Pulling ahead of Phil Pfister after the pole push, Juha Rasanen won the IFSA Viking Challenge in South Miami Beach, Florida today. Pfister finished in second place overall and Don Pope finished in third place. Check the official IFSA-USA web site for full results later today or tomorrow.

Mighty-mitted Phil Pfister clamped down on 240 pounds (plus the apparatus) to win the Clevelander Café - IronMind Rolling Thunder Challenge last night. Pfister pocketed $150 for his top pull, and he didn't have a lot of room to spare, as Odd Haugen hauled up 235 pounds in plates for second place and a $100 payday. Don Pope and Magnus Ver Magnusson tied for third place ($50), with top lifts of 230 pounds (plus the apparatus).

Maintaining his momentum, Phil Pfister leads after the first day of the Viking Challenge in South Miami Beach, Florida. Pfister ended the day with 14 points, followed by Don Pope and Steve Kirit, both at 15 points. The day started off with the Husafell Stone (395-pounds, 80-foot course), which was won by Gregor Edmunds, with a distance of 220 feet. Steve Kirit was second, with 209 feet 4 inches, and Phil Pfister was third, with 199 feet. The tire flip was next (same as yesterday), and Steve Kirit won, with a time of 36.72 seconds, followed by Don Pope at 37.75 seconds and Jesse Marunde at 38.06 seconds. The third event was the keg toss for height (35-pounds), and Don Pope won, with a throw of 21 feet, beating the world record holder, Juha Rasanen, who came in second, with a throw of 20 feet, the same as Jesse Marunde. The stones finished off the day (same as yesterday), and once again, Phil Pfister won, with a time of 22.59 seconds, followed by Don Pope at 24.38 seconds and Gregor Edmunds at 25.16 seconds. In the team standings, the USA is off to a very strong start, leading Europe at 89 points to 131. For full details, check the official IFSA USA website.

Winning two of today's four events, Phil Pfister also walked away with first place overall in the IFSA-USA X-TREME STRONGMAN National Qualifier in South Miami, Florida. Pfister finished the day with 11.5 points, followed by Steve Kirit at 15 points; Don Pope and Jesse Marunde were tied on points, at 19.5, but Pope got third place by virtue of having won an event. The day started with a tire flip, using a 740-pound tire on an 80-foot course in the sand. Steve Kirit won the event in a time of 34.37 seconds, followed by Don Pope at 34.84 and Jesse Marunde at 36.56 seconds. A repetition axle press was the next event, using a 240-barbell (clean and press). Steve Kirit won with 11 reps, followed by Pfister and Marunde, who tied with 10 reps. The third event today was a farmer's walk for distance (275-pounds, 80-foot course). Phil Pfister flew to 177 feet 3 inches, followed by Kirit at 165 feet even and Odd Haugen at 162 feet even. The final event of the day was loading stones (225-, 260-, 300-, 335-, and 360-pounds, all loaded to 50" boxes). Phil Pfister loaded all five in 25.27 seconds, to just edge Steve Kirit, who loaded all five in 25.45 seconds, ending the day and the competition with a dramatic head-to-head battle. Picking up third place in the stones was Don Pope, the only other competitor to load all five stones, which he did in 40.96 seconds. Check for complete results in a few hours.

Phil Pfister leads after the first day of the IFSA-USA X-treme Strongman National Qualifier in South Miami Beach, Florida, followed by Don Pope and Jesse Marunde. Keg loading (five 275-pound kegs loaded on a 40-inch box on a 25-ft course with a 90-second time limit) started the day, and Don Pope won this event with a time of 38.19 seconds, followed by Phil Pfister at 39.65 seconds and Jesse Marunde at 40.40 seconds. The second event of the day was a sled drag (120-pound sled loaded with two of the kegs, pulled down a 60-foot course with a 90-second time limit). Pfister won the event in a time of 41.06 seconds, followed by Matt Metheny at 44.53 seconds and Jesse Marunde at one minute 2.06 seconds. At the end of two events, Pfister leads with three points, followed by Pope at five points, Marunde at six points, Metheney at seven points, Kirit at nine points, Haugen at 13 points, Spyrock at fourteen points, Gogola at sixteen points, Meadors at eighteen points and Courtad at nineteen points.

The Northern California Open weightlifting contest will be held on May 10th, at the Sacramento State University weight room, Solano Hall, Room 1020. Please contact meet director Harry Theodor at (916) 278-5051 or theodorh@csus.edu for details.

Bill Kutzer will be teaching a USA Weightlifting Club Coach course on May 3rd in Sacramento, California. This course introduces the basics of Olympic-style weightlifting and is useful for coaches, personal trainers and athletes. Please contact Bill Kutzer at (916) 687-7542 or kutzerb@csus.edu for details.

Brad Gillingham has undergone surgery and is ready to get right back in the thick of things. Wade Gillingham reported, "Brad had successful bicep tendon reattachment surgery on his right arm Thursday afternoon. He used the same surgeon as last year for the identical procedure on the opposite arm. He is in good spirits and already planning his training for USAPL Nationals and IPF Worlds, with some lofty goals in mind for his squat and an eye toward regaining the IPF World Championship title."

Jim Jardine, of the Caledonian Club of San Francisco, has posted the progression of records at the famed U.S. National Heavy Events Championships, formerly held in Santa Rosa, California and now held in Pleasanton, California. Jardine has posted what he calls "the almost-semi-final version" and said that "a fellow record freak is trying to collect the same information for the whole world of Scottish athletics: US, World, etc.," and has posted this information.

COLUMBUS, OHIO - Following the inaugural appearance of weightlifting at the Arnold Fitness Expo, USA Weightlifting president Dennis Snethen, the national weightlifting team, coaches, the competition directors and a couple of photographers were whisked from the competition venue to meet with Arnold Schwarzenegger at his hotel. Arnold addressed the group, describing how he had begun as a weightlifter, and he declared, "I love Olympic weightlifting." Arnold said that he had been instrumental in bringing weightlifting to the Expo and wanted it to be a part of the show each year. USAW president Dennis Snethen presented Arnold with a letter from USAW executive director Wes Barnett, inviting Arnold to be the Honorary Team Captain of the USA weightlifting team at the 2004 Olympics.