He was bound and determined to do it - driving five hours to the meeting for his official attempt - and then he waited patiently for his certification materials to survive the holiday mail, but in the end, the effort brought a big reward as Yoshiyuki Takahashi became the first man in Japan to be certified for bending the IronMind® Red Nail™.


Yoshiyuki Takahashi finishes off an IronMind® Red Nail™, on his way to being certified as the first man in Japan to officially achieve this world standard short bend. IronMind® | Midori Yokoyama photo.


Mr. Takahashi's name as been added to the official list of people who have been certified for succeeding with this benchmark short bend, a form of strength first popularized in recent years by the outstanding performances of John Brookfield. Mr. Takahashi's success is also noteworthy in that it highlights how IRONMAN-Japan has successfully introduced grip strength and the related field of bending to Japan, thanks to the good work of Hiro Urata and Midori Yokoyama.