Janne Hartikainen (Finland) repeated as the IFSA 105 kg World Champion today.

Describing the contest in glowing terms, IFSA-USA President Dione Wessels told IronMind that "the reception is really amazing - so much that other countries want to promote the 105 kg World's, plus more contests for the 105s."

IFSA-USA President Dione Wessels said the competition is so tight at the IFSA 105-kg World Championships that the final positions are still up for grabs.


Kevin Nowack (USA) burns up the pavement in the farmer's walk at the IFSA 105-kg World Championships (Panyu City, China). Dione Wessels photo.

Wessel's told IronMind, "Today's events started with the Farmer's Walk at 50 meters with 120 kg each hand. "

"While the weight seemed heavy for some of the athletes," said Wessels, "other athletes almost sprinted with the weight. The top five finishers in the farmer's walk were Kevin Nowack-USA (22.84 seconds), Alvidas Brazdzius-Lithuania (22.45 seconds), Aleksandrov Zanev-Bulgaria (22.47 seconds), Janne Hartikainen-Finland (20.24 seconds), and Danny Anderson- England (18.17 seconds)."

"The second event of day four was the 'Chime Long' Truck Pull. This event got off to a great start. Not many mistakes seen by the athletes. Kevin Nowack had a good start and was making a good time until he slipped right before the finish line, losing valuable seconds. The top finishers in this event were Janne Hartikanene of Finland, Stefan Weiermann of Austria, and Maris Rozentals of Latvia. The top three overall going into the last event of the day (the Yoke Walk) are Janne Hartikainen, Darren Sadler, and Alvidas Brazdzius."

Predicting an exciting battle right down to the end, Wessels said, "All of the points are close, so I am expecting to see some change on this event."

Dione Wessels, reporting from the IFSA 105-kg World Championships in Panyu City, China, told IronMind, "The reception from the Chinese people is amazing."


Brad Cardoza (USA) versus Li Dequan (China) in the pole push at the IFSA 105-kg World Championships (Panyu City, China). Dione Wessels photo.

"Last night, we had one event," Wessels said. "There was an opening ceremony for the athletes, with many Chinese culture performances. Last night, there were over 30,000 in attendance, and then again today."

After three events, Wessels reported that Alvida Badzius (Lithuania) leads, with Darren Sadler (England) in second place.

The IFSA 105 kg World Championships continue through November 29.

Jorgen Ljungberg won the overall title at the Battle of the Giants today.

Scored on the Wilkes formual, Ljunberg was first, followed by Ove Lehto and then Nikolay Susov. Their totals, respectively, were 1045 kg, 1065 kg and 977.5 kg. Ljunberg also won the squat, with a lift of 400 kg, in a meet that was described as having very strict judging. Kenneth Sanvig won the bench press, with a lift of 332.5 kg, and Brad Gillingham won the deadlift, with 385 kg, and from what we heard, he pulled it as if he had more gas in the tank. Brad Gillingham's second and third attempt in the deadlift were his 42nd and 43rd +800 pound competition deadlifts, according to his brother Wade - which must be some kind of record.

World's Strongest Man winner Magnus Samuelsson was on hand and put on a stone lifting demonstration.

Magnus Samuelsson, who was forced to sit out this year's World's Strongest Man contest because of his IFSA contract, told IronMind that this contract has been terminated, that he is training hard and that his "main goal for next year is World's Strongest Man."


Working away at the 2004 World Muscle Power Championships (Dolbeau-Mistassini, Quebec): When Magnus "The Stone King" Samuelsson wraps his hands and arms around a stone, it's something like an anaconda latching onto its next meal. Randall J. Strossen, Ph.D. photo.

Magnus Samuelsson first competed in World's Strongest Man contest in 1995, when he was a surprise qualifier for the finals, where he broke Nathan Jones's arm in the arm wrestling event - the unfortunate combination of pitting an experienced arm wrestler (Samuelsson) against a competitor who was strong, but inexperienced in arm wrestling (Jones), and not having referees ready to stop the match as soon as one of the competitors got into the broken-arm position. Samuelsson went on to win the 1998 World's Strongest Man contest and he is always in the hunt for a top position, finishing third, for example, in his last appearance (2004).

Always a crowd favorite and always a factor for top honors in everything from the truck pull to stone loading, Samuelsson is also on everyone's short list when talking about the strongest arms around, and his performances on the No. 3 and the No. 4 Captains of Crush grippers, as well as on the Rolling Thunder, put him in the uppermost echelons of grip strength.

One of the most marketable of all the professional strongmen, Samuelsson is a real draw wherever he goes and his return to World's Strongest Man will be greeted enthusiastically by strongman fans worldwide.

Talking about how the early days of the Resident Program produced gains, USA Weightlifting Executive Director Wes Barnett told IronMind, "It all started with LeRoux."


Chris LeRoux at the 1995 US Nationals (Fresno, California). Ten years later, LeRoux competed at this year's Nationals in Cleveland. Randall J. Strossen, Ph.D. photo.

Chris LeRoux might be best known for medaling at the Junior Worlds, and he might never live down the "Jubilant Junior" photo caption that accompanied his USA Weightlifting cover shot, but what Barnett was talking about was how LeRoux started the chain reaction of hard training at the US Olympic Training Center, where each lifter took what the guy before him had done as a challenge, then pushed himself to do one notch better, and the result was that everyone benefited from being in Colorado Springs, training together.

Barnett was explaining the benefits of centralized training and how "Chris LeRoux was the catalyst. He was the reason why the Resident Program was such a success, because he was the rabbit - we all had to chase him." Barnett talked about how, in turn, Jeff Macy, Barnett himself and [now Technical Director/Men's Resident Coach] Paul Fleschler had to respond, and each had to raise the ante for the next round. Then National Coaching Director Lyn Jones used to describe LeRoux's ability to handle really tough workouts day after day, so if there was someone who could help spark big efforts, Chris LeRoux was the right guy for the job.

It's hard, sometimes, Barnett said, for the local coaches to let go of their best athletes, but the USOTC offers everything lifters need to reach their top performances and one of the crucial elements in the mix is the support and competition that naturally follow when you have all the top lifters training together under one roof.

Barnett is quick to credit his own coach, Dennis Snethen, now USAW President, for always encouraging him to go wherever he could get the best coaching, always putting Barnett's development first, rather than trying to cling to Barnett and thereby restrict his progress.

Barnett, who medaled at the 1997 World Weightlifting Championships, said that he was always chasing Paul Fleschler and no matter what Fleschler did in his workouts, Barnett tried to lift 2.5 kg more or in some other way one-up Fleschler. If Fleschler said to him, "You're just crazy," Barnett felt that he had succeeded, because he had done more than was expected and progress would be the result.

This will be the third times it's been held and Brad Gillingham (USA), along with Jorgen Ljunberg (Sweden), have been there for all of them.


Brad Gillingham pulls 382.5 kg (843 pounds) at the 2001 World Games. Photo courtesy of Brad Gillingham.

The entries at this prestigious powerlifting invitational includes four IPF world champions (Bondarenko, Suslov, Malanichev, Gillingham) in what is a talent-rich field that will be competing in Orebro, Sweden this weekend. Prize money is paid out using the Wilkes formula, as well as for world records and for actual top lifts.

Brad Gillingham, the 2001 and the 2002 IPF superheavyweight world champion, arguably the most prestigious title in powerlifting, said that the past Battle of the Giants contests (1999 and 2001) have drawn crowds in the range of 2,500 (!) and that the lifters are selected on the basis of representing the best in the world.

Known worldwide for his prodigious pulls, Brad Gillingham told IronMind, "The deadlift always speaks a lot for me . . . ," explaining that while he is aiming for a +2300 pound total, he also hopes to have one of the top deadlifts in the contest.

With rumors flying that Svend Karlsen is the latest strongman to leave IFSA, IronMind has received an official statement directly from Mr. Karlsen, which should clarify both his current status and his plans for 2006.


Svend Karlsen, the man who has made "Viking Power" a familiar cry and a popular cheer at top strongman contests around the world, told IronMind that he has not yet made up his mind about whether he's competing next year. Photo courtesy of Svend Karlsen.

Svend Karlsen told IronMind, "I have not joined Super Series and left IFSA. I have not made up my mind yet if I will compete at all for next year! I feel old. I will compete in Poland at the World vs. Poland [competition] on December 10th, because I want to meet my best friend Jarek Dymek and because I can't compete in St. Maarten because of personal matters!"

There you have it - straight from the source.

Doha, Qatar - Such is the burden of his dominance: Even though Hossein Rezazadeh (Iran) won two gold medals in the +105 kg category at the World Weightlifting Championships, lifting fans had been hoping for world records from him and they did not get them.


Hossein Rezazadeh cleaned this 263 easily, punched it overhead, but a moment later it came crashing down. Randall J. Strossen, Ph.D. photo.

Although Rezazadeh would have to have been considered the favorite in the snatch, the field included a number of lifters who could put pressure on him - including Jaber Saeed Salem, who had beaten him on the lift at the 2003 world championships. There was also MILO cover guy Evgeny Chigishev (Russia), who had snatched 205 kg at this year's European Weightlifting Championships, even though he weighed nearly 40 kg less than Rezazadeh. Chigishev didn't disappoint, as he opened at 200, with a great lift, followed by Rezazadeh who ripped up 201 for his first attempt. Salem (Qatar), who Stefan Botev told IronMind was nursing an injured back, made a great lift with the same weight on his second attempt. Viktors Scherbatihs (Latvia) pumped up a machine-like 201 on his second attempt and then Salem missed 205 - up and down.

Rezazadeh nailed an easy 205 on his second attempt and held the bar overhead for seconds as he reveled in his lift, and Scherbatihs sent the same weight up and over his head for his final attempt. Chigishev came out for 209 and was getting heckled by the crowd, but he ripped the weight up regardless, and Rezazadeh followed with another easy lift with 210 - once again, he enjoyed the moment as he held the bar overhead.

When Chigishev came out for 211, which would be a gold medal lift, the crowd would give him any peace, so he turned to the Iranian fans, asked for quiet, did not get it, made a powerful lift anyway and he sent the crowd a knowing glance as he left the platform.

Nobody was expected to challenge Rezazadeh for the gold medal in the jerk and the total, and that was how it turned out.

Starting at 251, Rezazadeh made an easy lift and then Chigishev only pulled the bar to knee height before letting go of it. Going for the world record in total on his second attempt, Rezazadeh cleaned 263 easily, drove it overhead with ample horsepower, but then it came crashing down, and he passed on his third attempt.

Rezazadeh ended up with 461, followed by Chigishev at 457 and Salem at 446.

Doha, Qatar - IOC President Dr. Jacques Rogge attended the 105-kg category at the World Weightlifting Championships today and he told IronMind that he has firsthand experience with the sport.


IOC president Dr. Jacques Rogge told IronMind that he used weightlifting as part of his training "for both sports," sailing and rugby. Randall J. Strossen, Ph.D. photo.

Dr. Rogge, an Olympian in sailing, also distinguished himself on the rugby field, and he told IronMind that he used weightlifting as part of his training for both sports. Modestly, the ever-gracious International Olympic Committee president said that the snatch required "more technique and balance, " but that he saw the clean and jerk as more as test of "brute force," so that he naturally did better in it than in the snatch.

Doha, Qatar - Dmitry Klokov's father won the 1983 World Weightlifting Championships, and proving that he's a chip off the same block, Dmitry followed suit tonight.


On the way up with the gold medal snatch, 192 kg, Dmitry Klokov lets off a little steam. Randall J. Strossen, Ph.D. photo.

Klokov opened with 186 kg in the snatch and, with an adjustment, made a good lift, followed by another good lift with 190 - he unleashed a roar before the lift, not a contrived made-for-TV act, but something primal. Another roar, another good lift, and the Russian lifter had 192 on the board and the gold medal in his pocket.

Moldavia's Alexandru Bratan was in for the silver: After hitting a good 185 on his first attempt, he had tried to move into the lead with 190 on his second attempt, but it was up and down, and no lift; he succeeded with the same weight on his third attempt to take the lead on body weight before Klokov roared and lifted his way past him.

Klokov made 222 on his first attempt in the clean and jerk, Bratan overtook him in the jerk with his second attempt, 223 kg, and Martin Tesovic (Slovakia), who had won the bronze medal in the snatch with 187-kg lift, made a nice 225-kg clean and jerk on his third attempt. Klokov worked hard and was very happy to make 227 on his second attempt, and now he could wait to see what happened.

Looking for the gold medal in the jerk, Robert Dolega (Poland) called for 227 kg on his third attempt, but he only deadlifted it. In a big surprise, on his second attempt, Ramunas Vysniauskas (Lithuania) took a shot at 228 for the gold medal in the jerk, got under the weight, but could not stand up. Bratan called for 229 on his third attempt, in an effort to move into first place in the jerk and the total, but only deadlifted it, and Vysniauskas took it, too, but it was a repeat of his second attempt - with the game won, Klokov passed on his third attempt.

Doha, Qatar - It was a battle all the way, and a clean and jerk from the B-session loomed large, but Nizami Pashayev (Azerbaijan) took everything in stride and won the 94-kg category at the World Weightlifting Championships with a solid 401-kg total.


Nuzami Pashayev sticks this 185-kg snatch, on his way to winning the 94-kg category at the World Weightlifting Championships. Randall J. Strossen, Ph.D. photo.

There was a lot of interest in seeing Milen Dobrov (Bulgaria), the defending Olympic champion, return to competition, but when he missed his first snatch, 176 kg, it was an early indication that he had not returned to top form. He took the weight again on his second and there was no question of either his intentions or the result as he sank the putt. Bakhyt Akhmetov (Kazakhstan) ripped 177 for a good opener, as did Pashayaev. Mikalai Patotksi (Belarus) upped the ante with a success on 178 for his first attempt, and Dobrev finished off his snatches with a good 180-kg effort. Patotski went for the lead with 181 on his second attempt, and it was good, and Akhmetov tried to leapfrog him with 182 on his second attempt, but missed. Pashaev succeeded with it on his second attempt, but it didn't last long because Patotski made 184 for his third snatch. Pashaev responded with 185 kg on his third, and the gold medal in the snatch was his.

The clean and jerk was a battle on two fronts: the fight within the A-session and the 220-kg clean and jerk that Hernandez Coba (Cuba) had posted in the B-session.

Mukhamat Sozaev (Russia) opened with a good 210, as did Dobrev. Akhmetov had missed the jerk with this weight on his first attempt, but he came back for a success with it on his second attempt. Pashaev, eying the gold in the total, opened with a good 212, and Sozaev answered with a good 215 on his second. Dobrev had the same weight overhead, but lost the jerk, and Akhmetov, although a little shaky on the jerk, handled the weight for his third attempt. Pashaev wasn't planning on just handing the title to anyone, and he nailed 216 on his second attempt, and Dobrev made a good lift with 218 for his last clean and jerk. For as strong as he looked, it was surprising that Pashaev missed 220 on his third attempt, when he couldn't get under the bar. There was only one lift left and Coba's B-session 220-kg jerk still stood as the high water mark, but Sosaev called for 221 and he hit it out of the park.

Final results: Pashaev, gold, with 401; Sozaev, silver, with 398; Dobrev, bronze, with the same 398; and just to show how close it had been, Akhmetov was fourth, with 397.

Doha, Qatar - Nothing could stop Jang Mi-ran (Korea) tonight and some were quick to say that her gold medal at the World Weightlifting Championships helped to make up for "only" leaving Athens with the silver medal at last year's Olympics.


Jang Mi-ran pulling herself under 178 kg, on her third attempt clean and jerk. Randall J. Strossen, Ph.D. photo.

Mu Shuangshuang (China) was the main opponent who stood between Jang and the right to call herself the strongest woman in the world, and Mu won the snatch - after missing 125, she came back and made it, and then hit a nice 130 on her third attempt. Jang was in for the silver, with 125 and 128; she missed the 130 that would have given her the gold. The Ukrainian junior Olha Korobka finished with 127, for the bronze medal in the snatch.

Jang opened with a good 162, for gold medal position in the jerk and total, and Mu replied with an easy 165, and then another easy lift with 170 kg. Jang took 172 on her second attempt, to regain gold medal position in the jerk and total, and she cleaned the weight strongly and followed with a solid jerk. Mu ended a very strong night of lifting by taking 174 kg - it would put her first in the jerk and the total, and, in fact, it would give her a total a mere one kilo under the world record, but it wasn't to be, and Jang, going for a world record total, cleaned 178 kg on her third attempt, had the bar overhead, but then lost it behind. Cheryl Haworth (USA) got the bronze in the jerk and in the total, going six for six.

Doha, Qatar - IOC President Dr. Jacques Rogge attended the IWF Centennial Celebration last night.

The celebration of the 100th anniversary of weightlifting was a gala affair at the Doha Sheraton Hotel and the star studded guest list was headed by International Olympic Committee President Dr. Jacques Rogge.

Staged in the hotel's lagoon area, the festivities included booths featuring local culture in everything from traditional food and clothing to the falcons used for hunting - and the dinner itself was lavish. A laser light show and fireworks punctuated the glamorous event and it was a tremendous way to close the first century of weightlifting and welcome the next one.

Strongman fans will have a chance to the Vulkan Grand Prix and the Mohegun Sun Grand Prix on ESPN2 this Friday.

These two contests were part of the 2005 World's Strongest Man Super Series, which led up to the 2005 MET-Rx World's Strongest Man contest. The Vulkan Grand Prix is scheduled for 2 pm and the Mohegun Sun Grand Prix is scheduled for 3 pm, but check local listings to confirm these times.

Stuck in your training?

Read Steve Jeck's latest From the Quarry and see what bouncing a ball can teach you to trigger your next round of gains.

Follow the Steve Jeck's From the Quarry link on the IronMind homepage or click on this link:

/Main/fromthequarry.html

Looking for a fun challenge to that will really stick it to your forearms?

Be sure to check the latest John Brookfield Grip Tip. Follow the link from the IronMind homepage or click on this link:

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Doha, Qatar - If there was a feeling that the women were stealing the show at the World Weightlifting Championships, that ended tonight when the 85-kg men put on a dazzling show.


Ilya Ilin celebrates his 216-kg jerk, good for two gold medals and two world records. Randall J. Strossen, Ph.D. photo.

Things started to heat up before the A-session even began because after everyone else was done snatching in the B-session, Andrei Rybakov (Belarus) opened with a beautiful 180 kg lift. For his second attempt, he took 183 kg, for another success, and a new senior world record. Calling for 185 kg on his third attempt, he once again blasted the weight overhead, for another world record. But don't think that was the end of the excitement because it only served to set the stage for what was to follow.

The A-session was loaded with talent: Valeriu Calancea (Romania), Oleg Perepetchenov (Russia), Yuan Aijun (China), Ilya Ilin (Kazakhstan), and Lu Yong (China). Also, balancing the two top juniors, Ilin and Lu, 35-year old Aslambek Ediev (Russia) was in the field, to give you an idea of the range of talent in this category.

Nobody in the A-session threatened Rybakov's freshly-set world record, but Perepetchenov ran out three good snatches to end up with 175 and the silver medal, on bodyweight, edging out, in order, Vyacheslav Yershov (Kazakhstan) and Lu.

Lu had wasted no time showing that he was here for real, as after he had put three good snatches on the board, he opened with 200 kg in the clean and jerk, which broke the junior world record in the total, erasing Ilin's record.

205 kg was a pivotal weight: Yuan had a successful opener with it, as did Ilin, and then Perepetchenov missed the jerk with it on his first attempt. Lu made a very nice lift with 205 on his second attempt to break the junior world record in the total again, and Perepetchenov cleaned the weight strongly and punched it overhead for a never-in-doubt success.

Ediev made a very lift with 207 kg on his second attempt and then Tigran Martirosyan (Armenia), Calanacea and Martirosyan (again) all missed the jerk with this weight, before Calancea came back on his third attempt and made a nice lift with it.

Lu was on a roll and after having made five good lifts, he took 210 kg for his third clean and jerk - it would put him in first in the jerk and in the total, and, yes, it would break the junior world record in the total yet again. Once again, he made a very nice lift.

Ilin had been biding his time, but with Lu done, he went to work and he took 211 on his second attempt, with first place in the jerk, second place in the total and a junior world record in the jerk waiting for him if he were successful, and he made a terrific lift. Ediev, who is 18 years older than Ilin, made a very nice lift with the same 211 on his third attempt, and now it was time for Yuan to rejoin the battle.

Yuan called for 212 kg, good enough for first in the jerk and the total, but missed the jerk - he uses an extremely wide grip in the jerk, so wide that if you saw the bar overhead, you would probably think he had snatched it. Perepetchenov was following the same script on his third attempt: same weight, same carrots dangling in front of him, but he, too, missed the jerk. Yuan repeated with 212 on his third attempt: he hauled in the weight, stood up, but once again he missed the jerk.

There was one attempt left and it belonged to Ilin, who made the gutsy call for 216 kg, which would give him first in the jerk and total, as well as the junior world record in the jerk and the total. Earlier this year, Ilin had won the Junior World Championships in dazzling style, and tonight at the Senior World Championships, he showed he same great stuff - he made a tremendous lift and the Kazakhstan delegation must have been primed for this victory because they burst into a tremendous celebration as their 17-year old star had just become world champion, again.

Doha, Qatar - After the snatches, things could have gone either way: Everyone could have been satisfied, or, appetites whetted, they could have wanted more.


Rock solid, Liu Chunhong jerks 159 kg, for the gold medal in the jerk and the total, and junior and senior world records in the jerk and the total. Randall J. Strossen, Ph.D. photo.

Whichever they preferred, more is what they got.

Of the top three, Zabolotnaya opened first, with 148 kg, and the lift was good for the junior and senior world records in the total, and she power jerked the weight, making it look effortless. Podobedova, who is blindingly fast getting under the bar, opened with 149, to move into first in the jerk and second in the total. Liu opened with 150, going for first in the jerk and second in the total, and made a very solid lift. Zabolotnaya took 153 on her second attempt and once again she power jerked the weight, and the lift looked good, but she lost it overhead, even after chasing it forward.

Koppel still had one lift left, and she took the same 153 for an attempt at the world record in the jerk - if she succeeded, it would be the first world record by an Argentinean weightlifter, ever. She went after it full bore, but got crushed and dumped trying to rack the bar. Podobedova called for 155 on her second attempt, for first in the jerk and the total, along with the junior and senior world records in the jerk and the total, and she succeeded.

Liu called for the same weight on her second attempt, to bump Podobedova on body weight, and she made another very solid lift.

Zabolotnaya took 155 on her third attempt, aiming at first in the total and third in the jerk, and she power jerked the weight, for the junior and senior world record in the total. Liu went for 159 on her third attempt, for first in the jerk and total, plus the junior and senior world records in the jerk, and she made yet another strong lift - capping off a perfect day.

Podobedova had the last attempt and what less would you expect from her than a shot at 162 kg - which would give her the gold medals in the jerk and total, as well as the junior and senior world records in the jerk and total. She cleaned the weight strongly, got set for a long time, seemed to hesitate, and then just didn't drive the bar high enough to jerk it.

At the end of this frenzy, Liu had beaten Zabolotnaya on body weight for the total, with 285 kg, and Popobedova followed in bronze medal position with 279.

Doha, Qatar - If you hadn't noticed, the women have been lighting up the World Weightlifting Championships, but for all the excitement they have generated so far, it was a whimper compared to tonight.


Natalia Zabolotnaya cranks on 130 kg, breaking the junior and senior world records she had set in the snatch just minutes earlier. Randall J. Strossen, Ph.D. photo.

To set the stage, there were four top juniors in the class: Natalia Zabolotnaya (Russia), Liu Chunhong (China), Svetlana Podobedova (Russia), and Nahia Ramadan (Egypt), and at the other end of the spectrum, there was 33-year old Nora Koppel (Argentina).

Zabolotnaya ripped 123 kg overhead on her first attempt in the snatch, but then had to sprint forward to save the lift, which she did. Liu uncorked a machine-like lift with the same weight for her second attempt, having smoked 118 on her opener, and Podobedova, who had already racked up good lifts with 118 and 121, hit 124 on her third. By now, only the dead weren't sitting on the edge of their seats.

Liu called for 126 kg on her third attempt, made the lift and got the junior and senior world records for her efforts. Zabolotnaya took 127 on her second attempt, ripped the weight up, but had to run the very edge of the platform before she had it controlled overhead � give her the junior and senior world records in the snatch, and she still had one attempt left. Probably thinking that those world records were starting to age a bit too much, she took 130 kg on her third attempt, blew it up, was a little shaky overhead, but guess who just got two more world records.

Doha, Qatar - Proving that it's not over until it's over, Zarema Kasaeva (Russia) just needed one lift - the last lift of the competition - to overcome a bad start and end up at the top of the heap in the women's 69-kg category at the World Weightlifting Championships tonight.


Zarema Kasaeva dips with 157 kg - the drive, the lockout, two gold medals and four world records followed. Randall J. Strossen, Ph.D. photo.

Could Kasaeva have gotten off to a shakier start? The junior star missed 118 twice in the snatch, while her top competition, Liu Haixia (China), sailed through good lifts at 110, 118 and 120 kg - picking up the gold medal in the snatch in the process. Kasaeva regrouped and made the 118 on her third attempt, good enough for the silver medal.

Liu didn't let up in the clean and jerk, as she hit 145, 150 and 154 - a perfect day and the last lift was a world record in the jerk and in the total, so she had just picked up two more gold medals, right?

Kasaeva, who had already hit 145 and 153, called for 157 kg on her third attempt - it was the last lift of the class and besides being good enough to give her the junior and senior world records in the jerk and the total, it would also give her both of those gold medals as well. All she had to do was lift it, and she did just that, lighting the competition hall on fire with a tremendous ending to a great class.

Doha, Qatar - Whenever Li Hongli (China) lifts, you expect big things from him in the snatch and tonight he added gold medals in the jerk and total to the one he pocketed in the snatch.


Li Hongli hits the bottom, and pay dirt, with this 165-kg snatch. Randall J. Strossen, Ph.D. photo.

Li smoked 160 kg on his first attempt in the snatch, made another great lift with 165 on his second attempt, but sent 170 up and over on his third attempt. Sebastian Dogariu (Romania) got the silver medal in the snatch after running three good lifts: 155, 160 and 163. Qatar's Sufyan Abbas edged out his former teammate Georgi Markov (Bulgaria) for the bronze medal on body weight, with both lifters hitting 160.

Li cleans very strongly, but his jerks have let him down more than once, so it must have been pretty satisfying for him to get the gold medal in the jerk with his third attempt 196-kg lift, but it wasn't a cakewalk getting there.
After opening with a strong clean and slightly shaky jerk on 190 kg, Li appeared to have made 195 on his second attempt, only to suddenly lose the jerk behind after the bar looked to be fixed overhead. Abbas, who had opened with 191, missed the jerk badly, out front, with 196 kg on his second attempt. Li took the same weight on his third attempt and even though he was shaking like a leaf, he hung onto the jerk for a good lift. Abbas called for 201 on his third attempt, going for the gold in the jerk and the total, and he cleaned the weight, but missed the jerk. Yuko Peter (Nehru) got the silver medal in the jerk with 193, a lift he made on his third attempt, after missing the jerk on 192 on his second attempt.

Doha, Qatar - It was all about Pawina Thongsuk (Thailand) in the women's 63-kg category at the World Weightlifting Championships today.


With three gold medals and world records in the snatch, clean and jerk, and total already in hand, Pawina Thongsuk took 145 kg on her third clean and jerk, minutes after she had broken the world record with a lift of 140 kg. Randall J. Strossen, Ph.D. photo.

Of the medalists in the snatch, Liu Xia (China) opened first, with a very easy 97-kg lift, and she made another good lift with 102 kg on her second attempt. Olympic gold medalist Pawina Thongsuk stuck 105 on her first attempt and Svetlana Shimkova (Russia), who was expected to push for top honors in the snatch, took the same weight for her first attempt, too, but she missed it and then came back for a strong success. Liu followed with a very smooth second attempt with the same weight and Shimkova answered with a nice 108. But now that everyone else was done, Thongsuk went to work, and with a lot of support from the crowd, she snatched 110 kg with the smooth up and down movement of a piston. That must have been just the warmup that she needed, because she capped off her snatches with a silky smooth 116-kg world record.

Liu opened first in the clean and jerks, too, with an easy 128-kg lift, noticeably jumping back on the clean. Shimkova took 132 on her first attempt and looking very strong, punched it overhead, but the longer the bar stayed overhead, the shakier she got, although she hung on for a good lift. Liu showed her fast footwork when she jerked 133 on her second attempt, even though she had to do some work to stand up with the weight.

With "Thailand" "Thailand" filling the air, Thongsuk nailed 135 on her first attempt for a world record in the total. Shimkova couldn't get under the bar with 137 kg and then Liu took 138, to tie the world record in the jerk and go into gold medal position in the jerk and the total, but she couldn't stand up with the weight. Shimkova, showing that at least sometimes when you miss, you can get away with moving up, called for 139 kg on her last attempt and made a good lift for a world record in the jerk and gold-medal position in the jerk and silver medal position in the total.

But Thongsuk wasn't done, and she made a nice lift with 140 kg on her second attempt, although she had to work and walk to control the jerk - her effort gave her the world record in the jerk as well as the total, not to mention locking up all the gold medals in her class.

If that weren't enough for the night, Thongsuk called for 145 kg on her third attempt, made a nice clean and came close to jerking the weight.

Dr. Hermann Korte from Choice of Champions is building on the success of his grip contests in Germany and is developing ideas for future competitions.

"The annual German 'Griffkraftmeisterschaft' took place in the new facilities of Choice of Champions in Haltern on the 29th of October 2005," Dr. Korte reported. "There were 14 contestants and Theo Burggraaff from the Netherlands also tested the strength of his hands. Along with the Rolling Thunder Nationals, four events took place."

"The Pinch Grip Block was dominated by Thomas Becker, Strap Holds for time with a Captains of Crush grippers No. 1, 2 or 3 were won by Florian Kellersmann. Martin Ressel, who also won the Choice of Champions Rolling Thunder Nationals, pulled a National Record (170 kg/375 lbs) at the Two Hand Deadlift with the Apollon's Axle. Gerrit Reubold and Burckhard Macht placed first in the Vertical Bar Lift."

"Florian Kellersmann won the event overall with a close second place of Frank Henritzi."

Looking to the future, Dr. Korte told IronMind, "We are planning something like a grip-barbecue in about May. It might have a little contest including items that usually are not used for contests, like the Little Big Horn or a newcomer grip contest. It might also include an armwrestling seminar. We do not know this exactly so far. I want to get away from this four attempts per movement, left and right, multi-exercise, long-hour contest and move to something that's a little more fun and gives the athletes some time to come together and exchange ideas."

Doha, Qatar - Shi Zhiyong (China) swept the gold medals in the men's 69-kg category at the World Weightlifting Championships tonight.


Shi Zhiyong sticks this 160-kg snatch on his way to sweeping the gold medals in the 69-kg category at the World Weightlifting Championships tonight. Randall J. Strossen, Ph.D. photo.

Of the long ball hitters, Lee Bae-young (Korea) opened first in the snatch, with 147, which he missed out front. He came back to make a very nice success with the weight. Shi Zhiyong (China) raised the stakes by blistering 152 kg on his first attempt, a weight that Lee matched with a very impressive second-attempt lift. Shi wasn't planning to leave any doubt about how well he can snatch, as he uncorked a smooth and powerful success with 157 kg on his second attempt and then he frosted the cake with 160 to really drive a wedge between himself and the rest of the class.

France had a chance at medal tonight and they got it when Vencelas Dabaya jerked 179 kg on his first attempt - a lift that would hold up for the bronze in jerk and in the total. Shi made a very nice opener with 180 kg, power jerking it with ease. Lee Bae-young (Korea) is known for his big clean and jerk, and he opened with a very nice 185, done smoothly, although he had to walk a couple of steps to stabilize the weight overhead. Dabaya missed the jerk on 185 and then Shi made had a solid success with the same weight, once again power jerking it. Dabaya, trying for gold medal position in the jerk, took 186 on his third attempt, but missed the jerk behind. Lee, also going for the gold in the jerk, called for 190, cleaned the weight, but then missed the jerk, almost getting clocked in the back of the head in the process. Shi finished off a perfect night with another great lift with 190 kg.

Lee, taking the last lift of the category, called for 191 kg, again going for the gold medal in the jerk, but he couldn't rack the weight.

Doha, Qatar - If you wonder why the Chinese women are the wonder of the weightlifting world, consider that the winner of today's 58-kg class is only a junior and her lifts included a 139-kg clean and jerk.


Gu Wei pulling herself under her 139-kg world record clean and jerk, for a junior and a senior world record. Randall J. Strossen, Ph.D. photo.

Former world champion Aleksandra Klejnowska (Poland) was an early casualty tonight, sending 91 kg up and over twice in the snatch, and when she moved up to 92 on her third attempt, the weight was on the same path again, but she fought and fought, still could not save the lift and she left the platform in tears. Gu Wei (China) also missed her first two snatches � 100 and 101 � but when she took 102 kg on her third attempt, for the gold medal and, maybe more important, to avoid bombing in the snatch, she made a very easy, very good lift.

Maybe white men really can't jump, but after watching this class, it would hard to say that women can't jerk. Marina Shainova (Russia), who, along with Gu, is a junior, opened with 125 and she made it look like she was lifting an empty bar. Wandee Kameaim (Thailand) also took 125 for her first attempt and she showed her power by popping up the jerk with a narrow, shallow split. Klejnowska, who had double-bounced and struggled her way up with 120 on her opener, to jerk the weight as if she were a rocket launcher, took 126 on her second and the big question had to be whether or she'd be able to stand up with the weight � the answer was no, not that she didn't try and come close. Repeating with the same weight on her third attempt, Klejnowska only pulled it.

Gu came out for 130 on her opener, a mere two kilos under the junior world record and, with the help of using the bar wisely on the jerk, she made a very easy lift. Shainova took 132 on second attempt, jumped back a couple of feet on the clean, popped the jerk � she's just strong and athletic. Kameaim also took 132 on her second attempt, and made another very nice lift with the same narrow, shallow split she had used on her opener. Shainova was up next, with 135 and a shot at the junior and senior world record in the jerk, but she couldn't get under the bar. No such problem for Kameaim, who followed with the same weight for her third lift � a great success with only a barely wider, deeper split than she used on her first two attempts. Gu followed with 136 on her second attempt for the junior and senior world records in the jerk, plus the gold medals in the jerk and the total, and she had no trouble making the lift. Why stop now? With hers being the last attempt in the class, Gu called for 139 � good for junior and senior world records in the jerk and the total, and with all those marbles on the line, guess who scooped them up, and got US$18,000 as a token of her outstanding performance tonight.

Imagine that: 58-kg junior women cleaning and jerking over 300 pounds?!

No need to wait for the numbers to get moldy before you see them.

Last night, the IWF announced that their website (www.iwf.net) will have the results from the World Championships within ten minutes of the completion of each class.

Doha, Qatar - Chinese teammates Qui Le and Zhang Ping were in a class by themselves in the men's 62-kg category tonight at the World Weightlifting Championships, and when the dust settled, Qiu walked out with the victory.


Splitting deep, Qiu Le capped off his victory in the 62-kg category with this sweet 176-kg clean and jerk. Randall J. Strossen, Ph.D. photo.

Always a contender in the snatch, Adrian Jigau (Romania) hit three good lifts to finish with 133 kg, which would end up giving him the bronze medal in the snatch. Qui opened with 135 kg, which he smoked, and Zhang followed with a good first attempt with the same weight, although he had to take a step forward to secure the lift overhead. Qui followed with very nice 141, Zhang blistered 142, and now it was third attempt time. Qui went first, made a very good 144, and with his gold medal target defined, Zhang called for and made 145.

For the top dogs, 166 kg was the opener of choice as Qui and Zhang both hit the weight on their first attempts, as did Cuban Rosales Curbelo (who had bombed in the snatch). Yang Sheng-hsiung (Taipei) took the same weight for his third attempt, had the lift passed, but then the jury turned it down on press out. Bulgarian Sevdalin Angelov (Minchev) called for 168 on his third attempt, and as he was getting ready to lift, he got psyched out, let go of the bar and stood up, jumped up and down a couple off times to get fired up, re-gripped the bar, and then only deadlifted it. Curbelo had 169 overhead on his second attempt, staggered around trying to save it, but couldn't. Zhang made a good second-attempt lift with 170 and Qui had a good second attempt with 171 kg.

Undaunted by his second-attempt miss, Curbelo took 171 kg on his third attempt, but once again, he missed the jerk. Zhang, going for first place in the jerk and the total, took 173 and although he got under the bar, he visibly shifted it up on his chest in the bottom position; then he gave a lesson in how to (not) oscillate the bar, and missed the jerk. Qiu, just to show who was the boss tonight, victory already in hand, made a really sweet lift with 178 kg to close out the class.

Doha, Qatar - The women's 53-kg category produced a great battle between Li Ping (China) and Junpim Kuntatean (Thailand), and some very nice lifting by Yudergue Contreras (Dominican Republic) as well.


Li Ping (China) finishing the pull on her 126-kg clean and jerk at the World Weightifting Championships today. Randall J. Strossen, Ph.D. photo.

Contreras ran through three nice snatches: 89, 91 and 95 kg. Li took 94 on her opener for good lift, and Kuntatean, who was lighter than Li, hit 95 on her first attempt. When Li missed 98 on her second, she opened the door for Kuntatean, but she too missed the weight on her second attempt. Continuing to mirror each other, both Li and Kuntatean made 98 on their third attempts.

When everyone else was done, Kuntatean and Li started in the clean and jerk, Kuntatean with 120 and Li with 123 - both for good lifts, and Li's was a junior world record in the total. Kuntatean took 125 on her second attempt for gold medal position in the jerk, and then Li leapfrogged over her with a success at 126, good enough for the lead in the jerk, plus junior world records in both the jerk and the total.

Now the gloves came off and Kuntatean called for 130, going for the gold in the jerk and total, and the senior world record in both, as well. She got under the bar, was fighting to stand up, but then collapsed forward, hitting the platform stretched out face down and didn't move. What at first was taken as a moment of psychological distress was then recognized as something physical. Kuntatean was carried from the platform and it looked like it might be bad. No time to stop here for Li, who took 131 for her third attempt. She already had golds in the jerk and total, to go with her silver in the snatch, and a handful of junior world records, but if she made this lift, it would be good for the junior and senior world records in both the jerk and the total. She cleaned it as if it were an empty bar, but missed the jerk.

Good news on Kuntatean's injury followed, as Dr. Ashgar Shahabi, who we believe holds the world record for re-setting dislocated arms backstage, told IronMind that Kuntatean's had had a muscle spasm, which seemed like nothing compared to what might have happened.

Just a reminder that Steve Belanger's Grip Gathering is set for December 10th in Westminster, California, which is in the Los Angeles area.

Building on the success of last year's event, Steve's back for round two, so if you're interested in grip strength and want to have some fun while enjoying the Belanger's hospitality, plan to attend. You can email Steve for the details at bigsteve057@hotmail.com.

United States ArmSports and Gold Star Building Maintenance are presenting the 2006 Unified National Armwrestling Championship on August 5 - 6 in Denver, Colorado.

This is a double-elimination tournament, and WAF rules and regulations will be followed. "This is the only qualifying tournament that will guarantee a spot on the Team that will represent the United States at the WAF World Championships being held in Great Britain in 2006. First and second place in all divisions automatically qualify to attend the WAF World Championship."

For more information, please check http://www.usarmwrestling.com, or call (970) 978-8797 (email: rbstark1@msn.com) or (406) 245-1560 (email: dmwatts@wtp.net).

As the fastest-growing grip site prepares to celebrate its one-year anniversary, grippermania.com founder George Champlin told IronMind that his site is drawing near to its first-year membership goal.

"The sport of grip strength is growing and I am proud to be a small part of it," Champlin said. Champlin also said that his site's involvement has expanded to include initial steps in the areas of sponsoring grip contests and getting involved in arm wrestling.

Grippermania.com is holding a contest as part of its anniversary celebration, so stop by the site to see the details.

Doha, Qatar - He had to come back from a having his second attempt clean and jerk turned down by the jury, but he did, and the result was that Wang Shin-yuan (Taipei) won the men's 56-kg category at the World Weightlifting Championships tonight.


Wang Shin-yuan drives under his 156-kg jerk to win the 56-kg category at the World Weightlifting Championships. Randall J. Strossen, Ph.D. photo.

It caught at least this reporter by surprise to see the current Asian Weightlifting Champion Tuan Hong Anh (Vietnam) lifting in the B-session, but there he was. Tuan hit a 122-kg snatch on his opener, missed 126 on his second attempt, but came back to make it on his third attempt. In the clean and jerk, Tuan also made his opener, 153 kg, but then he missed the jerk twice at 156 kg - misses that would prove to cost him dearly.

Later, in the A-session, Li Zheng (China) missed his opening snatch, 122 kg, but then he came back for successes with 122 and 127 kg. Wang Shin-yuan made 122 kg for his opener, 125 for his second, but then missed 126 on his third, so, somewhat reminiscent of the famous Smorchkov incident, a B-session lifter had medaled in the snatch.

Fast forwarding in the A-session clean and jerk, Wang, who had succeeded with 153 kg on his first attempt, waited as Wu Meijin (China) made a good, but not easy opener with the 156 kg: Wu had to double bounce to come up with the weight and his split was wide and deep. Wang followed with the same weight on his second attempt, to put himself in gold medal position in the jerk and the total, had the lift passed, but then the jury reversed the decision, since Wang's left arm had unlocked on the jerk. Yang Chin-yi (Taipei), who had opened with a good 150-kg jerk, and followed with another good lift at 155, also missed 156 when he got under the weight, but couldn't stand up with it.

Wang came back for a very nice success with 156. Lee (Korea), smelling the possibility of a gold medal in the jerk, cleaned 157 kg strongly and moved quickly into the jerk, only to miss it. Wu, also looking for the gold medal in the jerk and the silver in the total, took 158 on his second attempt and came out of the bottom of the clean stronger than on his first attempt, only to slow down a lot on the final quarter of his recovery, and then he missed the jerk.

Wu repeated with the weight on his third attempt and made a tremendous effort to hold the jerk - staying under the bar so long that when it came crashing down, Wu was driven into the platform by the weight of the falling load.

Wang ended up getting the gold medal in the total with his 281 kg, followed by Lee with 280, and Tuan (remember Tuan?), who had 279, was good for the bronze, so if he had only held either of his missed jerks in the B-session, he'd have won the whole enchilada. And if that's still not close enough for you, fourth place went to Wu, with 278 kg, and fifth went to Li, with 277 kg.

Doha, Qatar - Wang Mingjuan (China) set a blistering pace that included nine junior/senior world records in the women's 48-kg category - quite a spectacular opening act for the World Weightlifting Championships today.


Wang Mingjuan on her way up with 118 kg, a lift that gave her the junior and senior world records in both the jerk and the total. Randall J. Strossen, Ph.D. photo.

After opening with 89 kg in the snatch, Wang hit a good 93-kg second attempt for a new junior world record. She made 95 kg look lighter on her third attempt, good for another junior world record. As impressive as that start was, that's all it was - a start - because Wang turned up the heat in the clean and jerk.

A good 112-kg first attempt clean and jerk opened the door for Wang to hit 116 kg on her second attempt, which gave her the junior and senior world records in the jerk, as well as the junior world record in the total. With five good lifts, and five world records, Wang might have been excused for calling it a night, but instead, she called for 118 kg on her third attempt. Once again, this third attempt looked easier than her record-breaking second attempt, and this time, that one lift was good for four world records: the junior and senior world records in both the jerk and the total.

In addition to her other compensation, Wang picked up US$13,000 for about six minutes of lifting tonight.

Doha, Qatar - Running a little over five hours, the IWF Congress today might have set a record for length, but the meeting was all business for the sport that is celebrating its 100th birthday.

IWF President Dr. Tamas Ajan wasted no time discussing the importance of weightlifting maintaining pressure to be clean, and while he said it might be understandable that a young athlete feeling pressure to produce top results might try to use a banned substance, it is the leaders of the sport who must be held responsible, and they must shoulder a commitment to rid the sport of drugs. Describing doping as "the main menace of our sport," Dr. Ajan urged the delegates to continue their efforts to clean up the sport in what he said was a "common fight," and essential to preserve weightlifting's place in the Olympic program.

As a minor sport with a history of embarrassing positives, weightlifting has also been singled out for praise by IOC leaders for its progress, and for taking such measures as pretesting its competitors at the Athens Olympics - the only sport that did this.

Highlights of the Congress included the following:

1. Alain Luzenfichter, Dr. Marta Baroga and Philippe Saint-Cyr were honored for their contributions to the sport.
2. IWF 1st Vice President Sam Coffa spoke in favor of the newly-adopted one-kilo rule, which has been facing some criticism, although it also has many advocates.
3. In the period from January 1 to November 3, a total of 1097 drug tests have been conducted in the sport, with a total of 28 positives, some of which are still under review.
4. In an effort to improve the selection process, qualifications for the 2012 Olympics will include the 2009, 2010 and the 2011 World Championships, instead of just using the results from the 2011 World Championships.

Competition begins tomorrow.

Magnus Ver reported, "Benedikt Magnusson deadlifted a new world reckord 440kg/970lbs the biggest deddlift in histori at the Helsinki WPO event. He took token openers on the squat and bench and opened the deddlift with a new reckord 426 kg, then Andi Bolton broke Benidikts new set reckord by pulling 427,5 kg but had no answer to Benidikts 440, Benidikt even pulled 455kg/1003lbs! Up to the knees. So Benidikt Magnusson is the worlds strongest deddlifter."

Welcome to the pros: Tom McClure won the NAS nationals, which gives him his pro card.

NAS President Dione Wessels said, "Nats was great!" and she is very enthusiastic about the new champion, whom she describes being "the next JP."

"He is 334 pounds and no FAT! He is a crossover from boxing and kickboxing," Wessels said, so from the sound of things, Tom McClure will have no trouble maintaining the tradition of NAS stars going on to compete successfully at the top ranks of the international strongman circuit.

Congratulations, also, to Rick Freitag, winner of the NAS lightweight title.

When the IFSA 105-kg world championships are held in Panyu City, China later this month, it's not just a continuation of Ilkka Kinnunen's advocacy for this body weight class in strongman - it's also a reflection of his longstanding efforts to develop the sport in China.

For Ilkka Kinnunen, the idea of holding a strongman contest in China began in 1998, when he started discussing the possibility. Working with his partner, IFSA Asia President Jari Veps�l�inen, Kinnunen has gone on to hold a major event in China every year since 1999, when he brought in the world's top strongmen for the world team championships: Jouko Ahola, Janne Virtanen, Gerrit Badenhorst, Berend Veneberg, Wout Zijlstra, and Magnus and Tjorbjorn Samuelsson were among those there, and that event was also the first international competition for two Polish strongmen you might have heard of, Mariusz Pudzianowski and Jarek Dymek.

"It was a big success," Kinnunen said. "They loved it, and we have been back every year since then."

This is the second year for IFSA's 105-kg worlds, which is something that Kinnunen sees as a way to open the sport to more competitors. "I am getting interest from many countries," Kinnunen said, explaining that a lot of nations simply do not have many guys of the size seen in the open class in strongman. The 105-kg class provides a way for more people to get involved in strongman, said Kinnunen, and the top competitors in this class, even though so much lighter, still manage to do well in open-class competitions.

Weighing 231 pounds, Rick Walker pulled a 750-pound deadlift with a pair of IronMind Eagle Loops - he wondered if it might be a world record, and while we can't confirm that it's the highest number out there, it is the biggest lift we know of . . . by far.


So much for the idea that this would be a painless alternative to a classic finger lift, because Rick Walker said "the pain in my fingers was tremendous," but that didn't keep him from finishing the 750-pound Eagle Loops deadlift. Derek Sherwin photo.

"I have yet to see anyone else come close to this type of poundages with the Eagle Loops to date," Walker said, "and I could make a case of this being a world record, or close to it. I think this is certainly not due to a lack of strength as many a man has a stronger grip then I, but rather a lack of wanting to endure that kind of pain and punishment. That unique ability to withstand pain puts me in a class by myself, and you can be sure that 800 and more will ride in due time."

IronMind is not encouraging self-destruction, but we would be interested in hearing if anyone has done more on this lift, and from the sound of things, we might have a modern day Jack Walsh here.

IFSA Managing Director Christian Fennell told IronMind that what IFSA has achieved with its upcoming TV shows has never before been seen in the sport.

Fennell, who came into strongman with a background in producing extreme sports, said that the IFSA shows are the culmination of a series of steps forward. Event coverage itself, Fennell said, has never been the weak point, but covering the competitors "has not been properly addressed." Fennell said that the in addition to really zeroing in on each competitor, the IFSA shows will strengthen the other soft spot, "how it's shot," and he said that by having used a variety of new-to-the-sport tools such as specialty cams, the resulting shows are spectacular.

Thirteen one-half hour shows are being made, Fennell said, and they will include the three IFSA continental championships this year, along with the IFSA world championships and the forthcoming world team championships, which are set for St. Maarten December 10 � 17. In addition to the broadcast shows, a one-hour best-of program will be made, Fennell said.

As far as the broadcast shows, Fennell said, "We're on target to reach 350,000,000 households per episode."

If you're a strongman fan and are in the Louisville area on Saturday, the NAS Nationals is where you'll want to be.

Set to start at 11 am at the Kentucky International Convention Center, the contest will feature over 100 competitors going for, among other things, the pro card that can launch them on the international circuit. Travis Ortmayer, Jon Andersen, Corey St. Clair and Van Hatfield are NAS success stories and this weekend will produce the next in this tradition. The events are:

1. Log clean and press for reps
2. Harness pull
3. Car deadlift for reps
4. Farmer's walk
5. Atlas stones

For full details, please check nastrongman.com and kentuckymuscle.com

Congratulations to Malcolm Noland, who was just certified on the IronMind Red Nail.

Robert Gutri, who was Malcolm's official witness, was impressed with Malcolm's strength and noted that it "still has room to mature given his youthful age." Congratulations to Malcolm for succeeding with this benchmark short bend, and IronMind is proud to add his name to the official Red Nail Roster:

/Main/rednailroster.html

And many thanks to Robert Gutri, for refereeing Malcolm's official bend.

2000 and 2004 Olympic Champion Hossein Rezazadeh (Iran) holds all three world records in the +105 kg class, but they appear to be in jeopardy as the World Weightlifting Championships approach - insiders have predicted that Rezazadeh just might break all three records in this competition, which begins next week in Doha, Qatar.


He did it with ease: Hossein Rezazadeh (Iran) jerked 260 kg at the recent Asian Weightlifting Championships (Dubai, UAE). Randall J. Strossen, Ph.D. photo.

Asked about this possibility, Hossein Rezazadeh told IronMind today, "That is what I hope for, but my goal is to win to the gold medal first, then to set new records."

And just so you know how reasonable it is to predict a possible record-setting binge from Rezazadeh, he said that he has snatched 212.5 kg and cleaned and jerked 270 kg in training as he prepares for the world championships.

On another note, Rezazadeh also told IronMind, "I don't know anything about this," responding to a report that discussions about him lifting for Germany are underway.

Rezazadeh's comments follow a story that reported German Weightlifting Federation president Claus Umbach saying "a close friend of Rezazadeh's" who is living in Germany contacted Umbach and discussed the possibility of Rezazadeh representing Germany.

Hossein Rezazadeh is something of a national treasure in Iran, revered not just by the general population, but by the political and religious leaders as well. Rezazadeh said that other people have been known to try to broker deals such as this and he has repeatedly been asked to represent other countries, but he "has no intention to lift for anyone but Iran."

World Class Events founder Ulf Bengtsson told IronMind today that the World's Strongest Man Super Series is "a competition machine," and that he feels the successes enjoyed this year have established it as "prime, level one worldwide."


Returning to the scene where he was a bodybuilder in his youth, Ulf Bengtsson was on hand for the MET-Rx Grand Prix, the first event the 2005 World's Strongest Man Super Series (Venice, California). Randall J. Strossen, Ph.D. photo.

Bengstsson is wrapping up the first year of his alliance with TWI which created a series of grand prix strongman events, culminating in the MET-Rx World's Strongest Man contest. Bengtsson is quick to praise TWI and describes the joint efforts as a win-win situation with even more potential for future development.

Looking toward 2006, Bengtsson said that the goal of the World's Strongest Man Super Series is to hold grand prix strongman events in the US, Europe and Asia, and he said that China, host of the 2005 WSM contest, is likely to be the Asian location. Bengtsson also said that he is very happy with the feedback he has received on the WSMSS shows which aired on ESPN2 last week - a further indication of what has already been achieved in 2005.