All but one of this year's MET-Rx World's Strongest Man competitors have arrived in Charleston, and things are off to a tremendous start as the welcoming ceremony yesterday featured West Virginia Governor Joe Manchin, 2006 MET-Rx World's Strongest Man winner Phil Pfister, and 2008 MET-Rx World's Strongest Man head referee Colin Bryce - and the ceremonial unveiling of the Phil Pfister U.S. Postal Service commemorative envelope is less than one-half hour away.


Local guy Brian Siders has more than proven himself in powerlifting and while he's a certain to be a force in the more static strongman events, it might be a mistake to underestimate him on the events that require greater mobility or explosiveness. IronMind® | Randall J. Strossen, Ph.D. photo.


Familiarization with the events and apparatus begins tomorrow, giving the competitors an opportunity to test things firsthand. All the competitors are said to look very strong and fit, with the exception of Mariusz Pudzianowski - who is said to be off the charts.

Consistently, Mariusz Pudzianowski, Derek Poundstone, Travis Ortmayer, and Phil Pfister are the names mentioned as most likely to be on the podium for the 2008 Met-Rx World's Strongest Man contest, but while Derek Poundstone had been the early favorite, the tide has changed and now Mariusz Pudzianowski is back in his familiar role of being the man to beat.

Still, American strongman fans - and the American competitors themselves - are brimming with confidence that they can bring the title back to the USA, and a particular hurdle Mariusz Pudzianowski faces is having a tough group, along with the squat, in his qualifying heats.

Arild Haugen, who was tremendous in the Super Series Viking Power Challenge, and Fortissimus standout Louis-Philippe Jean are in Mariusz Pudzianowski's qualifying group, and there's also a man named Brian Siders.

Brian Siders is best known for his outstanding performances in powerlifting, but he has also proven his mettle in the heavy, statically-oriented Arnold strongman contest. In terms of squatting, Siders is a powerhouse, having done 437.5 kg at the 2004 IPF World Championships, for example. This is not an idle comparison because even though the MET-Rx World's Strongest Man squat is done with a barrel-loaded apparatus, the goal is to replicate the depth of an IPF squat. And this year, for the first time, when the seventh and final barrel is loaded, the WSM competitors will be squatting with 800 pounds, a very significant squat and a lift that most would say will challenge Mariusz Pudzianowski.