Paradise Island, Bahamas � The second event in the 2004 World's Strongest Man contest was just completed today.


Vasyl Virastiuk motors down the course in the refrigerator race. Randall J. Strossen, Ph.D. photo.

Although "refrigerator race" might conjure up images of something quite different, this event was a yoke, said to weigh 410 kg, and the competitors went one pair at a time down a 30-meter course. The pairs were: Raimonds Bergmanis and Svend Karlsen, Mariusz Pudzianowski and Zydrunas Savickas, and Vasyl Virastiuk and Magnus Samuelsson.

.The action continues tomorrow.

Paradise Island, Bahamas - The 2004 World's Strongest Man Finals began today.


Mariusz Pudzianowski, Raimonds Bergmanis and Vasyl Virastiuk battling it out in the medley. Randall J. Strossen, Ph.D. photo.

The action started with a medley that involved carrying a 100-kg anchor-like implement 25 meters, running back , and then doing a farmer's walk back down the course with 160-kg implements in each hand.

Based in part on performances in the qualifying rounds, many insiders are giving Vasyl Virastiuk the nod as the favorite, followed by Mariusz Pudzianowski and then Zadrunas Savickas, but time will tell.

Pudzianowski, Virastiuk, Savickas, Karlsen, Samuelsson and Bergmanis have advanced to the finals of the 2004 World's Strongest Man contest.

Scoring starts over now, and although we will have to wait to see the TV shows to know for sure, there are widespread rumors that the finals will assume what has been the traditional format of running the athletes through the events in groups, rather than in pairs.

The events for the final are: carry and drag medley, yoke, deadlift, squat, truck pull, wheelbarrow, safe lift and stones, but the exact nature of each event will only be publicly unveiled when the TV shows begin airing right around Christmas time.

"This is really big for strongman," said Dione Wessels, because the MHP Pro Invitational Strongman competition set for the GNC Show of Strength "will be aired on Fox Sports for 26 weeks starting in January."

Wessels, who has been instrumental in running the NASS competitions that give amateur strongmen a way to have fun, develop their skills and move into the pro ranks, has also been working hard all year to make the professional US National Championships a reality.

Along with the NASS Heavyweight National Championships, Wessels said that there will be a Pro Invitational National Championships, which will be run by the newly-formed organizing body ASA, and it is expected to draw just about every top American strongman competitor.

And if that's not enough reason to be sure to be there, the US Rolling Thunder National Championships will be run right after the strongman competition ends on Friday, October 8th, so everyone with a great grip can test themselves on this world-renown lift while mingling with some of the strongest guys around.

For information on the GNC Show of Strength, please check their web site http://www.showofstrength.com/ and for details on the strongman contests and the Rolling Thunder Nationals, please check the official NASS website: http://www.nastrongman.com/ .

Here's your chance to meet, hang out with and even lift with some of the guys you have read about in MILO and watched on TV. See you there!

The weather hasn't made things easy for this year's World's Strongest Man contest, but things are forging ahead and the qualifiers are expected to be wrapped up today.

With a starting field of 12 competitors, only the top six will go on to the finals, and although anything could happen, the smart money is riding on Mariusz Pudzianowski, Vasyl Virastiuk, Zydrunas Savickas, Svend Karlsen, Magnus Samuelsson and Raimonds Bergmanis to make the cut.

Once the finals start, the slate is wiped clean and the competitors start afresh in their battle to win the title.

With Hurricane Jeanne moving on, the action resumed yesterday at the World's Strongest Man contest and Mariusz Pudzianowski is in the lead.

Three events were held yesterday - sumo wrestling, the safe lift and Conan's wheel - and everyone hopes the storm-induced disruptions will now be replaced by smooth sailing until the conclusion of the contest.

Zydrunas Savickas is in second place overall, Svend Karlsen and Vasyl Virastiuk are tried for third, Magnus Samuelsson is in fourth place and Raimonds Bergmanis is in fifth place.

Steve Kirit has been replaced by Andrus Murmets, who is said to have taken over Kirit's points and position, and top competitor Hugo Girard has just withdrawn, although no details are available.

Hurricane Jeanne is currently dominating the World's Strongest Man contest as the last two events were cancelled yesterday and the athletes were prepared to evacuate their hotel if necessary.

In the first day of the qualifiers, defending World's Strongest Man winner Mariusz Pudzianowski moved into the lead, followed by Raimunds Bergmanis in second place and Svend Karlsen in third place. The second day of the qualifiers was slated to have three events (Fingal's Fingers, sumo wrestling and Conan's wheel), but Hurricane Jeanne quickly changed things and the last two events of the day were cancelled. Mariusz Pudzianowski remains in first place, Raimunds Bergmanis remains in second place and Zydrunas Savickas has moved into a tie with Svend Karlsen for third place at the moment.

Steve Kirit has reportedly pulled out of the contest and a reserve athlete has been substituted in his place, and the contest is said to have been postponed for two days as the area is pounded with heavy rain.

It's the title all the strongmen want to win, it's the TV show that is watched around the world, and this year, changes in the contest format, a revised scoring system and an emphasis on heavy events hold the promise of even an better show for 2004.

In a move that many strongman fans and competitors alike will embrace, the 2004 contest is not going to resemble a foot race, and while they have been designed with the idea that they should look good to television audiences, this year's contest features key tests of strength and classic strongman events. Thus, the events include such staples as the squat, deadlift, an overhead lift, stone loading, and a harness and rope pull, although the exact form each event takes is part of what makes this contest distinct.

Although everyone should be cheering for his or her favorite, and you never know what will happen, defending winner Mariusz Pudzianowski has to be considered a favorite to win this year's title. Zydrunas Savickas is the man many would consider to be the biggest threat to Pudzianowski, but Vasyl Virastiuk, Svend Karlsen and Magnus Samuelsson are on a lot of insiders' short lists, and a healthy and focused Hugo Girard is never to be taken lightly.

The action starts tomorrow, as the qualifying round kicks off with the deadlift, yoke race and stones.

The 2004 US Rolling Thunder National Championships will be held in conjunction with the big strongman shows at the GNC Show of Strength, so here's your chance to test your hand strength and have some fun with some of the biggest names in strongman.

The US Rolling Thunder Nationals are set for Friday, October 8th, right after the strongman events finish, which is expected to be about 4:00 p.m. Everyone who has qualified at a NASS event earlier this year is eligible and if you want to join the fun, here's a way you can be a walk-on: Show us that you can lift the opener (170 pounds) before the contest starts and you're in. All IFSA pro-card holders automatically qualify, and if there are at least three women ready to compete (starting weight of 70 pounds), then a women's class will be run as well as a men's class. The top three men will win IronMind gift certificates, not to mention major bragging rights, and if we run a women's class, prizes will be given out based on the number of entries.

For information on the GNC Show of Strength, please check their web site http://www.showofstrength.com/ and for details on the strongman contests and the Rolling Thunder Nationals, please check the official NASS website: http://www.nastrongman.com/ .

Here's your chance to meet, hang out with and even lift with some of the guys you have read about in MILO and watched on TV. See you there!

With two days to go until the qualifying rounds begin for the World's Strongest Man contest, strongman fans and competitors are getting excited, picking their favorites and getting ready to cheer them on.

All the competitors completed their draws, so everyone knows who he is paired with in each event for the qualifiers. Here is a recap how this year's scoring will work:

1) Each event will yield a maximum of six points.
2) Five of those points can be earned based on your absolute performance level (how many stones you lift, for example) and the final point goes to the winner of that duel.
3) Of course, if a competitor has an easy match in a particular event, it makes getting the bonus point for the win easier, but he would still have to produce a strong performance to gain the other five points.
4) This scoring system will eliminate the possibility of runaway victories that produce a boring contest.

Our understanding is that the drug testing is limited to the two competitors who won that drawing (Mariusz Pudzianowksi and Svend Karlsen), but this might not be the case as there is significant concern about protecting the health and safety of the competitors and IFSA has said that it sees its drug-testing program as part of the larger health and safety issue.

Bill Kazmaier is on hand, working for ESPN; Zydrunas Savickas is said to be huge (maybe weighing about 170 kg); and today the competitors are inspecting the equipment they will be using when the contest begins.

Mark your calendars now - the TV shows will begin right around Christmas and it sounds like they will be outstanding.

With tremendous excitement surrounding the revised format, the 2004 World's Strongest Man contest has begun.

This year's format has undergone a radical change, with the strongmen competing one pair at a time as they work their way through the events. Among the pairings that resulted from the drawing are: Svend Karlsen and Magnus Samuelsson in the deadlift, and Mariusz Pudzianowski and Svend Karlsen in the squat.

There was also a drawing for the doping control, and Mariusz Pudzianowski and Svend Karlsen won.

Magnus Samuelsson is still on his way over, as his wife gave birth to their daughter over the weekend � congratulations to the Samuelssons! � but everyone else has arrived and is ready to go.

The Diesel Crew delivered what was described as a tremendous grip contest this weekend and Rob W. Vigeant took top honors.

Clay Edgin finished second and Jedd Johnson was third.

Think the competitors were the only ones who worked hard? Two days later, Diesel Crew's Jim Smith said, "I am . . . still in a trance . . . pretty much exhausted." Buy this guy (and Jedd Johnson) a beer (or a protein drink) for all the hard work put into this contest.

For details, please check: http://www.DieselCrew.com.

For all you grip masters and aspiring grip masters, we have just posted John Brookfield's latest Grip Tip.

Friendly, knowledgeable and accomplished, it's no wonder that John Brookfield is so popular, and his influence on the field of hand strength is overwhelming.

To step up to a new level of hand strength, click on the Grip Tip button on the IronMind homepage or follow this link: /GripTips/griptip.html .

Squeeze hard and have fun!

World's Strongest Man winner Svend "Viking Power" Karlsen is featured in the October issue of IRONMAN magazine.


Svend Karlsen working on the Apollon's Axle at the 2003 Beautry & the Beast Super Series strongman contest. Randall J. Strossen, Ph.D. photo.

Want to know how Svend trains? Then read this article.

Everyone who's a Svend Karlsen fan or a strongman competitor will want to grab the October issue of IRONMAN magazine and inhale this article because it describes how this very popular and very successful strongman has typically trained, and it also includes the specific revisions he made to prepare for this year's Arnold Strongman competition.

Check your newsstand for the October issue of IRONMAN magazine and visit their web site for more details: http://www.ironmanmagazine.com/.

Arm wrestlers who want to compete at the 2005 Arnold have one more chance to qualify.

The 53rd Annual World Wristwrestling Championships have moved to a new location: Boomtown Casino and Hotel (ten miles west of Reno, Nevada), and this contest, scheduled for October 30 �31, is the final qualifier for the 2005 Arnold.

For more information, please check http://www.armwrestling.com .

Sure the field was cut way back for the 2004 World's Strongest Man contest, but with that change the US Nationals just might prove to be that much better this year.


Even when he's just sitting around, one look at Jon Andersen's delts gives you an idea of why he's a force to be reckoned with in any strongman pressing event. Andersen, an honors graduate of NASS, is looking to do well at the US Nationals later this year in Atlanta. Randall J. Strossen, Ph.D. photo.

Set for the GNC Show of Strength in Atlanta October 8- 10, the US Nationals are expected to draw the top names in American strongman, and if Jon Andersen's plan is any indication, watch for some top-level competition.

Asked if he was going down to World's Strongest Man, Jon said that he had been thinking about going, to help support Steve Kirit, but especially because Steve is doing so well right now, Jon plans to stick around, train hard, do well at Nationals and hopefully be at World's Strongest Man as a competitor next year.

For all the details on the US Nationals, please check the official NASS web site: http://www.nastrongman.com/ .

As if Oklahoma didn't have enough strong guys already, top American weightlifters Shane Hamman and Chad Vaughn are training together there now.


Chad Vaughn pulls himself under his 175-kg opening clean and jerk at the 2004 Olympics. Randall J. Strossen, Ph.D. photo.

Shane Hamman has been home since the Olympics and he said that he will stay there until early January, when he plans to return to the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Hamman, who is within range of being a medal-contender at the 2005 World Weightlifting Championships, said that he is hitting squats and the lifts for higher reps right now and is planning to reduce his bodyweight to about 150 kg.

And now that Shane Hamman is training with Chad Vaughn, two-thirds of the USA men's 2004 Olympic training team is in Oklahoma, a state with a long history of producing some of the top strength athletes around.

Hamman said that Chad Vaughn is moving up to the 85-kg bodyweight class, so I said, "Sounds like a 200-kg clean and jerk," and Hamman agreed.

With the goal of reclaiming their supremacy in the Highland Games world, a European League is being formed for 2005.


Top Highland Games competitor Dave Barron (USA) rocks at Pleasanton. Randall J. Strossen, Ph.D.

Maybe it's Jim McGoldrick's (USA) and Matt Sandford's (Australia) fault for winning so many Highland Games World Championships, because some guys in Scotland, in particular, would like to assert their supremacy in the Highland Games. Toward that end, Gregor Edmunds, a former World's Strongest Man competitor who has also made his mark in the Highland Games, is said to be spearheading an effort to organize a European League, which would then go on to challenge a US team for top bragging rights.

Even after McGoldrick retired, there has not been a shortage of top American talent on the international Highland Games circuit, so the idea of a European-USA team contest should see some high-level throwing.

Looking for a new twist on your Blob training?

Shortly after IronMind began promoting the benefits of grip training and selling specialized grip equipment in the late 1980s, we had the good fortune to hook up with Richard Sorin, a guy who was already known to a small circle of grip aficionados. Besides having made his mark with his ferocious crushing grip and being the first guy certified for closing a No. 3 Captains of Crush gripper, Richard also had an extremely formidable pinch grip, and he always said that he felt one of the toughest things he had ever done was hoist his Blob, the sawed off end of a cast 100-pound York dumbbell. As interest in grip training expanded from those early days, it's no surprise that the Blob continues to play a vital role in the grip world.

This weekend, at Jim Smith and Jedd Johnson's Global Grip Challenge, the venerable Blob will present a new challenge, in the form of Blob horse. This will be like "the basketball game of horse, played with a Blob," explained Smith. "One competitor does a feat with a Blob (for example, passing it around their back), and then the next competitor tries it. If he cannot complete it, he will get the letter G, and so on." Spell GRIP and you lose, but no matter, you'll have a good time playing.

Set for this Saturday, Smith says he has 22 entries for the Global Grip Challenge, which will be followed with a variety of feats of strength. For details, please check: http://www.DieselCrew.com.

After he had been chasing the IronMind Red Nail for a while, Pat Povilaitis wanted to give it a try in front of me at the 2002 AOBS dinner.


It wasn't lack of effort that kept Pat Povilaitis from polishing off an IronMind Red Nail at the 2002 AOBS dinner. Randall J. Strossen, Ph.D. photo.

Although Povilaitis put up a gut-busting effort, it wasn't to be that night, but that didn't stop him.

Later adopting a modification of the bending style put on the map by Gavin Holle, Povilaiitis told me that it was placing him in a much more powerful position and he was making solid progress in his assault on the IronMind Red Nail.

Bob Bollenbach has long had special status at IronMind, not just because he started buying grippers from us about fifteen years ago, but also because he was passionate about them and he doesn't get cowed into saying someone did something they didn't do - Bob's got some spine, which is something we have always liked in a person.

A couple of years ago, I had introduced Pat Povilaitis and his friend Steve Weiner to Bob Bollenbach, and so when Povilaitis was ready to get certified on the Red Nail, it was only natural that he perform under Bob's watchful eye.

Pat succeeded this time, and Bob's comments to me were along the lines that it was a 110% effort. Subsequently, at the Arnold Expo earlier this year, Pat wanted to show me he could do it, and he did - marching right through the Red Nail.br>
Fast forward again, and Pat visited Bob a couple of weeks, only this time, he blew through 25 Red Nails.

Having watched Pat's progress, Bob called to tell me how impressed he was, and it's another example of how persistence pays off.

It's early, but interest in the 2004 World's Strongest Man TV shows is already mounting.

And for everyone who likes to plan ahead and has asked about the TV schedule for the 2004 shows, we checked, and while it's still too soon to know the exact schedule, this year will follow the usual broadcast schedule, beginning "around Christmas on both BBC and ESPN."

With top-line strongmen, heavy events, and a revised format and scoring system, the 2004 World's Strongest Man contest promises to be exciting.

Wes Barnett was the last American to medal at the men's World Weightlifting Championships, but Shane Hamman can do it next year.


Shane Hamman hit a PR 237.5 kg clean and jerk in Athens, lifting it like it was a warm-up weight. Randall J. Strossen, Ph.D. photo.

Barnett came off an inspiring performance at the 1996 Olympics to bring home the bacon from the 1997 World Weightlifting Championships and Hamman, we think, is capable of repeating a performance at this level at the 2005 World Weightlifting Championships.

Anyone who was lucky enough to be there for Hamman's 197.5-kg snatch at the 2002 World Weightlifting Championships (Warsaw, Poland), or his 237.5-kg clean and jerk at the 2004 Olympics (Athens, Greece), knows that both lifts had plenty of extra steam on them - Shane Hamman has not yet done his maximum in either the snatch or the clean and jerk, and with just a small bump up from his current PRs, and a couple of breaks, he is genuinely capable of medaling at next year's World Weightlifting Championships.

While those medals won't be awarded until next year, the process of winning (or losing) them has already begun, so if you want to see some 2005 World Weightlifting Championships medals coming back through US Customs, support Shane Hamman right now: Nobody can train for Hamman, but everyone can support him, urge him on and let him know they believe in him. We do.

When we first announced Mike "The Destroyer" Roy's grip contest, we had some questions about the events, but most all, we wondered if he could pull off what he was trying to do.

After all, Roy was saying that he was going to take a backyard-level activity and give it the exposure and staging of a major strength contest, partly by selecting events that had historical significance and that would also look good to spectators, and partly by giving feats of grip strength and their top practitioners unheard of levels of visibility.

Roy succeeded in doing what he said he would: With a crowd estimated at 5,000 watching, grip events never got so much exposure, and a purse of this size had never even been imagined before. TV and newspapers covered the event, Roy's stock as a talk-show guest has soared and he just got a call from Ben Weider, who pledged his support.

Rumor has it that The Destroyer is already planning the 2005 edition of this contest, and given where he just set the bar, who knows what he might pull off next year.

Bruce Hart is organizing a reunion of Chicago-area greats from the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s.

With names like Clyde Emerich, Bob Gajda, Sergio Oliva, Bill Seno and John Balik - to name just a few of the Iron Game luminaries who came from the Windy City - local talent is pretty staggering, and the tradition has been continued with such modern-day greats as the powerlifter's powerlifter, Ed Coan. The leading Chicago-area bodybuilders, weightlifters and powerlifters from this era all played a major role in their specialties, and here's a chance for all of them to get together. For more information, please contact Bruce Hart at (847) 991-2222.

We are fortunate to have Sam Dube's final report on this weekend's Canada's Strongest Man competition, where Hugo Girard won for the sixth time.


Hugo Girard driving toward the finish line at the 2002 World's Strongest Man competition (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia). Randall J. Strossen, Ph.D. photo.

Hugo Girard Wins His Sixth Canada's Strongest Man Competition

By Sam Dube, Ph.D.

Hugo Girard successfully defended his Canadian championship by performing well enough on the last two events, the Atlas Stones and the Super Medley, to carry him to a convincing victory and sixth consecutive national title.

The former event sustained a change from last year, with the athletes having to deposit the stones in a metal ring set atop each podium, an apparatus first seen at the World Muscle Power Championships earlier this year. The result: only Lyndon and Paulin got the fifth stone, and the five-foot seven-inch Bonneau pressed the 242-pound stone to arm's length three times in his failed attempt to place it on the six-foot podium. The competition concluded with amazing performances in the Super Medley, consisting of a 730-pound Super Yoke, a 260-pound Farmer's Walk, a 550-pound Duck Walk, and a 675-pound Chain Drag, performed for 30 feet each. All in all, a truly world class event.

2004 Canada's Strongest Man

1. Hugo Girard 84
2. Jessen Paulin 79
3. Travis Lyndon 72
4. Geoff Dolan 71
5. Brad Carty 55.5
6. Ryan Green 50.5
7. Brad Provick 50.5
8. Steve Bourgeois 37
9. Franky Bonneau 34.5
10. Jamie Aszmies 33.5
11. Gino Castonguay 32
12. Yannick Normandin 21.5

Ace Canadian strongman commentator Sam Dube Ph.D., continues with his report on the Canada's Strongest Man contest . . .

"Hugo Girard was able to maintain his lead by winning one event and placing second in the other two during the second day of the 2004 Canada's Strongest Man contest. After a supreme effort, Jessen "The Myth' Paulin managed to win the Arm-Over-Arm Pull, completing the 28,000-pound, 100-foot course just twelve one-hundreths of a second faster than defending champion Girard. Travis Lyndon placed third. In the 605-lb. squat for repetitions, Geoff Dolan wowed the thousands in attendance with 14 reps, besting Hugo's conservative 11 reps, and newcomer Atlantic Canada's Strongest Man Brad Carty's do-or-die effort of 10 reps.

In the Farmer's Walk, Paulin exploded, racing the 330-pound implements across the 131-foot track in 19.48 seconds. During their heat, Dolan surged ahead of Girard, who holds the 386-lb. Farmer's Walk world record, only to lose his grip from the blood caused by ripping his hand open during the Wheelbarrow event the day before. Hugo crossed the finish line in 18.49 seconds, slightly increasing his overall lead going into Day 3 of the competition, where the Atlas Stones and Super Medley remain.

The 5-time Canadian champion will have his work cut out for him on Day 3, with four of his challengers having officially completed the fifth stone (386 lbs.) in under 28 seconds during past competitions."

Getting off to a strong start on the first day, Ryan Vierra never looked back and added his sixth US National Heavy Events title to his formidable collection of Highland Games victories.


Ryan Vierra sends the 56 for distance on its way. Randall J. Strossen, Ph.D. photo.

After the first day, Vierra was followed by Dave Barron, in second, and Sean Betz, in third, and when the dust settled, Vierra was still the top dog, but James Parman had moved into the runner-up position and Dave Barron was third.

Vierra has been competing in this contest since the days when it was held in Santa Rosa, California, and fondly recalls his 1988 debut, when Brian Oldfield was winding down his career. Vierra is a three-time world champion in the Highland Games Heavy Events.

Sam Dube called the action for us from Gatineau, where Canada's Strongest Man and The Destroyer's Grip Challenge were taking place this weekend.

"After being disappointed in the Harness & Truck Pull, defending champion Hugo Girard came roaring back with a new world record of 24 reps in the Viking Press, shattering his old record of 20 reps under the auspices of IFSA internationally certified referees Ilka Kinnunen of Finland and Marc Lauzon of Canada. Hugo then finished second in the Wheelbarrow to Quebec's Strongest Man and WSM 2003 8th place finisher Jessen Paulin, the world record holder in this event. This performance, which saw both men manhandle 2,370 lbs., allowed Girard to take the lead from WSM 2003 10th place finisher Geoff Dolan, whose rehabbed soleus muscle seems to be holding out thus far. An estimated 10,000 fans attended the first day of the three-day event, which features the 2002 World Super Series Champion and hometown hero attempting to win his 6th consecutive Canada's Strongest Man title here in Gatineau, Quebec, Canada. The show also marks the final of the 2004 Canadian Strength Athletes Series, the annual award-winning nationally-aired television series featuring Canada's top strongmen from the provincial championships all the way to Canada's Strongest Man.

The day also saw Michael 'The Destroyer' Roy crowned the 2004 World Grip Champion after completing the grueling grip strength circuit in just over 5 minutes and 8 seconds. He cemented his victory by following the series immediately with a near 47 second 200 lbs. vertical bar hold, dominating the competition with an impressive 135 out of 145 possible points. Placing 2nd, 3rd, and 4th respectively were Dave Daneault, Robert Daigneault, and Yan Demeuls."

Top strongman competitor and the defending US National Rolling Thunder champion Odd Haugen reported for his first day of therapy yesterday for the biceps he blew out earlier this summer.


Odd Haugen shows why it's called the duck walk at the 2004 Battle of Muscle Beach (Venice, California). Randall J. Strossen, Ph.D. photo.

"You don't need any," the therapist said. Odd says he can already do everything with the injured arm that a normal person can. Of course, that's only a fraction of what the arm is used to doing, but we expect Odd to be back better than ever in the near future.

Here's the latest on the Global Grip Challenge from Jim Smith, who, along with Jedd Johnson, is organizing the contest.

Smith said, "More competitors have signed up," including "one from London, England and a female competitor from Boston, Massachusetts." Smith put the total number of competitors in the 20 - 25 range and as far as we know, as big as the field is, there is still time to sign up if you'd like to try your hand at these events.

For details, please check: http://www.DieselCrew.com.

The official start list for the 2004 World's Strongest Man contest has just been released.

With its concentrated field, WSM 2004 will put an even sharper focus on each of 12 professional strongman invited to compete in this marquee contest:

Mariusz Pudzianowski - Poland
Zydrunas Savickis - Lithuania
Vasyl Virastyuk - Ukraine
Raimonds Bergmanis - Latvia
Steve Kirit - USA
Adrian Rollinson - UK
Mark Felix - Grenada
Hugo Girard - Canada
Svend Karlsen - Norway
Rene Minkwitz - Denmark
Magnus Samuelsson - Sweden
Tomi Lotta - Finland

Richard (Levi) Vaoga - New Zealand - and Andrus Murumets - Estonia - are the officially-listed reserve competitors.

Also, officially, this year's events include: Atlas Stones, Fire Truck Pull, Safe Lift, Motorcycle Walk, Fridge Carry.

Please remember that while all this information is the latest, both the athletes and the events are subject to change.

We have just received official word that the size of the final field for this year's World's Strongest Man contest will be six competitors.

After surviving the qualifying round, the six competitors who go on to compete in the finals will start with a clean slate in terms of scoring. With the benefits of the new scoring system and fresh events developed for this year's contest, the 2004 edition of World's Strongest Man promises to be outstanding.

It's official now: The 2004 World's Strongest Man (WSM) contest will be held in the Bahamas from September 23 to October 3, although it is important to remember that because WSM is filmed for TV, dates and other details are always subject to change.

The qualifying round is scheduled for September 23 � 26, and the finals will take place from September 30 to October 3. The Atlantis Resort, on Paradise Island, is the exact location, and fans are welcome to attend what is the premier event in strongman.