Once again, the Stian Grimseth Cup in Norway will feature some of the world's very best superheavyweight weightlifters, as Olympic gold medalists Andrei Chemerkin (Russia) and Hossein Reza Zadeh (Iran) are among the lifters set to compete. Reza Zadeh, the 2000 Olympic champion, is reported to be in excellent condition, and is coming off what was described as a very easy 200-kg snatch and 250-kg clean and jerk at the recent IWF Hungarian Grand Prix. Norweigan weightlifting ace Per Mattingsdal said that a cash bonus has been offered for new world records, and considering the shape Reza Zadeh is in, he noted, "Maybe we will have the first World Weightlifting Record ever in Norway. . . ." Other lifters confirmed to compete on June 14th are: Stian Grimseth (Norway), Tibor Stark (Hungary), Gregorz Ketzcz (Poland).

In a special appearance, two-time World's Strongest Man winner Jouko Ahola will compete on May 28th in Helsinki at the Strongbow Challenge 2003. This competition is a charity event supporting programs that give youth an alternative to drugs and violence, and it will include a world record attempt in the farmer's walk. Besides Ahola, the list of competitors includes Janne Virtanen, also a WSM winner.

HELSINKI - Janne Virtanen won the IFSAVantaa Grand Prix today, barely edging out Mariusz Pudzianowski. Looking like a warm up for the World's Strongest Man show, the contest featured four former WSM winners: Janne Virtanen, Magnus Samuelsson, Svend Karlsen and the defending champion, Mariusz Pudzianowski. Top competitors Raimonds Bergmanis, Jarno Hams, Juha Rasanen, and Hannu Vilko made up the rest of the field. Virtanen and Pudzianowski both finished with 44 points, winning three events each. Both also had one second place finish, but Virtanen got the win because he also had a third place finish, to Pudzianowski's fourth place finish. Juha Rasanen was third overall, with 39 points, followed by Magnus Samuelsson, at 38 points. Bergmanis was fifth, at 27 points, Karlsen was sixth, at 27 points, Vilkko was seventh, at 10 points, and Hams was eighth, at 7 points.

Zambia will host the 2003 World's Strongest Man show, the extremely popular strongman contest. The 2001 World's Strongest Man show was held in Zambia and many of the top contestants said today that they were happy to return to that location. Check the official IFSA web site for more details next week.

With the aim of informing "coaches at all levels of recent literature and findings relevant to weightlifting and strength training," USA Weightlifting is holding a Strength and Weightlifting Symposium on July 20 - 23 at the US Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs. "Each day will have a keynote speaker focusing on a specific topic. Keynote topics include Recovery and Restoration, The Female Athlete - Aspects to Consider in Setting the Training Program and Biomechanical Methods of Quantifying Weightlifting. In addition, each day will conclude with a roundtable discussion relevant to each day's topic. The cost of the symposium is $200 and is open to all coaches at all levels. For an additional $60, meals will be provided at the Olympic Training Center cafeteria. The official hotel is the Red Lion (reservations 719.329.7444). Please reference the USAW Symposium when calling. Room rates are $79/night single to quadruple occupancy. The Red Lion cannot guarantee this room rate after June 19. Price includes a hot breakfast and shuttle service to and from the Colorado Springs airport and the Olympic Training Center, each day, for the symposium. This is a tremendous opportunity for all coaches. We encourage all interested parties to attend. For more information or if you have any questions about the symposium, please call Paul Fleschler at the National Office at 719.866.4508."

Held in conjunction with the IFSA Las Vegas Strongman Challenge, the IronMind Las Vegas Rolling Thunder Championships will give you a chance to test your grip and maybe grab a little extra cash. Run by veteran World's Strongest Man competitor Mark Philippi, the IFSA-USA Las Vegas Strongman Challenge is a qualifier for the US National Strongman Championships, which will determine the Americans who will compete at this year's World's Strongest Man show, and as part of the overall event, the Palms Hotel and Casino will host the IronMind Las Vegas Rolling Championships, in the Palapa Lounge, at 6:30 on May 30th. Prizes of $300 for 1st place overall, $200 for 2nd place overall, and $100 for 3rd place overall will be provided by Rolling Rock beer, and additional prizes will be given for the top local performances. As an added bonus, a $250 IronMind gift certificate will be given to the first person to lift 270 pounds or more, which would represent a new world record in the lift. This event is open to the public. Check the official IFSA-USA website for additional contest details.