With the IFSA USA national championships in St. Louis drawing nearer, Jesse Marunde served notice that he's coming on strong, as he edged Phil Pfister at this weekend's GNC Pro Performance Battle of the Beasts. Marunde finished with 14.5 points, followed by Pfister, at 17.5 points, and Mark Philippi, at 20.5 points. Contest organizer Odd Haugen was fourth (24.5 points), Ken Brown was fifth (31.5 points), Jared Spybrook was sixth (33.5 points), Grant Higa was sixth (34.5 points), and Whit Baskin was seventh (48 points). Karl Gillingham tore his biceps and had to withdraw from the competition.

The top five finishers in the IFSA-USA Nationals will earn $8500, $6500, $4500, $3500, and $2500, respectively, as well winning invitations to compete in this year's World's Strongest Man show. The semi-finals will be held at Harrah's in St. Louis on Friday night, August 9th, and while IFSA-USA president Jim Davis cautioned that events are subject to change, due to sponsorship, the current plan has three events scheduled: axle bar clean and press for reps (about 285 pounds), medley (elements not yet finalized), and car deadlift for reps (about 600 pounds, no straps). The top 12 competitors will go on to Saturday's finals, which will have events very much like last year, according to Davis: Hercules Hold, Conan's Wheel, Stones, Girl Squat, Car Flip, Wheelbarrow. In his fourth year of raising money for the Children's Miracle Network, Davis hopes to donate another $30,000 from this year's contest, and this contest gives American strongman fans and competitors to be part of a tremendous strongman event. Mark your calendars now and plan to be in St. Louis for all the action. For additional details, keep your eye on the official IFSA-USA website.

Phil Pfister, Karl Gillingham, Odd Haugen, Jesse Marunde, Whit Baskin, Ken Brown, and Mark Philippi - all World's Strongest Man competitors - will be battling it out this weekend in the last qualifier for this year's IFSA USA National Championships. The action starts at 11 o'clock at the Ventura Harbor Village (Ventura, California) and be sure to bring your family and friends - besides seeing seven World's Strongest Man competitors up close and personal, it's a great setting, there is plenty of additional entertainment (pony rides and a petting zoo for the kids, a climbing wall) and admission is free. The top five competitors from the IFSA USA Nationals will be invited to this year's World's Strongest Man show, the top event on the professional strongman circuit, and this is the last chance to try to make the cut.

Estonian strongman Andrus Murumets set a new world record in the IronMind® Rolling Thunder® at the IFSA All Strength Challenge this weekend in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Murumets's lift of 267 pounds also took first place, with a US$300 prize, in the pro division. Odd Haugen was second, with a lift of 227 pounds, earning US$200, and Peter Baltus was third, with a lift of 207 pounds, which got him US$100. Josea Morneau won the women's division, with a lift of 107 pounds, and Brad Hirst and Darrell Hill tied in the amateur men's division, both hauling up 142 pounds. Murumets also showed his prowess in the All Strength Challenge itself, setting a world record in the Hercules Hold, and finishing second overall in the individual rankings. The UK team won, overall, followed by the Baltic team, then the Viking team, the US Team, the European team, and the Canadian team.

Iran's Hossein Reza Zadeh easily won the IWF Superheavyweight Gala - Stian Grimseth Cup in Foerde, Norway yesterday with a 205-kg snatch and a 250-kg clean and jerk. Reza Zadeh snatched 190-, 200- and 205 kg "with ease," according to ace Norwegian weightlifting reporter Per Mattingsdal. Reza Zadeh followed with two "easy" clean and jerks, 240- and 250 kg, to claim the first place prize of US$4,000. Although he is said to be capable of breaking the world records at any time, Reza Zadeh appears to be saving his next huge effort for the world championships later this year in Canada. Russia's Andrei Chemerkin was second (185/240) and Norway's Stian Grimseth was third (180/195).

As a way to produce a more exciting TV show and to move the World's Strongest Man contest back to more power events, this year's competition will feature "one visit events." One of the key strongman events, the McGlashen stones, has always been run like this: Each competitor gets one crack at the stones, and makes his mark with this one effort. At the opposite end of the spectrum is, for example, a weight for height event, where each competitor can try each successive height, until failing. Besides being seen as a key to producing a more exciting show, the one visit approach is expected to help replace speed events with power events, and this year's WSM contest is predicted to include the one visit approach on a squat, deadlift and overhead event.

Come meet four-time World's Strongest Man winner Magnus Ver Magnusson tonight and enter the IronMind® Rolling Thunder competition that kicks off the IFSA All Strength Challenge at Silverado's in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The action tonight starts at 8 p.m. with a Rolling Thunder event for the competitors, as well as a class for women, and another one that is open to the general public, with cash prizes for the winners of each category. Tomorrow, the two-day strongman event begins, which has six-man, six-team format including many of the world's top strongman competitors. Admission is free, and the $5.00 entry fee for the Rolling Thunder competition is being donated to the Firefighters' Burn Fund. Full details are available here.

The venerable World Wrist Wrestling Championships, which started more than fifty years ago in Petaluma, California, is moving to Reno, Nevada this year. Scheduled for October 11th and 12th, it will be held at the Speak Easy Inn and Casino, and has a prize list of over $12,000. This event will also be the last qualifier for the 2004 Arnold Classic Armwrestling Challenge. Both events are presented by the USAA, and full details are on their website.

It's official: Magnus Samuelsson has set a new world record on the IronMind® Rolling Thunder® with his winning lifting of 262 pounds this weekend at the IFSA/GNC Pro Performance Strongman Challenge. Jan Bartl lifted 265.4 pounds in the 1999 Rolling Thunder World Championships held in conjunction with the 1999 Beauty & the Beast strongman competition, but the rules used then allowed a competitor to use a thumbless (false) grip. Because it was later felt that this was not in the spirit of the lift, since it allowed strong-wristed competitors to remove the grip element of the event by cocking their wrists, the following year the rule was changed, and thumbless grips were no longer allowed. Bartl also won the 2000 Rolling Thunder World Championships, at the 2000 Beauty & the Beast strongman competition, with a lift of 258.5 pounds. Samuelsson, who is best known as a World's Strongest Man winner, was a top arm wrestler before he entered strongman competition and even though his grip training is an adjunct to his strongman training, rather than a specialty, he well known as having some of the strongest hands in the world. This competition was held at Palms Casino and Hotel in Las Vegas, and Rolling Rock beer presented cash prizes to the top three competitors: 1) Magnus Samuelsson, 262 pounds 2) Odd Haugen, 257 pounds and 3) Phil Pfister, 247 pounds. In addition, for breaking the world record, Magnus Samuelsson won a $250 IronMind gift certificate.