a strong second place performance, as Ralf Ber won the World Strongmancup competition in Armagh, Ireland today.

World Strongmancup Manager Martin Muhr said that it was "a good competition with a lot of good guys . . . about 2500 spectators . . . it started in the rain, but then we had beautiful weather. This was not a typical strongman contest," Muhr added. "Not a lot of moving around."

The top five were:

1. Ralf Ber
2. Glenn Ross
3. Tarmo Mitts
4. Dominic Filiou
5. Raivis Vidzis

For full results, please check the official World Strongmancup website: http://www.world-strongmancup.at/laender.htm

The next stop in this year's World Strongman cup tour is Minsk, Belarus in three weeks. "All the top guys will be there," Muhr said.

In another step indicating both the expansion of weightlifting at the Arnold and the Arnold's role as a major sports festival, Jim Lorimer, the longtime partner of California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger in this eponymous event, and Wes Barnett, USAW Executive Director, have said it's official: USA Weightlifting will hold a World Team Qualifier at the 2007 Arnold.


See top American weightlifters like Robert Murphy at the 2007 Arnold as they compete for positions on the US team going to the World Weightlifting Championships, which is an Olympic Qualifying Event. Randall J. Strossen, Ph.D. photo.

Wes Barnett confirmed that this has been approved by the USA Weightlifting Board of Directors, and he went on to say, "The reason the 2007 World Championships is significant is because these Championships will be used to determine the number of Olympic slots each country qualifies for at the 2008 Olympic Games.� Selecting the best possible team for this event is imperative and this raises the importance of the events used to select the World Team."

Jim Lorimer and Governor Schwarzenegger have been enthusiastic supporters of weightlifting at the Arnold, as the sport's presence has expanded in the last two years to include Olympic medalists drawn from around the world, and now for 2007, a top-level meet run under the direction of the sport's National Governing Body is on the program.

Showing both his enthusiasm for and commitment to this latest addition to the weightlifting program at the Arnold Sports Festival, Jim Lorimer said, "We look forward to working with Wes Barnett and the USA Weightlifting Board in presenting a great, high-visibility contest."

IronMind would like to pass along contact information for several strongman-related sites that are either new or that were recently brought to our attention.


Want to learn how to handle problem situations? Ever heard of the Pudzian Academy? Three-time World's Strongest Man winner Mariusz Pudzianowski is in the bodyguard business. Randall J. Strossen, Ph.D. photo.

First, the USSF, which was formed with the intention of doing such things as offering prize money for "amateur" strongmen competing in the US, now has its site up and running, so athletes, fans and sponsors can follow its development:

http://ussfstrong.com/modules/news/

Second, based in Holland, here's a non-commercial site that has quite a list of links, so if you are looking for places to go on the Internet, this site might be a great resource for you, wherever you might live:

http://sterksteman.startpagina.nl/

And, third, if you are looking for a career in security, how about getting trained in "close protection" at the Pudzian Academy, established with three-time World's Strongest Man winner Mariusz Pudzianowski. Here's the Polish version:

http://www.pudzianacademy.pl/

And here's the English version:

http://www.pudzianacademy.pl/index.php?fr=welcome&lg=en

You don't have to be a Harvard Ph.D. to figure out that lifting big weights involves pain, but Jim Schmitz takes things a little further this month in his column, Schmitz on the Lifts.


He's all smiles now, but this gold medal 211-kg snatch made by Evgeni Tchigishev (Russia) at the 2005 World Weightlifting Championships (Doha, Qatar) was described by Jim Schmitz as being one of the hardest snatches he's ever seen. That's only part of the pain associated with a lift like this, and pain - different kinds of pain - is what Jim Schmitz's latest column is about. Randall J. Strossen, Ph.D. photo.

Good, bad or someplace in between, lifting pains come in different forms and here's a guide to pain that will help you lift more. To read the latest from Jim Schmitz, either follow the link from the IronMind home page or click here:

http://www.ironmind.com/ironcms/export/IronMind/Lifts/lifts.html

The 1990 IronMind catalog included a two-inch handle for doing one-hand deadlifts - seemingly a lot of onesie-twosie, but the point of it was that a big number on a one-hand deadlift using a two-inch bar was a classic test of grip strength. And based on who had done what, we echoed David Willoughby's question, "Is there a man in the world today who can do a One Hand Dead Lift of 340 pounds on a 2-inch bar"

What we soon learned was that having a non-rotating handle made all the difference, and to capture the essence of this feat of strength - i.e., to maintain its spirit as a test of grip strength - the handle needed to revolve, so in 1993 IronMind developed and introduced the Rolling Thunder to address this requirement.

In 2005 we wrote, "As the product evolved, we found out that some guys were defeating the purpose of the lift by cupping the handle in a cocked wrist, effectively eliminating the element of grip which was the lift's raison d'etre - this made as much sense to us as it would to use this tool with a lifting strap, but that's a different story." And that's why a thumbless grip is not permitted on this lift.

Because the Rolling Thunder is 2-3/8 inches, we whittled down David Willoughby's target and reframed the question in terms of a 300-pound challenge: Nobody's ever hit the 300-pound mark on the Rolling Thunder, at least not officially, so given the increased interest in grip strength over the years that IronMind has been in the field, in 2004 we offered a $300-dollar IronMind gift certificate to the first person who did it in an official contest before the end of that year (December 31, 2004).

And now, with some big lifts looming on the horizon, here's something official (and accurate) to grab onto: IronMind is extending this offer through the end of this year, so be the first person to pull this weight as specified before December 31, 2006 and you'll earn a $300 IronMind gift certificate, not to mention some mighty major bragging rights in the world of grip strength.

"The Global Grip Challenge is once again upon us," the Diesel Crew told IronMind.

"The 2006 installment should be bigger and better than ever! The Grip athletes will be chasing world records in the three of the five events - 2 Hand Pinch, Vertical Bar and Rolling Thunder. A Blob load and Gripper event will round out the five."

This contest is being held at Richard Sorin's facility in Irmo, South Carolina on June 24 and while it is not being billed as a world championships, it promises to draw some of the strongest handed guys around, and the contest itself is part of a larger day of guys getting together and having a good time at Richard's place.

Besides running this contest, the Diesel Crew - aka Jim Smith and Jedd Johnson - have been busy bringing grip training to other parts of the strength world. Jedd Johnson told IronMind, "This weekend, we are headed to Pittsburgh, PA for the Kumite Classic. We will be hosting our World Series of Grip, featuring the Inch [dumbbell], the Blob, York 45 hub, and your [Captains of Crush] grippers." For details on this and other Diesel Crew developments, please check their website: http://www.dieselcrew.com/

For ten years, the USAA Pro-Am has sparkled at the Tahoe Biltmore Lodge and Casino in Crystal Bay, Nevada on the shore of Lake Tahoe, and this year, USAA President Leonard Harkless explained to IronMind, a new contest "The Brawl for it All" is being introduced in what is becoming a historic spot in the world of arm wrestling.


Kenny Hughes (right) digs for all he's got and primes himself for a Crest commercial, but it wasn't enough to hold off masters puller Bob Wardrip at the 2004 Crystal Bay contest. Randall J. Strossen, Ph.D. photo.

From around the world, the top guns in the sport have made their way to Crystal Bay and this year will be no exception - especially because this is the second qualifier for those prized slots at the 2007 Arnold. And for the women who are battling it out at the table, there is some more good news for next year's Arnold: Leonard Harkless said that in addition to the women's 143-pound and under class, a 144 - 176 pound class has been added, so any women who weigh in accordingly at Crystal Bay this year will have a chance to earn a space in the 2007 Arnold roster in this new category.

The 1st Annual Brawl For It All is June 10 - 11 at the Tahoe Biltmore Lodge & Casino in Crystal Bay, Nevada - about a half hour drive from Reno. Over $12,000 in cash and prizes will be awarded and for all the details, please check http://usarmwrestling.com/

Magnus Samuelsson told IronMind today that he has done 27 exhibitions in the last 21 days, which should give you an idea of the popularity and marketability enjoyed by this World's Strongest Man winner.


Magnus Samuelsson warms up with some deadlifts at the 2004 MET-Rx World's Strongest Man contest. Randall J. Strossen, Ph.D. photo.

Magnus said that despite this grueling schedule, he had been managing to stay in pretty good shape and one of the things he was doing was deadlifts out in parking lots since he said that he carries a bar and 300 kg of plates with him in the back of his truck. Unfortunately, the guy known to many as "The Giant Swede," tweaked something in his back on a recent set, but he said that expects to return to 100-percent form and beyond in the near future.

Set in Armagh, which is Ireland's oldest city, World Strongmancup Manager Martin Muhr said this weekend's competition is being promoted by Glenn Ross, who is also the birthday boy on May 27.


Glenn Ross was coming off injuries at this year's Arnold, but when he's healthy, he is one of the guys we would expect to put major pressure on the Circus Dumbbell. Randall J. Strossen, Ph.D. photo.

Martin Muhr said the starting field is: Svend Karlsen, Raivis Vidzis, Tarmo Mitt, Ralf Ber, Franz Beil, Glenn Ross, Francis Kirby, Terry Hollands, Andy Ciarney, Dominic Filiou and Dale Norris. The events are:

1. Squat: 280 kg for reps
2. Deadlift: for reps, two cars
3. Flag Hoist for time (this is like the Giant Fishing Pole used at Muscle Beach)
4. Grip event, such as holding two cars for time
5. Medley: with an event called the "Railway Walk" (something like the Timber Carry used at the Arnold) and a stone carry
6. Apollon's Axle: for maximum weight

When we introduced the Rolling Thunder in the 1993 IronMind catalog, we asked the question: "How can something a mere 2-3/8" in diameter cause the knees to shake in so many really strong men"


Odd Haugen, consistently a top performer on the Rolling Thunder, pulls 236 pounds on his way to winning the 2003 US Rolling Thunder National Championships. Randall J. Strossen, Ph.D. photo.

And we began to ask whether there was anyone on the planet who could lift three hundred pounds on the benchmark feat of hand strength.

True, it doesn't hurt to have a large hand on this or any other thick handled feat of grip strength, but the advantage of the Rolling Thunder is that technique really goes out the window - you grab the handle, squeeze, and if you are strong enough, you lift it. And if don't, you might get an idea of where its name came from.

Three hundred pounds has yet to be approached in a witnessed lift as the world record stands at 267 pounds, and despite some talk along the way, other than Magnus Samuelsson, IronMind doesn't know anyone who could realistically threaten it on a consistent basis. Now, however, this record might be in jeopardy, because two different people told IronMind today that they are capable of breaking this record and might aim to do it at the big grip reunion being hosted by Richard Sorin at his facility in Irmo, South Carolina on June 24, an event that appears likely to rock the grip world in more ways than one as it will feature not only Richard Sorin, the first man certified on the No. 3 Captains of Crush gripper, and a pile of other grip luminaries, but also a grip contest for everyone inclined to show that their hand strength is at least equal to their typing skills.

And now, if you needed one more reason to be there, we're hearing that the prestigious Rolling Thunder world record might be in the cross hairs.

"The contest went very well," said Dione Wessels, summing up this weekend's IFSA USA Grand Prix.


Jon Andersen, who finished third this weekend, and Magnus Ver Magnusson, who refereed, check out the ATVs. Photo courtesy of Dione Wessels.

"Events such as these are always tiring but well worth the efforts and energy spent from everyone, as it gives American athletes the experience of international competitions," Wessels said. "I must give many thanks to Ryan Myers of Oklahoma Strongman, since it was his vision that started this competition generated from a single phone call. We are meeting later this week to start promotions for next year, with hopes of making this a yearly event that gets bigger and better each year in America."

Zydrunas Savickas took home the title and $6,000 for his efforts, as he won the World Strongman Challenge in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

IFSA USA President reported, "Zydrunas was first with 87 points, Derek Poundstone second with 68 points, and Jon Andersen third with 67.5 points. Van Hatfield gutted out 10 reps, and Zydrunas blasted out 11 reps. Tommy Lotta won the Conans Wheel by a landslide and Zydrunas was second. Derek Poundstone won the tire flip-sled drag medley and Zydrunas was second. Marshall White won the Atlas Stones with 23 seconds, Zydrunas was second, and Derek Poundstone was third."

Pouring it on and following one personal record with another, Casey Burgener (USA) won the superheavyweight class at the Pan American Weightlifting Championships today in Guatemala City.

Burgener got some attention at last year's World Weightlifting Championships when he snatched 175 kg, and cleaned and jerked 215 kg - he racked 220, but could not stand up with the weight. Continuing to improve, the young American started his day at the Pan Ams today with a PR snatch of 177 kg and then on his second attempt, he cleaned and jerked 220 kg, for a PR jerk, a PR total, and the Pan Am superheavyweight title.

Burgener continues to improve and his father, Coach Mike Burgener, when asked, told IronMind that he predicts Casey will break through the 400-kg barrier at this year's World Weightlifting Championships.

The action continues in the World Strongman Challenge tonight, with Zydrunas Savickas holding a nine-point lead, Dione Wessels told IronMind.

Wessels filed this summary of yesterday's competition.

"The log medley was the first event. After many attempts from athletes on the four logs, Zydrunas was the only athlete to get all four logs. The logs were 300, 325, 350, and 400 pounds. Zydrunas easily pressed 400 as though it were 200. Van Hatfield was second, followed by Derek Poundstone.

The second event was the car squat using the Chevy SS Malibu. Most athletes failed this event, with only Jon Andersen and Zydrunas succeeding in the event. Jon won the event with 10 repetitions, and Zydrunas had 4 repetitions.

The final event for day one was the farmer's walk and power stair medley. Zydrunas was first, with Derek Poundstone in second, followed by Travis Ortmayer in third.

Day two starts tonight at 7PM with four more events to go."

Calling it "the greatest Norway's Strongest Man ever, despite terrible weather," Odd Haugen told IronMind that Svend Karlsen had to fight his way back on the last event to recapture the lead from Arild Haugen today.

With a crowd of over 1,000 braving the rain, the competitors battled conditions so bad that Odd Haugen said the tire flip was "like flipping ice cubes." Arild Haugen, who is no relation to Odd, was described as looking like "a taller version of Mariusz [Pudzianowski]," and his performance was so noteworthy that he reportedly has garnered an invitation to a World Strongmancup competition, and, Odd Haugen said, he will be invited to a WSM Super Series event as well.

The top four final places were:

1. Svend Karlsen
2. Arild Haugen
3. Reider Kvale
4. Odd Haugen

"This was a big step forward for strongman in Norway," Odd Haugen said.

You read what Bill Kazmaier said about the lineup at the WSM Mohegan Sun Grand Prix, and here's your chance to meet the guys in person, right after the competition.


Karl Gillingham, shown at the 1999 Beauty and the Beast competition (Honolulu, Hawaii), said that he's really looking forward to seeing all the guys again: "This is a really special contest, with all those World's Strongest Man winners . . . plus, it's the opening chance to qualify for this year's World's Strongest Man contest." Come to the Mohegan Sun on June 1 and you can meet Karl Gillingham in person. Randall J. Strossen, Ph.D. photo.

IronMind and the Mohegan Sun will be hosting a meet-and-greet immediately following the competition, so here's a once in a lifetime opportunity to get an autograph, ask a training question or get your picture taken with your favorite strongman.

Talk about big names, look at the start list:

Mariusz Pudzianowski
Magnus Samuelsson
Svend Karlsen
Janne Virtanen
Hugo Girard
Jesse Marunde
Terry Hollands
David Ostlund
Karl Gillingham
Mark Philippi
Josh Thigpen
Kevin Nee
Odd Haugen
Dominic Filiou

And as if that's not enough, Bill Kazmaier will be there as well, so get a ticket and plan to be at the Mohegan Sun on June 1 - for the contest and for the meet-and-greet right after the competition.

Saying that it "offers a friendly format for presenting weightlifting to the public," David Goldstom told IronMind that the Thor Cup demonstrated a way to popularize the sport most people only hear about in the context of the summer Olympics.


Superstars such as Pyrros Dimas (Greece) competing at the Olympics will always be the crown jewels of the sport, but David Goldstrom feels that events such as the Thor Cup will do much to promote weightlifting and broaden the appeal of the sport. Randall J. Strossen, Ph.D. photo.

David Goldstrom, who is the Creative Director of London-based Television in Europe, developed the concept of having national teams compete in a round system, where each team had three lifters with a combined bodyweight of no more than 280 kg and, quite simply, the team that lifted the most won.

Continuing to think of what might make the sport more appealing, Goldstrom staged the Thor Cup in the Winter Garden Performance Arena of the Smaralind Mall in Reykjavik - a setting that had eye appeal and a live audience to draw from. Icelandic TV provided two hours of coverage, and Goldstrom said that the audience was captivated by what they saw - so much so that Goldstrom is convinced he has seen the beginning of what could flourish into a team world cup tournament.

Final results from the Thor Cup were:

1. Finland 932 kg
2. Norway 902
3. Sweden 883
4. Denmark 816
5. Iceland 598

Summing up the reaction of the participants, Anders Nielsen, who coached the Danish team, called it a "fantastic competition" and said that the way the team was treated "was most impressive." His bottom line? "If anything like this ever shows up again just let us know - we will be there!"

Not wasting any time framing the upcoming Mohegan Sun Grand Prix, Bill Kazmaier told IronMind, "It's the greatest strongman event in recent history in America."


The cock of the walk: Bill Kazmaier at the 1997 US Strongest Man contest (Primm, Nevada). Randall J. Strossen, Ph.D. photo.

"The class of the field, the events, and the setting" all figured into the Kaz's assessment. "With every World's Strongest Man winner since 1997 except for Vasyl Viriastyuk competing," nothing else compares, said Kazmaier, modestly overlooking the fact that since he has just been named the emcee, the luster of the field has gone up yet another notch, as among other accomplishments, the Kaz won World's Strongest Man in 1980, 1981 and 1982.

Saying that he regards the competitors as being "kings of all that they survey," adding "it is their world," the Kaz was also quick to praise the Mohegan Sun Casino (Uncasville, Connecticut), both for the magnificent setting it provides and for the exceptional way it treats the competitors.

The Mohegan Sun Grand Prix is June 1 and it is part of the WSMSS, which is the qualification system for the 2006 World's Strongest Man contest.

What are you chasing and how badly do you want it?

Whether it's five more pounds in the squat, finally closing the Captains of Crush gripper that has defied your best efforts for months, or maybe completing the degree that's been on hold for the longest time, how badly do you really want it?

Our resident philosopher, Steve "Inver Stone" Jeck poses the question and gives an answer, and if you haven't been making the kind of progress that you think you'd like, read up and re-evaluate your efforts.

Follow the Steve Jeck's From the Quarry link on the IronMind home page, or click here:

http://www.ironmind.com/ironcms/export/IronMind/Main/fromthequarry.html

Describing his current form as being about "90%," Hossein Rezazadeh (Iran)told IronMind today that the World Weightlifting Championships will be his next contest this year, and his goal there is to add to his mighty pile of gold medals, first, and second, to break his own world records.


We call him the King of the Jungle: Two-time Olympic gold medalist Hossein Rezazadeh (Iran) holds all three world records in the superheavyweight category, so for him, snatching this 210 kg at the 2005 World Weightlifting Championships (Doha, Qatar) was just another day in the office. Randall J. Strossen, Ph.D. photo.

Hossein Rezazadeh competed in the recent Asian Inter-Club Championships (Tashkent, Uzbekistan), where he did a routine 195/240, and he said that his training right now is still quite easy, and he is not pushing hard yet.

What's easy for Hossein Rezazadeh would be someplace between wholly impossible and merely knee buckling for almost everyone else in the world, as he is snatching 200 kg, cleaning and jerking 250 kg, and doing [Olympic] weightlifting style back squats with 370 kg.

Following the World Weightlifting Championships, in September, Hossein Rezazadeh said that he plans to lift at the Asian Games, in December, so we predict that by the end of the year, Hossein Rezazadeh will have rewritten the record book . . . again.

Telling IronMind, "I planned to give my brain a break this year," two-time IPF superheavyweight world champion Brad Gillingham might have forgotten to pass this message to the rest of his body because he's coming off a 390-kg (859-pound) masters world record deadlift at the recent USAPL Masters National Championships.


Two-time IPF world champion pulls a masters world record 859 at the USAPL Masters National Championships. Lea Hendrix photo.

Gillingham not only erased the old record, which had stood at 370 kg, but his 390 also marks his biggest-ever official deadlift, and what better place to do it than in what was his 51st drug-tested competition?

And just because he did this masters meet, don't think that's the only place you'll see Brad Gillingham from now on. "I'm not done with open meets . . . I might go pull a big deadlift somewhere," he said.

Not one to beat his own chest, Jim Davis won't just come out and tell you what a great job he's doing pulling together the pieces for the Fourth of July strongman show he is organizing in St. Charles, Missouri, but you can get the picture if you ask the question sideways.


Jesse Marunde working the crowd at Jim Davis's 2003 Extreme Strongman Challenge (St. Louis, Missouri). Randall J. Strossen, Ph.D. photo.

"They're on fire," he said, without a moment's hesitation, when asked how the top strongmen he's bringing to town are reacting to his contest. Davis said that one of the athletes is so stoked about this competition that he calls Jim nearly every day.

It hasn't all been easy, though, as Davis, who stretched himself to the limit trying to put on strongman contests a few years ago, still remembers how tough things were: He'd spend the day walking and talking to raise money, which is why his contests helped to elevate prize money for athletes to new levels, levels that have been increasingly scarce since Davis left strongman.

Jim Davis was always a breed apart, not just because he could walk into the room and instantly command attention and respect, but also because his motivation for being in strongman was not focussed on personal gain: Davis raised money for the Children's Miracle Network and rather than directing dollars into his pockets by riding on the backs of the athletes, whenever he had a few dollars, he tried to pay all the others in line first, and if there there was anything left, that's where his modest cut came from. Davis's great spirit was recognized by people, which is why a lot of guys rallied around him, willing to stretch themselves, too, in the hope that better days, financially, were coming.

And all of that just seems fuzzy and nice, come to St. Charles, Missouri this Fourth of July and get ready to rock as Karl Gillingham, Hugo Girard, Svend Karlsen, Mark Philippi, Jesse Marunde and Phil Pfister come to town.

Odd Haugen will be competing along with Svend Karlsen and "eight others for the biggest NSM ever!" Lene Karlsen told IronMind.


NSM 2006 on May 20 promises to be the best ever. Poster courtesy of Svend and Lene Karlsen.

"Norway has received an invitation from the Ukraine for a team competition, so things are looking bright for strongman in Norway now," Karlsen added. "We are also going to have a Norway versus Sweden competition later this year with the top six from each country. Both Svend and Magnus [Samuelsson] will be present."

"For Norway's Strongest Man, Martin Muhr is the judge, and Svend will compete in World Strongmancup for Martin in both Belfast and Germany later this year. It's funny, but the The Viking [Svend Karlsen] has not been this fully booked since he won WSM 2001 and now he plans to retire!"

Don't forget, even if you can't make it to Norway this month, you will have a chance to see Svend Karlsen and Magnus Samuelsson at the WSMSS Mohegan Sun Grand Prix on June 1.

USSF President Ty Phillips told IronMind that his newly-founded amateur strongman federation will have its website up and running in the next two weeks, and in the meantime, he has some shows already planned.

Phillips said that USSF contests will include the following:

Beltane Celtic Highland Games (Hartville, Ohio), May 13
Brigadoon Celtic Games (Burton, Ohio), July 15
Earthquake on the Lake (Cleveland, Ohio), August 19
Cleveland's Strongest Man (Cleveland, Ohio), TBD
Ohio's Strongest Man, TBD

"The response as a whole has been very positive," Phillips told IronMind. "I have received a lot of support from many athletes." Phillips also said, "Of course people can cross affiliate between USSF and any other sanctioning body they like."

IronMind has received official confirmation of the dates and location for the 2006 MET-Rx World's Strongest Man contest, so mark your calendars and even if you can't be there in person, get ready to cheer for your favorite big guy.

Once again, a qualifying round will kick off the competition, and this year the qualifiers will be September 14 - 17. Following several days of rest, the battle for the most-valued bragging rights in the strongman world begin afresh: the 2006 MET-Rx World's Strongest Man finals are scheduled for September 21 - 23.

The site for this WSM 2006 is Sanya, China, and if you want to brush up on who's done what, and when, in WSM, be sure to visit the new official WSM website:

http://www.theworldsstrongestman.com/

World's Strongest Man isn't just the numero uno contest in the field - it created the field; and now the leader in strongman has an official website for WSM fans and competitors alike.


World's Strongest Man began in 1977 and has drawn big names from many corners of the strength world - instead of merely lifting barbells, these big, strong guys did things like pull trucks, lift stones and logs, and carry refrigerators, to the delight of millions of TV viewers worldwide. Mariusz Pudzianowski, shown in the truck pull at the 2004 World's Strongest Man contest, is a three-time winner of this competition - long considered the world championships of strongman - and has to be the favorite for this year's competition. Randall J. Strossen, Ph.D. photo.

The site currently includes such things as past results and event descriptions, so whether you are new to strongman or have already become addicted, here's a feeding ground that is perfectly suited to your interests:

http://www.theworldsstrongestman.com/

IronMind understands that the site as it now stands is merely the first phase, so check back if you're interested in World's Strongest Man, aptly described by an insider as being, "the oldest and most successful strongman event ever!!!"

IronMind has just received the events for the WSMSS Mohegan Sun Grand Prix, and if you like your strongman contests heavy, with a list of name-brand competitors, you've come to the right place.


The King in his Court at the 2004 World's Strongest Man contest: Magnus Samuelsson, one of the world's top stone lifters, will be at the Mohegan Sun Grand Prix on June 1. Randall J. Strossen, Ph.D. photo.

And what less would you expect when, except for Vasyl Virastiuck, every World's Strongest Man winner since 1997 will be on hand - from Jouko Ahola to Mariusz Pudzianowski.

Here are the events, in order:

1. Frame carry (like the Timber walk used at the Arnold): 840 pounds
2. Axle Clean and Press: 300 pounds for reps
3. Car deadlift: +800 pounds for reps
4. Conan's Wheel
5. Stones: ranging from 285 to 420 pounds (six stones)
6. Medley: Fingal's finger, tire flip and yoke

The Mohegan Sun Grand Prix is on June 1 in Uncasville, Connecticut and two days later, the AOBS dinner is in Saddlebrook, New Jersey, so get your tickets and plan to attend both events.

Kurtis Bowler told IronMind, "Mt. Rainier's Strongest Man, to benefit the Fragile X Research Foundation, will be held August 5th, at The Old Cannery in Sumner, Washington."

"Check-in and weigh-ins will begin at 9am with the first event to begin at 10:30. The events, in order, are:

1.� Tire Flip, 100-foot course, 90-second maximum time limit
2.� Overhead Keg Press, for reps, 90-second time limit
3.� Double decker bus pull, 100-foot course, 90-second time limit
4. �Farmer's walk, 200-foot course, one turn, for distance or fastest time, 90� seconds
5.� Medley, including granite ball loading into or onto what, TBD.

This event is open to anyone, no federation membership is required. The entry fee is $50.� Weight classes will be under 200 pounds and 201+ pounds.� Trophies for top 3 places in each weight class will be awarded.� A percentage of the participants will be drug tested.

There will also be an open�novice division for people who wish to try the events or�play with the implements, with a trophy being awarded for best effort.� The entry fee for the novice group will be $35 and this group will start at the end of the competitive weight classes, approximately 4:00pm.

Information and registration will be available (soon!) at www.rainiercrossfit.com and our phone number is 253-686-9994."

The event will benefit Fragile X research through http://www.fraxa.org/, the Fragile X research foundation. Fragile X is the most common inherited cause of mental impairment. It is also the most common known cause of autism. It affects 1 in 4000 men and 1 in 6000 women although the numbers are sure to be higher as Fragile X is largely unknown and misdiagnosed."

Telling IronMind, "We had a perfect start in Riga," World Strongmancup Manager Martin Muhr, summed up Mariusz Pudzianowski's win by saying, "Mariusz was not from this planet."

Muhr said the contest "[drew] about 3500 people, [had] very good weather and a lineup of guys from the best in the world. We had six competitors from the Worlds last years [2005 World's Strongest Man contest] and the others are also some of the best guys in the world."

"It was a perfectly organized competition," said Muhr, "with six good events and a fight between Mariusz Pudzianowski and Raivis Vidzis, but Mariusz was not from this planet and he four events of six. But all guys show the power on the first competition this year in Riga from World Strongmancup. For the American Dave Ostlund and for the Canadian Dominic Filiou was not the best Event; the Europians are in a better shape in the beginning of the year."

"The next competition is in Belfast 27 May, with Glenn Ross and Svend Karlsen."

Final places and points were:

1. Mariusz Pudzianowski 69 points
2. Raivis Vidzis 57.5
3. Elbrus Nigmatullin 47.5
4. Tarmo Mitt 46
5. Terry Hollands 44
6. Dominic Filiou 40
7. Antanas Abrutis 35
8. Franz Beil 33
9. Dave Ostlund 31.5
10. Ralf Ber 30.5
11. Guntars Kushins 21.5
12. Oleg Dudkin 6.5

Wladyslawowo, Poland - Marcin Dolega (Poland) did his countrymen proud, snatching a world record and pocketing a pair of gold medals to close out the 2006 European Weightlifting Championships about as well as our hosts or anyone else could want.


How sweet it is: Marcin Dolega snatches a world record 199 kg on his way to victory in the 105-kg category at the European Weightlifing Championships today. Randall J. Strossen, Ph.D. photo.

With two fearsome snatchers in this class - Vladimir Smorchkov (Russia) and Marin Dolega - a big number was expected, and when Smorchkov missed 194 on his second and third attempts, the ball was passed to Marcin Dolega, who hit pay dirt with 190 kg, 193 kg and then 199 kg, for a new world and European record.

To bring home the bacon, Marcin Dolega had to try to hang on in the clean and jerk, and after a good opener with 221, thing were looking good - the pendulum quickly went the other direction, though, when he missed the jerk on 225 on his second attempt, but, knowing that this was a critical lift if he were to claim victory in the total, he dug in and made the weight on his third attempt. The only lifter really within range of overtaking Dolega was Smorchkov, and on his third attempt he called for the 234 needed to do the job - he went for it, got under the bar, stood up, jerked it, but could not lock it out, and while they certainly had been good sports about his effort, the Polish fans packing the competition hall made no bones about being happy that their man had just won the 105-kg crown.

Wladyslawowo, Poland - Instead of acting like a clown to get attention, Viktors Scherbaths just lifts heavy weights, and lets his performance speak for itself.


On his way back up with 255 kg on his final attempt, Viktors Scerbatihs cleaned this strongly but missed the jerk as he swept the supers at the European Weightlifting Championships today. Randall J. Strossen, Ph.D. photo.

Scerbatihs, the defending European champion, got off to an imperfect start today when he missed his opening snatch, 193 kg, but true to form, instead of looking at his hand, as if its sudden betrayal or failure was the cause of the missed lift, he shook his head, adjusted and came back for a very solid success with the same weight, and then he made 200 kg as surely as if the weight were on rails. He continued his workmanlike precision as he walked through 238 kg on his first attempt in the clean and jerk, did the same thing with 245 on his second attempt even though the crowd never quieted down for him, and with all the gold medals in hand, just to frost the cake, he called for 255 - he cleaned it strongly, but he didn't quite get it fixed overhead.

Silver medalist in the total, Ashot Danielyan (Armenia) also missed 193 on his first snatch, made it on his second attempt and then hit a good 200 on his third attempt. Danielyan made his opening clean and jerk, 236 kg, badly missed the jerk on his second attempt, 243 kg, and was a lot closer, but still missed the jerk on his third attempt, 246 kg. Bronze medalist in the total, Velichko Cholakov (Bulgaria) snatched 192 with, for him especially, only a short run to save it, and then 198, before missing 200. He opened with a very solid 230-kg clean and jerk, followed by a strong and easy success with 236 kg on his second attempt, and then missed racking the bar on his last attempt, 238 kg.

Wladyslawowo, Poland - On paper, the 94-kg class seemed like it would be one of the top classes at this year's European Weightlifting Championships and today's competition lived up to expectations.


He had to have it and he got it it - Nizami Pashayev (Azerbaijan) fights to keep this 216-kg jerk aloft at the European Weightlifting Championships today. Randall J. Strossen, Ph.D. photo.

This class had a lot going for it, with a field of past, present and - most likely - future stars. Coming off their impressive performances at the 2005 Junior World Championships, Arsen Kasabiev (Georgia) and Andrey Demanov (Russia) are guys to watch and, and while Demanov snatched 170 and then 176 before missing 180 kg, Kasabiev had no such good fortune - missing 167 and then 171, which he repeated and missed again.

Especially because this is Poland, a lot of eyes were on Szymon Kolecki (Poland), the lifter who seemed slated for superstardom a few years ago only to have injuries keep him from lifting the weights that had appeared to be his destiny. The snatch has never been Kolecki's preferred lift, so it wasn't surprising to him look upward and breath a sigh of relief when he sank the putt on 175 on his first attempt. That turned out to be it for Szymon's snatching tonight, though, because he missed 179 twice. It was almost a foregone conclusion that Pashayev would win the snatch and he didn't disappoint, starting after everyone else was done - hitting 180 on his first attempt, 186 on his second, and then missing 189 when he got under it, but could not fix it overhead.

Kolecki was down 11 kg on Pashaev and he was heavier, but weightlifting fans know that this guy is a clean and jerk machine, so when Pashayev missed his first two jerks, things were looking interesting. The run-up to this was that Pashayev had missed 214 on his opener, while Kolecki made fast work of the same weight on his first attempt. Pashayev repeated with 214 and touched the knee on his rear leg to the platform in his unsuccessful efforts to save the lift. After a couple of more attempts, Pashaev was back for his third and it was a do-or-die situation with 216 kg - he fought for it, made the lift, and part of his celebration included kissing the platform. Fast forward a few attempts and Kolecki was out for his second attempt, 219, which was another good lift.

Remember those two young guys? Kasabiev, who had tanked in the snatch, made 210 on his opener, never got his feet going on 216, but then made a tremendous effort to save the jerk with 220 on his third attempt and was successful. And Demanov, who had bombed in the jerk at the Junior Worlds with 204/205, nailed 211 and then 217 before making his bid to overtake Pashaev. Taking 227, all he did was deadlift it, but the thought had been there and the other thought, that Kolecki needed 228 to execute the same plan, had also been in a lot of minds, no doubt. With Kolecki called to come out for the go-ahead weight, the packed hall went nuts and Kolecki jumped from the ground onto the stage, waved to the crowd, and politely bowed out. He might not have taken home the gold today, but his silver medal and 394-kg total showed that he's back.

Wladyslawowo, Poland - Andrei Rybakou (Belarus) snatched 186 kg in the 85-kg category at the Europeans Championships today - good for a new World and European record.


On its way: 85-kg competitor Andrei Rybakou (Belarus) launches 186 kg, good for a new world record in the snatch. Randall J. Strossen, Ph.D. photo.

Early on, things were looking pretty grim in terms of the snatching in this class - there was a huge procession of missed lifts, including half a dozen at 170 kg, but with that weight locking up the silver medal in the snatch and everyone else done, Andrei Rybakou rolled out the big guns on deck and he blasted through 180 kg on his opener, missed 186 on his sccond attempt when an adjustment in the bottom position failed to save the lift, and then he took aim at the world record once more and this time, there was no doubt about it.

Even those who were counting on him to do big things in the snatch didn't look to Rybakou to do much in the clean and jerk, but he surprised a lot of people by rattling off three nice lifts: 195, 200 and 206. This was a tremendous performance for the guy who sometimes only cleaned and jerked about ten kilos more than he snatched and he was rewarded for his efforts with a new European record in the total. If he keeps snatching like this and makes a little more progress in the clean and jerk, Andrei Rybakou could be the man to beat at this year's World Weightlifting Championships.

"Things are looking good," Jim Davis told IronMind, referring to his Fourth of July strongman contest.

Set for outside St. Louis, in the historic city of St. Charles, this contest is bringing together six of the biggest names in strongman, as Davis confirmed the competitors for IronMind:

Karl Gillingham
Mark Philippi
Phil Pfister
Svend Karlsen
Hugo Girard
Jesse Marunde

The contest is set for July 3 - 4 and this is a great place to bring the whole family and a pile of your friends, so make plans now to be there.

Wladyslawowo, Poland - Gevorg Davtyan (Armenia) put together three good snatches and two good clean and jerks to claim top honors in the 77-kg class at the European Weightlifting Championships today.


Gevorg Davtyan (Armenia) pulls himself under 165 kg on his third attempt snatch in the 77-kg class at the European Weightlifting Championships today. Randall J. Strossen, Ph.D. photo.

Krzysztof Szramiak (Poland) got the ball rolling tonight by making a good opening snatch with 155 kg, Georgi Markhov (Bulgaria) missed the same weight on his first attempt, but came back to make it on his second attempt, and Vladislav Lukanin (Russia), who had made a good 152 on his opener, missed 156 on his second attempt and again on his third attempt. Szramiak, who is squarely solid and muscular looking, made a nice deep snatch with 158 on his second attempt, followed by Markhov's successful 159. Davtyan made a nice 160 on his first attempt, and then Szramiak missed the same weight. With the last two snatches, Davtyan made a nice 163, followed by a solid 165.

Of the leaders, Markhov opened first in the clean and jerk, with a good 185, and Szramiak got himself on the board with 187. Davtyan opened with a good 190 and his teammate Ara Khachatryan made 191 on his second attempt - his knees came way in with the effort it took him to stand up with the weight and they did the same thing when he power jerked it. Markhov made 192 on his second attempt and waved to the bar as if to say, "that's nothing," and Szramiak followed Markhov's lead, making the weight and making no secret of his satisfaction with the lift. Markhov only pulled his third attempt 194 and was clearly unhappy with himself about it. Enter Lukanin now - who looks like he should be working for Bill Gates rather than lifting weights - and he blew up the 195-kg jerk, but he also sent it right over his head for no lift. Davtyan made the same weight on his second attempt, and Lukanin, who comes right over to the bar and starts his lift almost instantaneously, punched it overhead with authority. Szramiak appeared to have the same 195 in the bag, but he lost control of the bar when it was overhead and there went the lift. Ivan Stoitsov (Bulgaria), who had made a very strong 190 on his first attempt, called for 200, going for gold medal position in the jerk, and after having to do some work on the clean, he missed the jerk. Davtyan also missed the jerk on 200, but then Lukanin, once again wasting no time, got the bar going and made a great lift with the same weight. Stoitsov had one attempt left and he wanted the gold medal in the jerk, so he took 201, got the bar overhead, seemed to have a good lift and then the right end of the bar started to tilt down dramatically as it came crashing down. Davtyan finished with 360, followed by Lukanin at 352, Markhov at 351 and Szramiak at 350.

Even as an opener in the clean and jerk, you usually expect more than just bodyweight on the bar at a continental weightlifting championships. But if you're talking women's weightlifting and the lifter weighs 152 kg, you're on the way to big things, and that's the story on Olha Korobka (Ukraine) at the European Weightlifting Championships today. After snatching 121 and 126, before missing 133, Korobka followed her first clean and jerk with two more good lifts, 160 and 164, to sweep the gold medals in the women's +75 kg category with a total of 290 kg and her 164 was a new European jerk record. Weighing a mere 89 kg and change, Natalie Gagarina (Russia) finished second, with a total of 271 kg.

Wladyslawowo, Poland - Henadzi Aliashchuk (Belarus) had things his way in the men's 69-kg class at the European Weightlifting Championships today, and his way was six good lifts, three gold medals and a new European record in the jerk.


Henadzi Aliashchuk (Belarus) celebrates his 197-kg European record clean and jerk. Bill Kazmaier, getting pretty cosmic, once told IronMind that he was inspired to lift [such huge weights] because he was frustrated by his inability to master levitation. Wonder if Aliashchuk ever thought about that? Randall J. Strossen, Ph.D. photo.

Ninel Miculescu (Romania) ripped through three snatches, nailing 140, 145 and finally, 148 - feet flying when he lifted, he celebrated with some yelling that left no doubt that he was pretty happy, because his final lift put him ahead of Demir Demirev, who had made 148 on his second attempt with a rock bottom lift. Aliashchuk, who had opened with a very strong 145, took 150 on his second attempt and he just smoked it. Demirev, trying to regain silver medal position in the snatch, called for 150, but he only pulled it. Aliashchuk closed out the snatches with another great lift, this time it was 153 kg.

Before the session started, Dave Morgan mentioned that he was looking for a strong performance from Vencelas Dabaya (France), and he certainly looked good in the clean and jerk: 176, 179 and 180 were done with ease, and he went home with the bronze medal in the jerk and in the total. Demirev marched through 176 strongly and although he staggered around a little when he jerked 181 on his second attempt, he got the bar under control for another good lift. Aliashchuk opened with a powerful 182, Demirev did a pull with 188, and Aliaschuk, who had already won the gold medal in the jerk and in the total, made 189, looking like a fast-moving freight elevator. But why stop even now? On the last attempt of the category, Aliashchuk called for 197 in a bid to break the European record in the jerk - he made the lift and polished it off with a back flip; the only blemish on a stellar night was that he didn't stick a perfect landing, but only he seemed to mind when his feet slipped a little when they hit the platform.

In the women's 69-kg category, Tatiana Matveeva (Russia) turned in a dominating performance and showed her mettle when, with about 12 seconds on the clock, she ran up on the platform, and with one second left, she cleaned and jerked her opener, 140 kg, which was good for the gold medal in the jerk. She missed the clean on 145 on her second attempt, came back to make the lift on her third and pointed to the crowd, to emphasize that she really could lift that much weight, and probably more.

Natalia Zabolotnaya (Russia) picked up where she left off in Doha, going for, but missing the world record in both the snatch and the clean and jerk - the only lifts she missed, as she swept the class and finished six kg ahead of her countrywoman Valentina Popova, who did 122 and 150.

Wladyslawowo, Poland - They didn't burn up the scoreboard with blazing numbers, but the men's 62-kg class at the European Weightlifting Championships today produced some close finishes and exciting lifting, and just as they had all day, the Russians led the way.


Short in stature but tall on drive, Dmitry Voronin (Russia) cranks on his winning 129-kg snatch at the European Weightlifting Championships today. Randall J. Strossen, Ph.D. photo.

Perennial top-ranking weightlifter Sevdalin (Minchev) Angelov (Bulgaria) took three tries before he could make his opening weight of 120 kg in the snatch - when he finally hit it right, he made it look light. Of the leaders, Henadzi Makhveyenia (Belarus) opened with a good 121, Dmitry Voronin (Russia) made a good lift with 123 on his first attempt, and Adrian Jigau (Romania) hit 125 on his opener. Makhveyenia and Voronin both made 126 on their second attempts, and Jigau raised the bar to 128 on his second attempt. Makhveyenia, moving like a piston, nailed 129 on his third, and Voronin, going for gold medal position in the snatch, took the same weight for a good lift and this put him in the lead on bodyweight. Having the last attempt and being the lightest of the leaders, Jigau called for the same weight, but missed it.

The clean and jerk saw the same sort of intense competition for the top spots, as Jigau, after missing the jerk on his opener (155), came back for great success with the same weight on his second attempt, and went on to make 158, to put himself in the lead in the jerk and in the total. After he made the lift, he gestured at the bar, as if to say, "Hey, that was too light - I should have taken more." Voronin took 160 on his third clean and jerk, going for the gold in the jerk and the total, and made the lift, held if for a long time after getting the down signal - appearing to want to show his disdain for it - and then he let out a deep roar, especially dramatic because he is so short. On his final attempt, going for the gold in the jerk and total, Makhveyenia cleaned 160 effortlessly, only to miss the jerk. Angelov, trying to make up for his poor start, had the last attempt, and he called for 165 in a bid to get the gold in the jerk and the bronze in the total, but all he did was a pull.

Eariler, the 58-kg women opened up the competition today and they provided the first new European records of the competition, as Marina Shainova (Russia) rewrote the junior and the senior Euorpean record book today, sweeping away all the old records via 102 in the snatch, 135 in the clean and jerk, and 237 in the total.

In the women's 63-kg category, Svetlana Shimkova (Russia) continued the women's record-breaking streak, and she upped the ante with her 141-kg third attempt clean and jerk, good for a senior world record and senior European record, and her 250-kg total was also a senior European record.

Wladyslawowo, Poland - It proved the merits of the latest analytical tool and also of (merely) having a keen eye, as Jurgen Lippman, of Weightlifting Analyzer 3.0 fame, and German Weightlifting Federation President Claus Umbach caught the fact that a lifter in the 56-kg category, Arsen Tamrazyan (Armenia), had taken four snatches and they had the recorded evidence to prove it.


Arsen Tamrazyan (Armenia) snatched this 110 kg in the men's 56-kg class last night at the European Weightlifting Championships, but the only problem was that he had already taken three attempts. Randall J. Strossen, Ph.D. photo.

Meanwhile, up in a broadcast booth, armed only with what they had or had not observed and remembered, two well-known TV commentators exchanged some sharp words as one said this had occurred and the other denied it.

Dave Morgan, who happened to be the one on of the correct side of the argument, walked out of the booth in frustration and he had to be replaced with a substitute commentator, although weightlifting fans will be happy to know that he's back on duty today.

Anyway, nothing official was done last night because, officially, the snafu had not taken place - after all, the scoreboard told it all, didn't it? Today, though, the European Weightlifting Federation issued a statement correcting the error, saying that the fourth attempt was disallowed in the snatch, knocking Tamrazyan out of bronze medal position in the total, and giving it to Laszlo Tancsics (Hungary) instead.

Wladyslawowo, Poland - The numbers weren't huge in the men's 56-kg class at the European Weightlifting Championships tonight, and at the end of the day, it was all Vitali Dzerbianiou (Belarus).


Vitali Dzerbianiou (Belarus) looked like he had this 153-kg jerk, but he ran out of platform trying to save it. Randall J. Strossen, Ph.D. photo.

Dzerbianiou easily won the snatch, making 123 kg compared to silver medalist's Laszlo Tanscsic's (Hungary) 112, but for the hometown crowd, there was a lot of happiness as Marcin Makarski (Poland) got the bronze medal with his 111. Dzerbianiou opened with 141 in the clean and jerk, after everyone else had finished, and made a strong success with it, and also with 145 on his second attempt. Jumping to 153 kg on his third attempt, he followed a solid clean with what looked like a good jerk, but then he started losing it forward, and almost chased it down - finally running out of platform, though, and he had to dump it behind.

Earlier in the day, Estefania Juan (Spain) swept the golds in the women's 48-kg category, ending up with 83/102 for a 185-kg total. Juan came through with a 102-kg third attempt clean and jerk that she really needed - Juan couldn't stand up with the weight on her second attempt, but struggled up with it on her third attempt and then punched the jerk overhead. Svetlana Ulyanova (Russia), who had tied Juan in the snatch, but who was heavier, made 100 kg on her opener and then took two shots at 103, but it was no cigar.

Marioara Munteanu (Romania) won the women's 53-kg class via 82/109, overtaking Nataliya Trotsenko (Ukraine), who had snatched 87 kg, but missed her opening jerk, 103, came back to make it, but could not answer when Munteanu leapfrogged her with a successful 109 kg third attempt. Munteanu power cleaned her first two attempts, but squatted on the 109, and once again capped off the clean with a strong jerk.

The World's Strongest Man Super Series has announced its second contest of the 2006 season: the Moscow Grand Prix.

Scheduled for July 1 - 2 and set in the Moscow Olympic Complex Luzhniki Stadium, this competition will include Mariusz Pudzianowski, Magnus Samuelsson and Jesse Marunde in the lineup. Besides the grand prix title itself, this contest is part of the WSM Super Series, which has an overall title and is the qualification route to the World's Strongest Man contest. WSMSS President Ulf Bengtsson said, "It is with great pleasure that we return to such a historic site and work again with our Russan friends."

In the first contest of its 2006 season, the World Strongman Cup is making it debut in Riga, Latvia.

Competitors are:
1. Mariusz Pudzianowski
2. Magnus Samuelsson
3. Elbrus Nigmatulin
4. Tarmo Mitt
5. Raivis Vidzis
6.Dave Oslund
7. Dominic Filiou
8. Antanas Abrutis
9. Ralf Ber
10. Terry Hollands
11. Franz Beil
12. Oleg Dudkin
13. Guntars Kusinsh

The events are:
1. Log lift for reps (140 kg)
2. Conan Wheel (380 kg)
3. Car deadlift
4. Atlas Stones (120-, 130-, 150-, 160- and 180-kg)
5. Super yoke (380 kg for 20 meters)
6. Medley: farmer's walk (140 kg in each hand for 30 meters) and tire flip (380 kg for five flips)

Wladyslawowo, Poland - The European Weightlifting Federation Congress included announcements related to new equipment, upcoming contests and the continued pressure to run a clean sport.


Eleiko Managing Director Johan Erling presents the new plate that will be used for the first time at this year's European Weightlifting Championships in Wladyslawowo, Poland. Randall J. Strossen, Ph.D. photo.

Some of the highlights of the meeting include:

1) The Polish Weightlifting Federation, host of this year's European Weightlifting Championships, marked its 80th anniversary, and was widely congratulated for its service to the sport.
2. IWF President Tamas Ajan emphasized the need for a clean sport and said there is "no excuse" for a competitor to be positive.
3. There will be three Olympic Qualification events for 2008: the 2007 and the 2008 World Championships, as well as the 2008 Europeans.
4. Strasbourg, France will host the 2007 European Weightlifting Championships.
5. Claus Umbach and Jurgen Lippmann presented the latest edition of a system for analyzing lifts.
6. Eleiko has a new plate design for the 2.0, 1.5, 1.0 and 0.5 kg plates that relies on friction to hold them in place, so that they can be used outside the collar.