Robert Tibilov (Russia) has been certified on the Captains of Crush No. 3 gripper—the first person to achieve this distinction in 2026—and thereby establishing himself as a card-carrying member of the world’s grip-strength elite.

Tibilov told IronMind that he’s been, “training with grippers since 2013.

“I first learned about grippers from Paul Knight’s YouTube videos. I got interested and decided to buy myself a gripper. My first gripper was a CoC 3, which I closed after a month of use.

“I train with grippers twice each week. My training begins with closing the weakest gripper and reaches the hardest. At the end, I do a lot of repetitions with an average gripper.

“My sports philosophy is based on the rule, If you have a strong grip, then you are strong both in body and brain.

“I work as a marketer. I specialize in the integration of foreign brands and companies into the Russian market. I am a former freestyle wrestler. [Along with sports and music] I love history and space,” said Tibilov, who is popularizing grippers in the Republic of North Ossetia-Alania (Russian Federation).

Tibilov is 37 years old, 188 cm (6’ 2”) tall and weighs 95 kg. (209 lb.).

Here’s a link to the video of Robert Tibilov’s official attempt to close a Captains of Crush No. 3 gripper.

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