Seoul, Korea - The men’s 56-kg category at the World Weightlifting Championships set the stage for a dual between Chinese teammate Long Qingquan and Wu Jingiao.
 

Long Qingquan missed the jerk on this 169-kg attempt - had he made it, the lift would have been good for one senior and two junior world records.  Randall J. Strossen photo.


Wu is the 2009 Junior world champion and Long is the 2008 Olympic gold medalist, so both lifters came into the contest with weighty credentials.  In the recent Chinese National Championships, Long, who won, hit 133/169 for a 302-kg total, while Wu, who placed third, made 133/163 for a 293-kg total.

Both lifters made 125 kg on their opening snatch, and when Long made 130 kg on his second attempt, Wu, who was heavier, called to 131 kg to go ahead.  He missed the lift, repeated and made it, so then Long took 132 kg to recapture the lead - but he missed it.

Wu is not considered to be the powerhouse in the clean and jerk that Long is, and he had to settle for 155 kg.  Long, victory secure, ended the evening with a 169-kg attempt, with a lot of glory awaiting a success: a good lift would give him the senior world record in the jerk, as well as the junior world record in both the jerk and the total.  Long cleaned the weight, rammed the bar overhead, but he didn’t quite fix it, his right arm buckled and the weight crashed down.

Sergio Alvarez (Cuba) got the bronze in the total with a 120-kg snatch and a 154-kg clean and jerk.

Strongman Champions League (SCL) co-founder Marcel Mostert has given IronMind the final points from the 2009 season, as well as some comments on the Mikhail Koklyaev, who was involved a car accident that resulted in a fatal injury to a pedestrian.

Here are the official total points from all athletes who finished in 2009.
 
TOTALS STANDINGS CHAMPIONS LEAGUE per 31-10-2009  (7 stages):

Marcel Mostert told IronMind that he, “has spoken with various persons who are close involved with the case of Misha Koklyaev.”

“I can assure that Misha is not in prison at all, as some people say,” reported Mostert, “and that he is training very hard again.”

“He wants to compete in the 2010 Arnolds. Further, his case is still under investigation, and it turns out that there was no alcohol in his blood.  Now all parties are looking how this accident happened.”
 
“I’m sure that all will be fine for Misha in 2010 and we hope that he can compete very soon in our Champions League again.  Misha still ended at 5th place in SCL 2009, despite his injury at [the midpoint] of the season!,” Mostert told IronMind.
 

Seoul, Korea - Competition starts at the 2009 World Weightlifting Championships today, and IronMind is on location, ready to cover the lifting.

IronMind expects some fierce battles as returning stars are joined by new faces as the march toward the 2012 Olympics begin at the World Weightlifting Championship today.

IronMind will be featuring daily reports to help you follow the action, both in the IronMind online news column and on the IronMind Twitter page, so stay tuned. 

The men’s 56-kg A session is tonight, local time.

Just in from Russia:  “New details” surrounding the fatal traffic accident involving strongman star Mikhail Koklyaev have been reported, IronMind has learned.

Citing a source close to the investigation, it has been reported that relatives of both the victim and of the driver [Mikhail Koklyaev] are decrying what is described as the sensational reporting that surrounded the first accounts of the accident and are calling for restraint until everything is sorted out.

Continuing, the Russian news agency Access said that, “The final decision to initiate or refuse to initiate criminal proceedings will be taken soon.”

“Testing continues, and [it is too early] to draw any conclusion.  However currently two important facts have been established.  First, that [at] the time of the accident Michael Koklyaev was sober: immediately after the accident, he accompanied police and was taken to a hospital in the city where he was medically examined for the presence of alcohol in the blood.  The result was negative.  Furthermore, with the words Traffic policemen who witnessed this incident, the car, a Toyota Camry, drove [through the] controlled intersection while observing the traffic lights," the agency reported.

Initial reports of the fatal traffic accident described Koklyaev as drunk at the time, a report that was broadly corroborated, but that that was subsequently rejected by his manager.

The online IronMind store is getting an upgrade tomorrow, so it will be unavailable from 7:30 am to 8:30 a.m. Pacific Time (GMT-8).

The new IronMind catalog is on its way and will start reaching customers next week.  Artwork courtesy of IronMind.


We apologize for this inconvenience, but in addition to offering an improved online shopping experience, we are happy to say that the 2010 IronMind catalog is on its way and should start to reach customers next week.  And this coming Monday, November 23, the new online store will include all the new products we have added this season.

An automatic re-direct will take you from the old IronMind online store url to the new one, but we suggest that you bookmark the new location when you visit it for the first time.

Thank you for your patience as we make this transition tomorrow morning!

A self-described “scrawny 160-lb. weakling” four years ago, Darin Heltemes is now a 230-lb. amateur strongman who’s just been certified on the IronMind Red Nail™, a benchmark short bend.

It’s official: Darin Heltemes has been certified on the IronMind Red Nail.  Photo courtesy of Darin Heltemes.


“I experimented with bending briefly in my first year of lifting, but abandoned it only after a month due to the extreme strain it places on the joints and tendons.  I picked it back up three years later after my friend James gave me some steel for my birthday.  I’ve been bending seriously for just under a year.”

Congratulations, Darin: Your name has been added to the Red Nail Roster, the official list of who has been certified on the IronMind Red Nail!

IronMind would also like thank Mark Wilson for his help, serving as Darin's official referee for this bend.

Coming into the final stage of the 2009 Strongman Champions League contest, Andrus Murumets had an unassailable lead, so even with his mid-field finish in Kiev on Saturday, he was crowned the overall champion for this season.

Strongman Champions League: Andrus Murumets (center), the overall 2009 Strongman Champions League (SCL) Champion, is flanked by SCL cofounders, Ilkka Kinnunen (left) and Marcel Mosert (right).  Agris Kazelniks, second overall, is on the far left, and Zydrunas Savickas, third overall, on on the far right.  Ekaterina Majorskaya photo.


Marcel Mostert filed this report for IronMind.


Zydrunas Wins His 3rd SCL in a Row . . . Andrus Murumets is the Overall Winner of SCL 2009
By Marcel Mostert
 
The final SCL 2009 in the Ukraine had a great venue in Kiev.  It was in  the factory, built in 1952, where they manufacture the biggest freight airplanes of the world, the Antonov.

One of these aircrafts was the décor of the show, incredibly huge and massively big are these airplanes.  It did fit perfectly for the SCL show with the strongest men of the world.

World Champion 2009, Zydrunas Savickas, won the SCL Ukraine, followed by Travis Ortmayer, and Agris Kazelniks was in 3rd place.
 
In total, 41 athletes competed in the Strongman Champions League this year.  Andrus Murumets won the overall title over 8 stages, Agris Kazelniks got 2nd and Zydrunas Savickas got 3rd place.

All athletes, crew and officials of the SCL 2009 had a great and nice celebration in Kiev until late, late hours, and we look forward to 2010 where we will have 10 stages of SCL again!
 
Results top 10 SCL-Ukraine:
 
1. Zydrunas Savickas (Lithuania) 54.5
2. Travis Orthmaer (USA) 48.5
3. Agris Kazelniks (Latvia) 40
4. Konstantin Ilin (Ukraine) 38.5
5. Andrus Murumets (Estonia) 38.5
6. Mark Felix (UK) 33.5
7. Ervin Katona (Serbia) 31.5
8. Etienne Smit (South Africa) 28
9. Sergey Romanchuk (Ukraine) 26
10. Vladimir Glushko (Russia) 20.5
 
Final Results SCL 2009 Overall
 
1. Andrus Murumets (Estonia) 105
2. Agris Kazelniks (Latvia) 68
3. Zydrunas Savickas (Lithuania)  60
4. Ervin Katona (Serbia) 48
5. Michail Koklyaev (Russia) 40
6. Jimmy Laureys (Belgium) 39
7. Martin Wildauer (Austria) 38
8. Konstantin Ilin (Ukraine) 29
9. Travis Ortmayer (USA) 27
10. Alexander Klyushev (Russia) 22
 

“Good news to report,” Ingrid Marcum told IronMind: “Bree Schaaf and I finished 4th overall in the first World Cup race of the season in Park City, UT, finishing just .11 seconds out of the medals!”

Marcum, a USA national Olympic-style weightlifting champion who does double duty as a bobsledder, pushed for USA III, driven by Bree Schaaf in this first race in the 2009 - 2010 World Cup Bobsled season.

“Two German sleds took the top 2 spots,” Marcum said, “and the USA II sled with Erin Pac and Mickie Rzepka won bronze.   The field included many Olympic and World Cup medalists, so this was a strong opener for the US team.”

“The team is now in Lake Placid,” said Marcum.  “We we won't find out until today who will be selected to race in this week's World Cup race.”

Brian Shaw continued to put his stamp on the strongman world as he won the World Strongman Super Series contest at Venice Beach, California yesterday.

Brian Shaw took another step toward the top of the strongman world yesterday, when he won the World Strongman Super Series competition at Venice Beach, California.  Randall J. Strossen photo.


Set in the most famous neighborhood in the iron world - California’s Venice Beach - a dozen top names in the strongman world ran through six events designed to test their strength and entertain TV audiences.

Brian Shaw, coming off a big performance at the 2009 World’s Strongest Man contest, maintained his momentum as he produced a consistently strong showing.  Shaw finished off the day as the last man on the last event, the Atlas Stones, where he was the only competitor to load all five stones.

Here are the final places and points, officially:

1.  Brian Shaw (USA) 32.00 points
2.  Stojan Todorchev (Bulgaria) 27.50
3.  Jason Bergmann (USA) 22.50
4.  Nick Best (USA) 20.50
5.  Krysztof Radzikowski (Poland) 18.75
6.  David Ostlund (UK) 17.25
7.  Terry Hollands (USA) 17.25
8.  Johannes Arsjo (Sweden) 12.25
9.  Stefan Solvi Petursson (Iceland) 10.00
10.  Jarek Dymek (Poland) 8.50
11.  Marshall White (USA) 8.25
12.  Jimmy Marku (UK) 2.25

Jason Bergmann, besides finishing an impressive third overall, delivered the MILO moment of the contest: As he approached the finish line on the Shield Carry, Bergmann lost his footing, hitting the deck along with the Shield.  Determined to finish the event, Bergmann grabbed the Shield - like a bull by the horns - and wrestled it over the line.  For a second, it looked like the fully-revved Bergmann was going to just throw the Shield over the line.  Randall J. Strossen photo.

Want to see the Good Day LA segment on strongman?  How about following the contest in real time today?

Here’s a link for the TV show, and you can follow contest coverage today on the IronMind Twitter account, with final results also here.

“The athletes have arrived in LA and Venice Beach,” World’s Strongest Man Super Series Marketing and Commication Director Kjell Karlsson told IronMind today, “and they are getting ready for the WSM Super Series on Saturday.”

Strongmen Brian Shaw, Nick Best and Johannes Arsjo were on Good Day LA this morning.  Kjell Karlsson photo.


“This morning Brian Shaw, Nick Best and Johannes Arsjo, Sweden, were guests on the Good Day LA morning show,” said Karlsson.  “So a couple of million people could see Nick Best pull a big truck live on TV.

“They also made a visit to classic Gold’s Gym and had a great breakfast at Omelette Parlor, also classic.

“The event starts 12:30 pm and it is located at the basket court in the Venice Beach Recreation Center.  Audience space is limited so be there on time,” Karlsson said.

Nick Best fired it up for millions of TV viewer this morning in Los Angeles.  Kjell Karlsson photo.

“This week we have called off the World Championships for Matthias [Steiner],” Frank Mantek told IronMind in a formal statement.

Frank Mantek, himself an Olympic medalist in weightlifting, is the Chief Weightlifting Coach for Germany.  Randall J. Strossen photo.


“There are three reasons for it,” Mantek said:

“1. The time after his groin operation carried out in February has not been sufficient for a necessary World Championship form. The training remains by the long break after the Olympic Games till the end of 2008 and this unexpected operation have led to this fact. That's why we could begin only in May with the World Championship preparation.

“2. After the Olympic Games in 2008 Matthias Steiner became a media darling in Germany. Honourings like the „sportsman of the year“, the Saxon salary order (a very important honour in province Saxony of Germany), world weightlifter [of the year], Bambi prizewinner (the biggest German media prize) and countless TV appearances have made him a model and idol in Germany. He has underestimated this influence in the effect on his training certainly something. I am persuaded of the fact that the won experiences will help him in it for the next year again to find the right priorities for the return to the world class in our sport.

“Also in his private sphere has done itself a lot. He has moved in the nice city of Heidelberg, a new girlfriend in the spring has expected a child from him. The whole family will move end this year to him after to Heidelberg. He has put on the market his biography as a book and is demanded in many areas personally.”

 “It has happened a lot,” Mantek continued, addressing IronMind’s Randall Strossen directly.

“A young person has travelled the last year as quite a normal sportsman to Peking to come true a dream. From 19.08.2008 thus about 20.30 o'clock his life has totally changed. He has become a man of the public interest and very much, a lot of people would like to have in it portion.  If we give to him the necessary time to ourselves again on the attack on the Throne of the international weightlifting to prepare.  Besides, I will accompany him with my team, support and give enough time. Our sport has a ‘small star’ again who has also performed about the borders of our sport a lot for the respect of the weightlifting.  I think we are [fully prepared] in 2010 as I have already said it you in Bucharest [at the 2009 European Weightlifting Championships].  A really good superheavy can produce under our conditions all two years a top achievement. With Ronny Weller I have also trained, this was in 1996, in 1998 and 2000 just.”

IronMind has just received word that Brian Shaw, Nick Best and Johannes Arsjo - three of the strongmen competing in the dotFit World Strongman Super Series on Saturday - will be on Fox 11 at 9:00 am tomorrow (Friday June 13) in Los Angeles.

Odd Haugen said that he thought the strongmen were going to pull a truck, but tune in tomorrow and see for yourself what over half a ton of major muscle can move.

“The troops are rolling into town,” Odd Haugen told IronMind this morning, referring to the dozen top strongman competitors who will battle it out for top honors at the dotFit World Strongman Super Series contest at Muscle Beach (Venice, California) this Saturday (November 14).

Odd Haugen (left) and Ulf Bengtsson (right) with the World Strongman Super Series title belt.  Points toward the belt will be on the line in Venice, California this weekend.  Photo courtesy of Odd Haugen.


With the official start list re-confirmed, here is the slate of events:

• Farmer’s Walk: 160 kg/each, 40 meters
• Overhead medley: Atlas Stone (102.5 kg), Aluminum Block (115 kg), Field Stone (125 kg), Log Lift for reps (150 kg)
• Shield Carry: 180 kg, 40 meters
• Super Yoke: 385 kg, 40 meters

At this point, the field of 12 strongman competitors will be reduced to 6.

• Deadlift Power Medley: Apollon’s Axle (300 kg); Giant Wheels (320 kg; 1-1/2” bar); Louis Cyr Barbell (340 kg); Giant Frame (300 kg, 20 meters)
• Atlas Stones Circle of Strength: 5 stones from 140 kg to 195 kg.

In the past, cutting the field and adjusting the scores has caused some heated discussions, so lest there be any doubt about the scoring, here are the rules, verbatim and beforehand:

“The score for first place shall be weighted the same through an entire GP competition.  The score for 1st place is 12 points in the first four Disciplines, it will be reduced 6 points in Disciplines 5 and 6 as the field of athletes has been reduced to 6.   However, the subtotal score for each athlete shall be adjusted after the first four disciplines to reflect the number of athletes in the final two disciplines (i. e. 6 finalists divided by 12 starters=6/12 times the subtotal score= adjusted subtotal).”

So, if the field is cut to 6 for the last two events, the subtotals for events 1 - 4 will be cut in half; and scoring for the final two events will be 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.

For a promotional video and the broadcast schedule, please click here to visit the Versus website.

Anna Karenina in the gym?

Steve Jeck’s From the Quarry: Read, think, lift, gain.  Artwork courtesy of IronMind.


Maybe not, but that doesn’t mean the great Russian author Leo Tolstoy should be ignored by lifters and other strength athletes. 

Steve “Inver Stone” Jeck connects the dots for you:  Follow the menu from the Training Articles button at the top of the IronMind homepage, select Steve Jeck’s “From the Quarry” and choose "Tolstoy for Lifters; or click here.
 

Winter Giants is set for December 13 in Accrington, England (north of Manchester), and the contest’s organizer, Denny Felix, told IronMind that, “Terry Hollands, [Mark] Felix, Jimmy Marku, Laurence Shahlaei, with 8 other British athletes,” will be featured.


Winter Giants will feature the top British strongman competitors.  Artwork courtesy of Denny Felix.

 
As for the events, Felix said, “We have a tyre & loading medley, log lift, farmer’s walk, deadlift for reps Hercules hold & stones.”

“I could go on . . . I’m very excited about it,” said Felix.  “People with prams have reserved front row seats, children will receive a goody bag, I have 10 stewards either oly lifters or strongmen . . . You name it, I’ve got it covered.”

With seating limited to 400, there are not a lot of tickets left, but if you act quickly, you can still get one.

For more details, including ticketing, please email Denny Felix.

James Retarides calls the action for IronMind at the Southeast Armwrestling Challenge, where some of the top names in armwrestling stepped up to the table.


Super heavyweight action at the Southeast Armwrestling Challenge: That’s Dave Chaffee (left) and Walther (right).  John Wilson photo.


Waging Armed Combat at the SEAC
 
By James Retarides
 
“Come on, let us pull,” said Kent Buckalew as he stomped away from the armwrestling table. Buckalew, a former professional boxer, was responding to a foul called on his opponent, national champion Mark Harrison. “Let them pull, let them pull, let them pull,” the crowd began to chant in unison. Though Buckalew would later go on to lose the match and place third, his determination to hold up Harrison’s powerful hook was one of many memorable images from the Southeast Armwrestling Challenge (SEAC), which took place 7 November 2009 at the Extreme Ice Center in Charlotte, North Carolina. “Mark (Harrison) is a really good guy,” said Buckalew, following his loss. “He really wanted to finish that match as bad as I did.”
 
The SEAC featured some of the toughest classes and challenge matches this year in the world of armwrestling as national and world champions traveled from Sweden, Canada and 17 states to compete. Perhaps the culmination of the tournament was a best-of-five supermatch between two American legends of the sport, Chad Silvers and Bill Sinks. Though Silvers, a five-time world champion, came in the overwhelming favorite, Sinks pulled out a hard-fought upset, beating Silvers in three of the toughest matches of the day. With his characteristic scowl and his intense and bulging stare, Sinks outlasted the South Carolina Freight Train in a top-roll maneuver after the competitors slipped grips and went to the strap twice. And he beat Silvers out of the strap after a long finger pull in match three. “Now that was fun,” Sinks said as he walked away from the table and disappeared into the crowd. “Chad is always a tough, tough competitor.”
 
Perhaps equally as impressive was the dominant performance by Malin Kleinsmith of Stockholm, Sweden. The two-time WAF Worlds silver medalist beat American heavyweight Cindy Looney with ease in a best-of-five supermatch and then went on to dominate all three of the women’s weight classes right- and left-handed although she weighed in at a mere 140 lb. “Cindy (Looney) is a very good armwrestler,” Kleinsmith said following her supermatch. “I could feel that she was really strong so I had to be very fast.”
 
Though also giving up 70 lb. to his supermatch opponent Dave Chaffee, Mike Selearis fought hard in a losing effort, but came back to win the super heavyweight left-handed weight class over Chaffee in dramatic fashion. Chaffee went on to win the men’s right-handed supers and the right-handed overall award as well.
 
In other best-of-five challenge matches, reigning national champion Danial Worley steamrolled Noah Sanders 3–0. Chris Heath outlasted Jeremy Wiswell 3–1, and Adis Turcinhodzic dismantled Alex Jigalko 3–0. In another upset, Angel Cosme put on a clinic, defeating Matt Harris, a man many believe to be the best pound-for-pound left-handed armwrestler in the U.S. “No one gave me a chance,” Cosme said after his third victory over Harris. “Matt (Harris) is a great competitor, but I just believed I couldn’t lose today.”
 
In the right-handed open weight classes, up-and-coming lightweight Kris Mikels won the 155s over reigning national champion Mark Harrison. The two pullers fought two hard inside hook matches. While Harrison kept a close tuck, diving behind his arm in a shoulder roll, Mikels patiently waited him out, earning a hard-fought victory. At 180 lb., Anthony Snook defeated Steve Shoemaker twice to earn the title. Aaron Blevins, the strong hook puller, took third in that stacked weight class.
 
In perhaps the most difficult weight class of the year in American armwrestling, Jigalko avenged an early challenge match loss to take first place over Sinks, who bested Turcinhodzic in three grueling strap matches. “I am happy that I pulled the open class,” said Jigalko of his decision to enter the tournament following his supermatch defeat. “It was a really stacked class.” This weight class featured 18 of the toughest competitors in the country and six former national champions.
 
Jigalko’s teammate, Fritz Corey, won the 230-lb. class, toprolling Terry Burgin for the title. Though he walked away from the table shaking his head in disgust, Burgin managed to beat John Wilson to earn second place after a long day of pulling.
 
In the super heavyweight class, Chaffee’s biggest challenge came from local legend Paul Walther. Walther, who took second at the national championships this year in the 242 class, beat super heavyweight national silver medalist Shawn Turner with two fast inside hits, but he couldn’t manage to get past Chaffee’s gigantic hand and superior wrist strength.
 
In the left-handed lightweight class, Mikels repeated as SEAC champ, defeating reigning national champion Jason Bushnell. Derrick Mattera took third. Snook also won with both arms at 180 lb., upsetting Cosme for the title with his superior rotation in the straps.
 
The Florida team dominated the 230-lb. class left-handed as Alper Cosar managed to outpull Chuck Hoffman. Though Cosar beat him early on, Hoffman came back in the finals, defeating Cosar in a hook to even the score at one. With a big hit in the final match, Cosar was able to get position and ultimately the victory in that class.
 
But the man of the day in the left-handed classes was Selearis, who managed an easy victory in an otherwise powerful 205-lb. class and showed his dominance over Chaffee left-handed in the super heavyweight class with incredible hand control. “Gotta give Mike Selearis all the credit in the world,” Chaffee said. Selearis accepted the challenge match two weeks prior to the tournament after Chaffee’s original opponent, Rob Vigeant Jr., backed out. “He deserves it for taking the match on such short notice even though he was giving up a metric ton to me,” added Chaffee, one of the premier heavyweights in the sport. “And then right after our supermatch, he asked me if I was pulling left-handed in the tournament, and he went right over to the scorers table and entered my weight class because he wanted to get me back. And left-handed he did just that. He is strong as hell and a class act for sure.”  Selearis would go on to win the overall relatively easily over Snook.

Mike Selearis was, “The man of the day in the left-handed classes,” James Retarides told IronMind.  John Wilson photo.

In a break with tradition, New Hampshire’s 3rd Annual Rockingham Highland Games had nearly-balmy weather for its four-division (Amateur, Lightweights, Masters, Women) competition.

Who needs the usual “snow and freezing rain” to have a good time at the Rockingham Athletic Highland Games?  Photo courtesy of Scott DePanifilis.


Scott DePanfilis filed this report with IronMind.
 

Rockingham Athletic Club Highland Games

By Scott DePanfilis
 
Saturday, November 7, was the Third Annual Rockingham Athletic Highland Games, formerly called the Cold Weather Classic “for good reason,” held at the Rockingham Athletic Club in Plaistow, New Hampshire.  Many of the throwers live in New England, but some traveled from New York and Rhode Island, and we’ve also hosted athletes from Arizona and Nevada. The weather has not been accommodating the past two years, with mostly snow and freezing rain, but this year we were blessed with a sunny 55-degree day. We had 30 competitors and four divisions, and ran three trigs on the field.
 
Bill Waddell won the Amateurs; Mike Berby won the Lightweights; Robert Troupe won the Masters; and Denise Houseman won the Women’s division. We witnessed great performances throughout the day, a really awesome group of athletes. We were fortunate to receive sponsorship from Randall J. Strossen’s IronMind Enterprises, Inc.  There’s something distinctive about seeing a blue and white IronMind banner on the field of battle. In the photograph, amateur competitor and former junior bench press champion John McKenney proudly sports a MILO T-Shirt.  He wasn’t even aware that IronMind was a sponsor until he arrived Saturday morning.
 
During our dinner and awards ceremony, we presented two Captain’s of Crush gift certificates for the Challenge Caber event winners.  I’d also like to thank MB Tractor for loaning us a 60-ft. telescoping lift for the sheaf toss. It makes running the event so much easier! Thanks to competitors–field director Kenneth Gustavson for his unwavering friendship and commitment to running these Games, to Wayne Hill for loaning us much of the equipment and apparatuses, and to all the competitors and volunteers. We obviously can’t do it without your support.

Starting at 12:30 tomorrow at New York’s Port Authority, the New York Arm Wrestling Association (NYAWA) will present the Empire State Golden Arm Championships.

Who has the strongest arm in New York?  The competition is open to the public and spectators are free.  Artwork courtesy of Gene Camp/NYAWA.

 
Please check the official NYAWA website for full contest details.

IronMind asked Ingrid Marcum to keep us posted as she the World Cup bobsled season unfolds and guess who’s in the USA III sled for Friday’s race in Park City, Utah?

“After two weeks of international training on the Whistler 2010 Olympic track, our World Cup racing season is upon us,” Marcum said.  “I am writing to let you know that I have been selected to push for driver Bree Schaaf in the first World Cup race in the USA III sled!” 

“Our race is this Friday afternoon here in Park City, Utah.  I believe you may be able to watch the race on www.universalsports.com. 

“The next race is in Lake Placid, after which we will be heading over to Europe.  I will keep you updated as the season unfolds!”

Watch here and on IronMind's Twitter page for updates.

Yesterday, the IronMind Twitter page noted that we had been tipped off that Matthias Steiner had just withdrawn from the World Weightlifting Championships, and now IronMind has confirmed that this is true.

Germany’s Matthias Steiner produced a stunning victory at the 2008 Olympics when he made this sensational 258-kg clean and jerk on the last attempt of the competition.  Randall J. Strossen photo.


“Because of the operation of his groin in February,  and the three-month sports ban, his present form is not suitable for the World Championships.  He will prepare after a short break for the World Championships of the next year,” IronMind was told by a source very close to the situation, and an official statement is expected to follow later today.

In a year when other strongman contests struggled, Strongman Champions League (SCL) demonstrated that it has a winning formula and its 2009 season will wrap up with a bang in Kiev, Ukraine this Saturday, November 14.

Strongman Champions League will be closing out its 2009 season in Kiev this weekend.  Artworld courtesy of Marcel Mostert.


“After seven stages of SCL this year - with two victories by Andrus Murumets, two victories by Misha Koklyaev, two victories by Zydrunas Savickas and one by win Ervin Katona - the 8th and final stage will bring us the top three overall in the 2009 SCL season,” SCL cofounder Marcel Moster told IronMind today.

“Out of the 40 athletes who competed in this league in 2009, we will know on Saturday who will be crowned as the SCL Champion 2009!” 

And while titles are nice, so is earning a little cash along the way, something that SCL has made possible for more strongmen around the world than any other organization in the world.

“Despite the [worldwide financial] crisis, we brought the SCL 2009 to a good end with also in Kiev again a total prize money of $15,000 USD,” Mostert said.  “A total of $120,000 USD will have been paid [to strongman competitors] in 2009.”

Here is the official start list:

1. Zydrunas Savickas (Lithuania)                           
2. Andrus Murumets (Estonia)       
3. Etienne Smit (South Africa   
4. Agris Kazelniks ( Latvia)       
5. Travis Ortmayer (USA)       
6. Ervin Katona(Serbia)         
7. Gabor Forgacs (Hungary)       
8. Simon Sulaiman (Syria)       
9. Vladimir  Glushko (Russia)
10. Mark Felix (England )
11. Konstiantyn Ilin (Ukraine)
12. Sergiy Romanchuk (Ukraine)

And here are the events:

1. Medley
2. Truck pull or Dead lift reps.
3. Dumbbell press,
4. Arm over arm pull
5. Stones
6. Squat for reps

Watch here and on IronMind's Twitter page for final results this weekend.
 

“Ryan Vierra has made it public that this next year will be his last competing at world championship level.  After 20 years competing at the highest pinnacle in the sport and winning numerous major titles, including the World Heavy Events Championship no fewer than five times, Vierra will call it a day,” Brebner said.

Among his many honors in the sport, Ryan Vierra received the Chief’s Trophy at Pleasanton, California in 2008 - the first time in the 146-year history of the Caledonian Club of San Francisco that a heavy events athlete has earned this distinction.  Photo courtesy of Francis Brebner.


“Vierra plans to put in one last hard winter’s training in preparation for next year’s series of World Championship events, with his sights set on the International Highland Games Federation (IHGF) World Championships, which is scheduled for Victoria, British Columbia, Canada in mid-May.
 
“Vierra said, ‘I have had a good run in the Highland Games and have enjoyed it very much.  I have made many friends all over the world, and I will not be cutting my ties totally with Highland Games as I will still plan to compete in some local Highland Games events.’
 
“I will also be giving more of my time and attention to being part of the International Highland Games Federation,” said Vierra, as he shifts his attention to promoting IHGF events internationally, while working closely with David Webster and Francis Brebner.
 
“I believe between the three of us we can bring traditional Highland Games to a whole new level,” Vierra told Brebner.

Travis and Lucy Ortmayer teamed up to give the world Mikhail Ryan Ortmayer last week - weighing in at “8 pounds even,” Dione Wessels had told IronMind, and the hands on this young guy are sending out a clear message: “Watch out, Mr. Felix!”

Travis Ortmayer and “The Prince of Stones,” who we would respectfully also dub, “Mighty Mitts.”  Check out the hands on this little guy.  Good taste in headwear, too.  Photo courtesy of Travis Ortmayer.


“It is a giant mix of emotions: happiness, terror, joy, shock, and everything else in between!,” the proud father told IronMind.

“The baby is named after one of my best friends, Misha [Mikhail Koklyaev].  Hopefully little Mikhail Ryan Ortmayer can live up to, and surpass, both his father and his namesake . . . He has the freaking hands to do it though.  I've never seen such big hands on a newborn!,” said Travis.

Forget the baby rattle: with his hands, get Mikhail a Rolling Thunder and let the race begin.

“Today, Jean-Louis Coppet, who also is the main organiser of the Bressuire Highland Games in France and also the president of the French Highland Games Federation in association with the IHGF, said that the heavy events training session planned to bring in more French blood to the sport was a major success and there is a general agreement that traditional highland Games in France are gaining ground,” Francis Brebner told IronMind.

Wout Zijlstra (back row, second from right) lead a Highland Games training session in France today, organized by Jean-Louis Coppet’ (back row, far right), as part of his program to build the sport in his country.  Photo courtesy of Francis Brebner.
 
 
“Jean-Louis Coppet said, ‘We brought from Holland the charismatic Wout Ziljstra as coach to share his knowledge of the sport and its many techniques to the seven new French athletes who were kept very busy by Zijlstra the whole day, dedicating themselves to learning the process of heavy events.  We've got a bunch of strong men, the enthusiasm is there, [and we have] the right feeling and the proper love for Highland Games in Bressuire,’ ” Brebner reported.
 
Brebner added, “This evening, Zijlstra said he, ‘was  happy and proud to see the French lads joining the World of Traditional Highland Games.”

Tomorrow will be another day of coaching under the close eye of Zijlstra.
 
“Next year will see these budding athletes from [the] Bressuire [area] battle it out with other French throwers from Luzarches, France in the IHGF French Highland Games championships to be held on June 12-13, 2010, which will run alongside the first ever IHGF World Heavy Events Super Series, which Bressuire is proudly hosting,” Brebner told IronMind.
 
“A new page has been written this day for traditional Highland Games in France,” said Jean-Louis Coppet.   “I am a very happy man looking ahead to the Super Series 2010 and the involvement of French throwers in Europe.  Many thanks to our master coach Wout Zijlstra, whom we expect to be back here in Bressuire in the early spring of 2010 for another coaching session.”

Among its other credits this year, Bressuire, led by Jean-Louis Coppet working in close collaboration with the IHGF,  hosted the 2009 European Highland Games Championships.

IronMind is proud to announce that Jaime McEwen has just been certified on the No. 3 Captains of Crush® Gripper, establishing his position among the grip strength elite.

Jaime McEwen is now certified on the No. 3 Captains of Crush (CoC) Gripper, proving his world-class grip strength.  Photo courtesy of Jaime McEwen.


Jaime McEwen told IronMind that his father introduced him to the Captains of Crush No. 1 Gripper about four years ago, getting him, “hooked.  From there,” he said,  “I progressed to the No. 2 and the 2.5 fairly quickly.” 

The CoC No. 3 proved to be more of a challenge, but among other things, Jaime credits kettlebell work, along with thick handled barbell and dumbbell lifts, for paving the way to his next round of grip-strength progress.  “Unlike the 20-rep squat routine which we all know guarantees gains, I find grip training to be a bit more elusive.  Find what works and keep progressing,” Jaime recommended.

Jaime McEwen is living proof that he put the pieces of the puzzle together: congratulations, Jaime: You’ve just been certified on the No. 3 Captains of Crush Gripper and your name has been added to the official roster!

IronMind would like to thank Steven Helmicki for serving as the referee on Jaime McEwen’s official attempt.

It’s about Stanless Steel, a man who levers sledgehammers and bends pieces of steel at will, a man who is certified on the No. 3 Captains of Crush Gripper, and who has made lower arm strength his special home - but as filmmaker Zach Levy, Strongman is also about a lot more.

Stanless Steel is the star of Strongman, which opens in Los Angeles on November 27.  Artwork courtesy of Zach Levy.


Levy told IronMind that he worked on this film for nine years, and he’s “cautiously hopeful” that it will be well received when it opens at the Downtown Independent theater in Los Angeles because the reality in the film world, Levy explained, is that you don’t get a lot of second chances to build the kind of buzz that leads to more bookings . . . the big prize, “if we  do well.”

Although this is film about Stanless Steel and at that level it will appeal to everyone who can appreciate strength, especially the sort of strength that was more commonly displayed in a bygone era, it's also, “a broad film . . . about bigger things . . . what it means to be strong in a contemporary world and seeing Stan’s life as symbolic of the struggles and dreams we all have.”  Because of this, Levy see Strongman appealing not just to people who lift weights, but also to “artists, painters . . . bus drivers, insurance salesmen . . . everyone.”

Strongman will be running from November 27 through December 3, and if you want to get a taste of the film, click here.

Maintaining his momentum, Zydrunas Savickas won the Strongman Champions League (SCL) competition in Hungary this past weekend - two weeks after winning the SCL - London event held in Wembley Arena.

Here’s the podium at Strongman Champions League - Hungary.  (left to right) Andrus Muremets, third place, Zydrunas Savickas, first place, and Ervin Katona (third place).


“Although he had a bad start in the first event with a 5th place, and a second place in the second event, he started the engine really at the 3rd event by winning the yoke race , 420 kg over 25 meters in the fastest time,” SCL cofounder Marcel Mostert told IronMind.

“Surprisingly enough, Ervin Katona won the Viking press , 155 kg , beating Zydrunas by 2 reps, in a new World record of 18 reps.  Nobody ever has done this.
It is Ervin’s first world record ever and he said that he is very happy with it,” Mostert said.
 
Here are the top ten:
 
1. Zydrunas Savickas - Lithuania, 54 points
2. Andrus Murumets - Estonia, 49
3. Ervin Katona - Serbia, 41
4. Alexander Klushev - Russia, 36.5
5.  Agris Kazelniks - Latvia, 32
6. Jimmy Laureys - Belgium, 28
7. Golier Branislav - Slovakia, 27
8. Gabor  Forgacs - Hungary, 21.5
Aleksandr Ilin - Úkraine, 20
10. Gregor Stegnar - Slovenia, 13.5
 
The 2009 Strongman Champions League final will be in Kiev, Ukraine on November 14.
 

Citing specific reasons, Benedikt Magnusson has withdrawn from the Ultimate Strongman Championships scheduled for Australia next month.

If it’s not nailed down, Benedikt Magnusson can probably deadlift it . . . and have fun while doing it.  Randall J. Strossen photo.


“Benedikt was asked over 18 months ago if there would be a competition where the deadlift was 400 kg for repetitions would he do it," his wife, the strongwoman competitor and promoter Gemma (Taylor) Magnusson, told IronMind.

“ ‘Absolutely!’ was his extremely quick reply.  This question was asked by some great Australian people with a fantastic vision of a super heavy USC competition,” Gemma (Taylor) Magnusson explained.

“When he received the description of the other events, being 9 in total, Benedikt saw that this competition was going to be a lot of fun,” Gemma (Taylor) Magnusson told IronMind.  “The log lift medley ENDED at 200 kg, the deadlift was billed at 400 kg for repetitions, the 450 kg Super Yoke was Super Heavy for 20 m, but last week he received an email that all of this would change and the deadlift had been reduced to 350 kg for reps, that the 20 m was now 40 m and that all the ‘fun’ had been removed somewhat 6 weeks before the competition.  As Benedikt described it, ‘This is now a carrot cake without the carrots!!’ ”

“Benedikt had spent the summer gaining himself up to 177.5 kg (390.5 lbs) and this news was going to mean that he would have to drop about 15 - 20 kg but as he said, ‘I am having too much fun being this heavy!' ”

“For whatever the reasons behind the weight changes, Benedikt was just plainly disappointed about it,” IronMind was told.  “He commented that, ‘What was going to be an awesome show of strength had turned into a fitness competition,’  and then suggested in jest, ‘I had better go and get a tan and shave my legs!’ “

" ‘Being strong is just one of my hobbies, and I do it because I enjoy it and because it is fun.  Training for strength to me is about evolution and constantly getting stronger,’ " Benedikt said.  "Reversing this process it just not Benedikt's style,” explained his wife. “So, instead, he will be going for the Icelandic Log Lifting record at the Super Gym MAX competition on November 14.   [That record] is currently 175 kg, held by Heiðar "Heisi" Geirmundsson.”

If you want to take on that record yourself, you can register online to compete at Super Gym Max, and while you are there, you can also buy a commemorative pin from the recently held Iceland’s Strongest Woman contest, with all the proceeds going to the Pink Ribbon breast cancer charity.

There has been a change in the lineup for the World Strongman Super Series contest at Muscle Beach (Venice, California), and IronMind has the revised, official start list.

DotFIT is sponsoring the World Strongman Super Series contest at Muscle Beach, featuring marquee names in strongman.  Artwork courtesy of DotFIT.


Drawing from the top tier of the international strongman circuit, the World Strongman Super Series is bringing athletes from across Europe and the USA to Venice, California on November 14.

Here is the official start list:
 
1.  Brian Shaw USA
2.  Nick Best USA
3.  Marshall White USA
4.  Dave Ostlund USA
5.  Jason Bergmann USA
6.  Terry Hollands UK
7.  Krzysztof Radzikowski, Poland
8.  Johannes Arsjo Sweden
9.  Jarek Dymek Poland
10. Stojan Todorchev Bulgaria
11. Stefan Solvi Petursson Iceland
12. Jimmy Marku UK

Since this is an Odd Haugen strongman contest, it should go without saying that besides featuring top competitors, the events in this contest will be heavy.  Haugen is president and chief operating officer of DotFIT, which is the contest’s main sponsor.

According to its press release, DotFIT, which was “founded in 2008 by a seasoned team of leading fitness industry visionaries, is rapidly becoming the leader in personalized holistic health and fitness solutions.”  Top strongman Brian Shaw is among the athletes sponsored by DotFIT.