Jay Hagadorn is organizing the Snake River Valley's Strongest Man contest as a fund raiser for Jesse Marunde's family.


The upcoming NASS gold level Snake River Valley's Strongest Man contest is a benefit for Jesse Marunde's family - besides offering a top amateur contest, this competition will feature demonstrations by a number of professional strongmen. Randall J. Strossen, Ph.D. photo.

"We are putting on the Snake River's Strongest Man contest in Nampa, Idaho (just outside of Boise) October 6," Jay told IronMind. "We will be honoring Jesse in this contest. We will be donating all the entries and proceeds from sales/sponsorship to Callie [Marunde]. Jesse was a good man; he would have done the same if not more for us."

This is a NASS gold level contest, but we understand that such pros as Grant Higa and Corey St. Clair are planning to be in attendance, doing demonstrations, answering questions and supporting the cause.

For full details, please check Jay's official contest site: http://stonersgym.com/srvsm/�

Brandon Goodman, Athletic Director for the Ventura (California) Seaside Highland Games, told IronMind that five-time world champion Ryan Vierra will be competing at this year's Games.


Five-time Highland Games World Champion Ryan Vierra will competing at the Ventura Seaside Highland Games on October 13. Randall J. Strossen, Ph.D. photo.

Also, Summer Pearson, the current women's world champion, "will be attempting [to break] the world record in the Sheaf Toss," Goodman said.

The Ventura Seaside Highland Games are October 13 -14 and you can find complete details on their official website: Seaside Games.

Chiang Mai, Thailand - With Hossein Rezazadeh in the audience instead of on the platform, the winning numbers were expected to be down in the superheavyweight class at the World Weightlifting Championships tonight, and there was a feeling that a 200-kg snatch along with a 250-kg clean and jerk would probably be good enough to take top honors.

As it turned out, 240 was the top clean and jerk, which Scerbatihs (Latvia), Evgeny Chigishev (Russia) and Jaber Salem (Qatar) all made. Scerbatihs got the gold in the snatch with 202, as well as the total; Chigishev got the silver the snatch (201) and the total; and Salem, who was fourth in the snatch (195), got the bronze in the total.

Chiang Mai, Thailand - It was a field loaded with big names, but it also turned out to a class that held more than a few surprises.


Rock steady, this was the third of six good lifts that Andrei Armanau (Belarus) made in the 105-kg category tonight at the World Weightlifting Championships. This 195-kg snatch, good for the gold medal in the snatch, coupled with his clean and jerks of 225 and 228, gave Aramnau two junior world records in the total. He also won the gold medal in the total. Randall J. Strossen, Ph.D. photo.

Bakhyt Akhmetov (Kazakhstan), often good for at least one lift sent flying toward the referees, knocked off three solid snatches, with his feet or the bar barely moving from their starting positions, to finish with 190 kg and the silver medal. The gold medal in the snatch went to Andrei Aramau (Belarus), the 2007 Junior World Champion, who was making his debut at the Senior Worlds so he had many people asking Aramnau Who?, but after tonight, he will need no introductions. This guy, who even the most knowledgeable insiders described as a "darkhorse," smoked 187, 192 and 195 kg in the snatch - up, down, up down, up down - and that was good for the gold, with things maybe made easier when the reigning world record holder, Marcin Dolega (Poland), struck out with 193. Martin Tesovic (Slovakia) was good for the bronze medal in the snatch with 190 kg.

So, Akemetov didn't hurl the bar, Ramunas Vsyniauskas (Lithuania) didn't do his WWE impressions . . . and Alan Tsagaev (Bulgaria) won the clean and jerk: After making 217, missing the jerk on 226, and then jumping to 231, Tsagaev appeared to have certainly missed the jerk again, but he sank lower, kept the bar overhead and was probably the most surprised guy in the competition hall that he made the lift.

Armanau got the gold medal in the total with 423, the second of two junior world records he set in the total tonight. Tsagaev edged Dmitry Klokov (Russia) on body weight for the silver medal in the total, both at 411 kg.

Chiang Mai, Thailand - Natalia Zabolotnaya (Russia) sailed through three good snatches tonight - 124, 127 and 131 - tonight at the World Weightlifting Championships and the last one broke her own world record in the women's 75-kg category.


Cao Lei (China) set to rip this 158-kg clean and jerk. Cao Lei won the women's 75-kg category at the World Weightlifting Championships tonight. Randall J. Strossen, Ph.D. photo.

Continuing to hunt for the record book, Zabolotnaya took 156 on her second clean and jerk, looking for gold medal position in the jerk and the total, plus the world record in the total. After cleaning it pretty easily, she dumped the bar and seemed to be indicating that she was passing out. Repeating with the same weight on her third attempt, she missed the power jerk. Nadezda Evstyukhina (Russia) took 158 on her second attempt, going for the lead in the jerk and the total, but missed the jerk badly.

Cao Lei (China), who had gotten the silver medal in the snatch, took 158 on her second attempt, and made a very strong lift, to gain the gold medal position in the jerk and total. Evstyukhina jumped to 159 on her third attempt, hoping to leapfrog over Cao Lei, and although she missed the jerk, it was closer than on her second attempt.

Two golds and silver in hand, Cao Lei called for 160 kg on the last attempt of the class - it would have been good for a world record in the jerk and total, but after looking like she had racked the bar, she dumped it . . . Watch for this and maybe more in Beijing.

Courtesy of Dr. William Crawford, of full sterkur fame, we have a report on this weekend's New Hampshire Highland Games, which had a mixed Highland Games and strongman format.


Highlander Games athletes/judges/sponsors.� Left to right. Magnus Ver Magnusson, Benedikt Magnusson, Sam McMahon, Jim Glassman, Mike Zolkiewicz, Dan Ford, Dave Barron, Wout Zijlstra, Gerard Benderoth, Derek Hurley, Gregor Edmunds, with sponsors Ray and Cinda D'Amante sitting on the boxes.� Photo by Nancy Hill, courtesy of Dr. William Crawford.

"This is a brief report from the New Hampshire Highland Games that featured the Highlander Games,�a hybrid of Strongman and Scottish Heavy Events.� The events on the first day were the 100 lb stone toss, 56 lb weight over bar, The Loon Stones carry (a farmers walk with Dinnie stone type implements)�and the caber toss. Sam McMahon won the Loon Mountain Stone carry with a record walk of 101 feet.� These stones weigh 507 lbs combined weight but are deceptively difficult because of the small thick rings.� The second day's competition included the log press, The Husafell Stone carry, caber toss for distance and the day ended with McGlashan Stone loading.� Wout Zijlstra won the Highlander Games with relentless pressure from a very strong field after completing all five of the McGlashan Stones in strong fashion.

The final standings in the Highlander Games were:

1) Wout Zijlstra
2) Gregor Edmunds
3) Dave Barron
4) Dan Ford 5) Gerard Benderoth and Mike Zolkiewicz (tie)
7)Sam McMahon
8) Benedikt Magnusson
9) Jim Glassman
10) Derek Hurley.

Magnus Ver Magnusson was the guest judge and did a great job of tweaking the events to keep them more interesting and challenging.� Art McDermott again did a stellar job as announcer and bringing top notch, world class implements.

The New England Masters Heavy Events Championships had Don Stewart and Petur Gudmundsson battling in a close battle with Don finally pulling out the win on Saturday. Petur set the age group world record in the open stone toss with a throw of 52' 5" and Don set a world record with the heavy weight for distance with a throw of 52' 1".� Don made attempts for a world record in the weight over bar and Petur was very close in his bid to set a world record in the sheaf toss.� Unbelievable competition.

The New England Amateur Heavy Events Championships saw a great battle between Sam Grammar and Robert Troupe with Sam pulling out a great win on Sunday."� �

Chiang Mai, Thailand - Oxana Slovenko (Russia) took a shot at breaking her own world record in the snatch tonight with 124 kg on her third attempt in the women's 69-kg category at the World Weightlifting Championships tonight.


Oxana Slivenko (Russia) on her way up with 156 kg in the women's 69-kg category at the World Weightlifting Championships tonight. This clean and jerk, along with her 120-kg snatch, gave Slivenko a new world record in the total. Randall J. Strossen, Ph.D. photo.

Oxana missed the lift, but after the world record holder in the total (275 kg), Liu Chunhong (China), missed the jerk on 155, in an attempt to break the world record in the total, Slivenko called for 156, in her own bid for the world record, and made a good lift.

Mariusz Pudzianowski had already won the 2007 MET-Rx World's Strongest Man contest, but the remaining podium positions came down to the last event, the Atlas Stones.

Sebastian Wenta won the stones, giving him second place overall, and Terry Hollands was second in the stones, giving him third place in WSM 2007. Phil Pfister was fourth overall.

Producing a blistering time in the Car Walk, Mariusz Pudzianowski has won the 2007 MET-Rx World's Strongest Man contest today.

The last event has not begun, and the remaining podium positions are still up for grabs, so the excitement isn't over yet, even if Pudzianowski has won the title.

Chiang Mai, Thailand - He did it in workmanlike style, going five for six, and when the class ended Roman Konstantinov (Russia) had pocketed the gold medal in the snatch and the total, along with the silver medal in the clean and jerk in the 94-kg category at the World Weightlifting Championships tonight.


Roman Konstantinov (Russia) knocked off this opening snatch, 172 kg, and went on to take the gold medal in the snatch, the silver medal in the jerk and the gold medal in the total in the 94 kg category at the World Weightlifting Championships tonight. Randall J. Strossen, Ph.D. photo.

One kilo ended up separating each of the top three places in the snatch, but each of the three medalists took quite a different route.

Evgheni Bratan (Moldavia) had the highest opener in the class, 175 kg, but after making a good lift with the weight, he missed 177 twice - sending it up and over his head on his second attempt, and just not getting under it on his third attempt. Eduard Tyukin (Kazakhstan) made 170, missed 175 and then hit 176. Konstantin stuck 172 and 177, but he could not fix 180.

One of the pre-contest favorites, Szymon Kolecki (Poland) had not fared well in the snatch - after making a very solid opener with 173, he sent 176 sailing over his head twice, leaving him in seventh place after the snatch, but he is the world record holder in the clean and jerk, at 232 kg, and he was in the for highest opener, 220, so there was a feeling that he could still close the gap. Yohandrys Hernandez (Cuba) also packs a big clean and jerk, so he was expected to be a factor as well.

Konstantinov opened with a conservative 211, to put himself in the lead, and Hernandez answered with a good 212 on his first attempt. Along the way, Arsen Kasabiev, looking to make up ground, took 217 on his second attempt, but when he missed racking the weight, the bar audibly clipped his leg as it crashed down, and that ended the young Georgian's night. Andrey Demanov (Russia) made the same weight on his second attempt , for the lead in the clean and jerk, and second position in the jerk. Kolecki lowered his opener to 219 and after bouncing twice, he stood up with the weight and rammed it overhead for a good lift and that made him the new leader in the clean and jerk, and put him in silver medal position in the total.

Eying Kolecki's position, Hernandez wanted them for himself, so he took 220 on his second attempt, but only did a pull. Constantin followed and made a very solid success, asserting his leadership in the class. Hernandez followed with the same weight, this time making a good lift, and bumping Constantin down in the jerk, on body weight.

Demanov wanted the gold medal in the jerk, along with the silver in the total, so he called for 224, but after an easy clean, he missed the jerk.

Now there were only two attempts left and both belonged to Kolecki, who called for 225, which would give him the gold medal in the jerk and the silver in the total, but after bouncing three times before he could stand up, he had to run forward to save the clean. Whether he was tired, or out of position, he missed the jerk, repeated with the weight, but this time he started up after only bouncing twice and had to dump the bar as he struggled to stand up, leaving him with the bronze medal in the jerk and in the total, and visibly disappointed in how his evening had ended.

With just two events remaining the 2007 MET-Rx World's Strongest Man contest, Mariusz Pudzianowksi is holding a commanding lead.

In today's action, Terry Holland's won the Truck Pull, Sebastian Wenta won the Fingal's Fingers and Mark Felix won the deadlift.

Here are the top five places and points, going in to the last day:

1. Mariusz Pudzianowski 46 points
2. Sebastian Wenta 36
3. Terry Hollands 35
4. Phil Pfister 34
5. Magnus Samuelsson 32

Chiang Mai, Thailand - Andrei Rybakou (Belarus) won the 85-kg category at the World Weightlifting Championships tonight, with a dominating performance that included a new world record in the snatch.


Andrei Rybakou (Belarus) celebrates his new world record in the snatch: 187 kg. Rybakou won all three gold medals in the 85-kg class at the World Weightlifting Championships tonight. Randall J. Strossen, Ph.D. photo.

In the snatch, it became clear that this class, even in the A session, had two groups of lifters: Andrei Rybakou and all the other lifters. The silver medal in the snatch went to Asiambek Ediev (Russia), the remarkable 37 year old lifter, who edged Georgi Markov (Bulgaria) on body weight - both lifters made 172 kg. The highest attempt after 172, was 175 kg, which Vyacheslev Yershov (Kazkhstan) missed on this third attempt, until Rybakou opened with 180, which he nailed. Rybakou followed with another good lift with 185, which set the stage for his world record attempt.

On his third attempt, Rybakou called for 187 kg, one kg over his own world record, and while he had to chase it a little to control the barbell, the lift never really looked to be in doubt.

After making a 200-kg opener in the clean and jerk, Rybakou had a second attempt success with 206 kg, which put him in position to attack the world record in the total on his third attempt - he took 209, cleaned the weight, but missed the jerk. Still, he ended the night with a world record and three gold medals.

The silver medal in the jerk went to Oliver Ruiz and the bronze went to Jadile Valladares, both from Cuba and both were from the B session. Ediev got the silver medal in the total and Vadzim Straltsou (Belarus) got the bronze medal.

Sebastian Wenta won the overhead safe lift at the World's Strongest Man finals today, Mariusz Pudzianowski was second and Phil Pfister was third.

After the first day of the finals, Mariusz Pudzianowski is in first place, followed by Phil Pfister and then Sebastian Wenta. IronMind has also been told that Tarmo Mitt is out, having torn his right biceps in the loading event earlier today.

Unofficially, IronMind has been told that Mariusz Pudzianowski won the first event in the finals at the World's Strongest Man contest today, a loading event.

Terry Hollands was second, Dave Ostlund was third and Phil Pfister was fourth.

Chiang Mai, Thailand - Things started somewhat slowly in the 77-kg class at the World Weightlifting Championships tonight, but the excitement kept building, and in the end the gold medal in the clean and jerk, and in the total, hung in the balance until the last attempt of the class.


Ivan Stoitsov (Bulgaria) drives himself under 205 kg on the last attempt in the 77-kg category at the World Weightlifting Championships tonight - it was a good lift and gave Stoitsov a pair of gold medals. Randall J. Strossen, Ph.D. photo.

Always a factor in this category, Oleg Perepechenov (Russia) ripped through three good snatches - 155, 160 and 163 kg - and each one was done in his trademark style, up and down with the speed and certainty of a hard rubber ball bouncing. Gevorg Davtyan (Armenia) made 164, and appeared to have 167 fixed overhead on his second attempt, only to lose it at the last second. When he repeated on his third attempt, it wasn't close. Li Hongli (China), looking as muscular as ever, made 163 on his opener, 166 on his second and then sent 168 up and over on his third attempt.

Li Hongli often has trouble in the clean and jerk, or, more accurately, after an easy clean and ramming the bar overhead, he starts to shake like a leaf and then loses the lift. His first attempt, 195 kg, was just like this; and when he repeated, it was the same story. Back against the wall, his third attempt was good, and the jerk was solid for him, although just before he got the down signal, the cracks were starting to show, but he held on and got a good lift, which put him in gold medal position in the jerk and in the total.

Perepepechenov had made 190 on his opener, and he took 196 on his second, going for the gold in the jerk and the silver in the total, but he missed the jerk - as is typical of him, he almost goes straight from the recovery to the jerk. When he repeated on his third attempt, once again he rushed the jerk, and he ended up losing the bar behind, in a pretty dramatic miss.

Sa Jae-Hyouk (Korea) made 197 on his second, to become the new leader in the jerk, and his teammate, Kim Kwang-Hoon, called for 197 on his third, which he made, putting him in second place in the clean in jerk. Davtyan hit 198 on his third attempt, to become the new leader in jerk and the total. There was still no coasting at this point, because Ivan Stoitsov (Bulgaria) called for 200 on his second attempt, which he made, and once again there was a new name in the gold medal position for the jerk.

Sa Jae-Hyouk made the same 200 on his third attempt, and he leapfrogged Stoitsov on body weight, but Kim Kwang-Hoon thought he'd look good in gold, so he called for 201, made it, and now he was first in the jerk and fourth in the total.

There was one attempt left, and it belonged to Stoitsov and with all the changes in the lead, he simply maintained the tradition and called for 205: A good lift would give him the gold medal in the jerk and in the total, and he made a very solid success . . . especially good since he had finished the snatches in sixth place. Characteristic of the close battles for the lead, Davtyan was one kilo behind Stoitsov in the total (362), and Li Hongli trailed Davtyan by the same one-kilo margin.

Chiang Mai, Thailand - The wonder boy of weightlifting, MILO cover guy Ilya Ilin, is absent from the start list at the World Weightlifting Championships, so where is he?


Ilya Ilin, the phenomenal junior, attacking a 233-kg world record attempt in the clean and jerk at the 2006 World Weightlifting Championships. Randall J. Strossen, Ph.D. photo.

Kazakhstan's head coach, Alexi Ni, told IronMind today that Ilya Ilin injured his back in training about two weeks ago and that is why he will not be lifting in this year's World Weightlifting Championships.

"For three days, I was not there . . . no control . . . and Ilya lift heavy every day. He is crazy, crazy . . . Every day I must control [him]."

"He is very strong," Ni said. "He snatched 185 kg, and cleaned and jerked 235 kg."

Ni and Ilin have both told IronMind that the number one focus is the Beijing Olympics next year, and while the original game plan had called for Ilin to skip both the Asian Weightlifting Championships and the Junior World Weightlifting Championships, but to compete in the Senior World Weightlifting Championships this year, his absence here is a big disappointment to weightlifting fans. Ni told IronMind today that Ilya Ilin will lift in the 2008 Asian Weightlifting Championships, and then in the Beijing Olympic Games.

Chiang Mai, Thailand - She lifted here in 1997, the last time the World Weightlifting Championships were in town, and today - ten years and three children later - Melanie Roach (USA) was back . . . and with a bang.


Melanie Roach (USA) went six for six this afternoon at the World Weightlifting Championships, outdoing her performance ten years and three children ago, proving that getting better, not just older, really can happen. Randall J. Strossen, Ph.D. photo.

Everyone likes to think that he or she is getting better, not just older, and today Melanie Roach proved it's true for her: While the rest of the USA team has been struggling to make good lifts, Roach went six for six, a perfect day, and she outdid the lifts she made a decade ago, while weighing slightly less.

Lifting in the 54-kg category in 1997 World Weightlifting Championships, she only made her openers, 75 and 97.5, but today, competing in the 53-kg category, Melanie Roach marched through 74, 77 and then 79 kg in the snatch, and 105, 107 and 110 kg in the clean and jerk.

And for the mathematically or metrically challenged, Roach cleaned and jerked over double body weight, and the 242 pounds she made is more than a lot of high school football players could do.

The defending champion, Phil Pfister, and the three-time winner, Mariusz Pudzianowski, were described as "the class of the field," as the World's Strongest Man competitors enjoyed a day of rest today.

But the top dogs were not the only guys to win accolades.

"Kevin Nee is explosive and he is ready to make an impact . . . After a so-so year, Don Pope is looking like a contender . . . Terry Hollands, already powerful, has a more competitive attitude this year, sure to boost his performance."

One of the most impressive stories involves Magnus Samuelsson: "His resurgence was amazing and for him to come into the finals without injury . . . who knows what he might do? He would like to touch the podium one more time before retiring."

"Sebastian Wenta . . . with his height and power . . . huge potential . . . Tarmo Mitt is a quiet guy, but it's more like a silent rage . . . not a bad event . . . very consistent."

"Dave Ostlund looked fantastic on the stones . . . his shoulder strength is way up . . . his intellectual and analytical ability is unsurpassed in the history of the sport." And Mark Felix, with another year of experience under his belt, continues to impress: "Just look at him!"

It's not just about competition, though, because the camaraderie has been applauded, with many of the guys who did not make it to the finals sticking around, to support their friends.

By southern California standards, the weather has been cool, "perfect for strongman," and the food and service at the Hilton have been winning high marks, so enjoy the rest, because on Friday, the sparks are going to fly.

Chiang Mai, Thailand - Some thought he might be too old to compete in Beijing next year, but don't tell that to Zhang Guozheng (China), as he won the 69-kg category at the World Weightlifting Championships tonight.


Zhang Guozheng (China) hits the bottom with this 192-kg jerk in the 69-kg category at the World Weightlifting Championships, where he won the gold medals in the jerk and in the total tonight. Notice that he is wearing the new Nike weightlifting shoes that Tom Hirtz has been predicting. Randall J. Strossen, Ph.D. photo.

Lee Bae-Young (Korea) should have been a factor in the medals tonight, but he bombed in the snatch, missing 150 kg three times. Vladislav Lukanin (Russia), a solid gold medal candidate, also could have used a visit from Lady Luck, because after blowing up 147 kg on his opener, he dislocated his arm on his second attempt, 152 kg, and Dr. Shahabi got number 26 on the books.
Shi, the super snatcher, followed with the same weight on his opener and he made a good lift. Demir Demirov (Bulgaria) missed 153 on his second attempt, but then he came back and made it. Mete Binay (Turkey) made the same weight on his third attempt, to move into the lead on body weight, but it wouldn't last long, as Zhang hit 155 on his second attempt, on a two to one ruling - his right arm looked a little spongy on the lift.

Zhang sent 156 up and over on third attempt and Shi missed 158 on his second attempt, but he repeated and made a good lift for the gold medal in the snatch.

Lee Bae-Young, who could always be a major factor in the clean and jerk, continued to have a bad night and he struck out in the clean and jerk - missing the jerk, then not getting under the bar with 186, before moving up to 189, and once again missing the jerk.

In the end, it was all Zhang Guozheng, who made 184, 189 and 192. Defending world champion Vencelas Dabaya (France) salvaged some glory, as he got the silver in the jerk with 187.

Shi got the silver in the total with 338 kg, and Demir Demirev got the bronze with 334 kg.

Chiang Mai, Thailand - All three gold medals in the men's 62-kg category at the World Weightlifting Championships were decided on body weight, with Yang Fan (China), edging Im Yong Su (North Korea) each step of the way.


Yang Fan (China) celebrates his successful 173-kg clean and jerk. It was the last attempt of the class and it gave Yang all three gold medals in the 62-kg category at the World Weightlifting Championships today. Randall J. Strossen, Ph.D. photo.

Qui Le (China) was the potential tie breaker, but he went out in the snatches - the defending world champion missed his second snatch, 141 kg, as it went up and over, and he held his arm as if he had hurt it, but then walked off without showing any visible aftereffects. He repeated, and was not so fortunate, as he missed again, but this time he dislocated his arm. This put him out of the contest, but when Dr. Ashgar Shahabi reset the arm backstage, it extended his world record in the procedure, giving him a total of 25.

Yang made 142 on his second attempt, for gold medal position, and Im answered with the same weight on his third. Yang missed 144 on his third attempt.

Yang opened with 169 kg in the clean and jerk, making a solid lift with a very deliberate recovery from his wide jerk. Im, who was second in the jerk and the total at this point, went for gold medal position with 172 kg on his second attempt, but he missed the jerk. Yang followed with 172, rolling the bar to the very back of the platform as he got set up. He made another very good lift, extending his lead.

Im called for 173, going for the gold medals in the clean and jerk, and the total, and after his second attempt, it didn't seem likely that he would make it, but after making a strong clean, he punched the bar overhead. Yang had one more shot at regaining gold medal position, and he made a good lift with 173, using a very wide and deep split in the jerk, so he pocketed all three gold medals in the class. Ivaylo Filev (Bulgaria) got all three of the bronze medals, via 138/163.

After a delay of about four hours today, the last day of the qualifying round of the World's Strongest Man contest was held and the two top competitors from each of the five groups will advance to the finals.

Here are the 2007 MET-Rx World's Strongest Man finalists:

Phil Pfister, Tarmo Mitt, Don Pope, Mariusz Pudzianowski, Dave Ostlund, Terry Hollands, Magnus Samuelsson, Mark Felix, Sebastian Wenta, Kevin Nee

"This is the biggest, heaviest, tallest group ever to make the finals," an insider told IronMind. "For Magnus Samuelsson to be as solid and strong as he was on the stones today was awesome . . . Terry Hollands has really hardened up . . . Kevin Nee was a ball of fire . . . Phil Pfister is cool and calculated, concentrating on the finals . . . Mariusz Pudzianowski has been saying on the websites that the Americans are afraid to face him in Europe, so he has come to America to crush them - well, he's in for a big surprise, because there are some spoilers in this contest and he is going to discover in the finals that he's not the World's Strongest Man."

Pick your favorite(s) and get ready to cheer them on: The finals begin on Friday.

Chiang Mai, Thailand - It's not often that you can say a missed lift was a great attempt, but the 56-kg category at the World Weightlifting Championships tonight wasn't just fiercely competitive, but it also produced two remarkable attempts, both of which were unsuccessful lifts.


Cha Kum Choi (North Korea) might have had this 130-kg snatch turned down two to one, but he won the gold medal in the total in the 56-kg category at the World Weightlifting Championships today. Randall J. Strossen, Ph.D. photo.

Li Zheng (China) was an unstoppable powerhouse in the snatches, rolling through 125, 128 and 130, and each one was a demonstration of his strength, but the most remarkable attempt in the snatch had to Cha Kum Choi's third attempt, as the North Korean lifter managed to somehow get under and fix overhead 130 kg on his third attempt. If that part was a battle, you should have seen his recovery, as he staggered, wilted, struggled upward, buckled, struggled upward again, and finally stood up with the weight. He was turned down two to one on the lift, and from the side there did seem to be some press out, but if there were an award for the toughest snatch anyone ever stood up with, this lift would have to be in the running for the honor.

Hoang Anh Taun (Vietnam) was in third place after the snatches and he appeared to be in solid contention for top honors in the total, but when time ran out on his first attempt (154 kg), something seemed to be amiss. He came out for his second attempt and when he was chalking up, with about a minute on the clock, he came back down the steps and the next thing you knew, his trainer was unzipping the back of his lifting suit, they pulled it down and they appeared to be grinding liniment into his lower back. With time rapidly winding down, Hoang got over the bar, ready to lift, but the he shook his head and left the platform. On his third attempt, with it clear that his back was really bothering him, he attacked the weight, went over backwards, appeared to be crushed by the bar across his throat and was in evident pain. The doctors assisted him and shortly after he seemed ok, and later he told IronMind that he would be ready for Beijing.

And that wasn't even the greatest miss in the clean and jerks - that honor had to go to Wu Meijin (China) who had started the evening with a power jerk (145). On his second attempt, he squat jerked 150 and talk about a fight to gain control of the weight and stand up . . . the pint-sized 56-kg lifter put up a Herculean struggle to get the bar in position to recover, started up, the bar drifted out of position, down he went again, more fighting . . . would he make it? Wu Meijin eventually stood up with the bar overhead and at the last possible instant, he lost it behind and it all came crashing down. Huge effort.

In the end, Sergio Alvarez (Cuba) won the gold medal in the jerk with 156 kg and Cha Kum Choi got the gold in the total with 283 kg. This was a terrific class and showed once again that the saying "Dynamite comes in small packages" has some basis in reality.

With one day left in the qualifying round at the World's Strongest Man contest, Phil Pfister and Tarmo Mitts have locked in their positions for the finals, IronMind has been told, unofficially.

"A lot of guys are looking really good," one observer told IronMind, and Mariusz Pudzianowski is reportedly "looking stronger than ever."

Tomorrow the action continues, with the last day of the qualifying round, and one of the people to watch is Magnus Samuelsson, currently in third place in his group, but only one point out of second. There's a lot on the line for the American contingent, too, as Kevin Nee, Karl Gillingham and Dave Ostlund are all said to have a chance to make it through to the finals - we hear that Don Pope is either locked into the finals or is at least in a very strong position to go through.

IronMind has received the following official statement from World Strongman Cup Federation regarding the recent changes in their organization and their future plans.

"This is an official�statement from the head and owner of rights of the association World- Strongman Cup Federation (WSMC) concerning the absolute termination of all collaborations with Mr. Vladislavs Redkins, Latvian citizen, who used to promote and organise a couple of competitions for WSMC, due to cumulations of inconsistencies.

It's neither the aim nor the style of WSMC, to argue internal stuff�in official forums, but due to the lack and loss of normal and respectful communications, which slowly degenerates to libels (what really saddens us!),�we are forced to announce this statement.

But anyway, that's an unpleasant situation because of the sudden interruption of the WSMC series 2007, but World Strongman Cup Federation doesn't define ourself solely through a former cooperator.

A constant rise of worldwide hours of broadcasting of the WSMC competitions, the loyalty of the best strength athletes of the world and good connections with other associations, viewers, friends and fans characterise the years of good work of the WSMC and the success proves us right.

The future plans of WSMC are certainly not endangered just because of a temporarily clouded connection with Mr. Vlad�Redkins, due to our successful work from the very beginning, we will carry on with our impressive success rate of having a transparent, clean and fair cooperation with all other participants of the strongman scene in order to push this fantastic sport to its boundaries and even further.

Concerning the WSMC competitions in the Eastern countries, we don't really think that we depend on Mr. Redkins, because WSMC always treated other associations and athletes honourable and respectfully.

For his future, we wish Mr. Redkins all the best!"

The qualifying round of the World's Strongest Man contest started today and two of the favorites - defending champion Phil Pfister and three-time winner Mariusz Pudzianowski - were quick to impress.

Pfister's group had two events today, the Farmer's Walk + Barrel Carry, and Fingal's Fingers, and he won both of them. Dominic Filiou is currently is second place in this group.

Group two had the Farmer's Walk + the Barrel Carry, and Don Pope won, with Mark Westaby in second place.

Group three had the Duck Walk + Barrel Carry, and Fingal's Fingers, both of which were won by Mark Felix. Kevin Nee and Florian Trimple are tied for second place.

Group four had just the Duck Walk + Barrel Carry, which was won by Mariusz Pudzianowski, who was said to be "huge," and Dave Ostlund, who was second, was reported to have looked very good.

Group five had the Duck Walk + Barrel Carry, which was won by Terry Hollands, and the Fingal's Fingers, which was won by Magnus Samuelsson. Hollands leads the group and Raivis Vidzis is in second place.

The Barrel Carry was the tough event today and as one person put it, "You could either do it or you couldn't . . . it seemed like the guys who could do it, just picked it up and ran, and the guys who thought about it, just couldn't do it." Grip guys will be happy to hear that one observer attributed Dave Ostlund's strong performance on this event to his nail bending prowess.

All of these results are unofficial - please see the World's Strongest Man site for all the latest official information, which includes up to the minute details on such details as the schedule and events.

"He came in hungry," IFSA Managing Director Christian Fennell said of Vasyl Virastyuk, who put together strong days back to back and won the 2007 IFSA World Championships today, becoming the first person to win both this competition and the World's Strongest Man contest.


Vasyl Virastyuk won the IFSA World Championships today, followed by Michail Koklyaev and Zydrunas Savickas. Virastyuk won the 2004 World's Strongest Man contest, and he is the first person to win both of these competitions. Photo courtesy of Christian Fennell.

Today was the second and final day of the finals, and the action started with the stones, which had been postponed from yesterday, due to the rain.

The Apollon's Wheels for maximum weight were next, and Zydrunas Savickas won with 200 kg, followed by Michail Koklyaev at 195 kg, Andrus Murumets at 190 kg and Vasyl Virastyuk at 185.

The Louis Cyr deadlift was next, and Fennell pointed out that the weight had been raised from 320 kg to 340 kg for this event. Koklyaev and Sasvickas tied at 11 reps, and Van Hatfield was third, with 8 reps. "Vasyl is not a deadlifter," said Fennell, "and this is where he opened the door a little . . . he only got one rep."

Virastyuk came roaring back on the medley, though, the final event, with a first-place performance, followed by Savickas and then Koklyaev.

The full results will be on the offical IFSA website later today, but here are the top four places and points:

1. Vasyl Virastyuk 57.5 points
2. Michail Koklyaev 52.5
3. Zydrunas Savickas 51.5
4. Derek Poundstone 50.5

Total prize money was US$130,000 cash, Fennell said, with $40,000 to the winner, $25,000 to second place and $15,000 to third place.

"This was the third year of the IFSA World Championships," said Fennell, "and it's been the same three guys each year, but this year, Vasyl came in hungry . . . it showed in his strength and in his conditioning."

"We hard work and organized last weekend good international level competition before WSM," Vlad Redkin told IronMind. "We changed name from WSMC to Grand Prix of Khanty-Mansijsk (Russia)."

Here are the results:

1. Stoyan Todorchev 49 points
2. Tarmo Mitt 47.5
3. Elbrus Nigmatullin 42
4. Raivis Vidzis 36.5
5. Rene Minkwitz 33
6. Brian Shaw 30.5
7. Christian Savoie 24
8. Glenn Ross 20
9. Mojtaba Maleki 17
10. Karim Teleshi 17
11. Igor Torlak 9.5

The events were:

1. Farmers walk: 2 x 140 kg, for 40 meters
2. Log lift: 145 kg, for reps
3. Yoke (380 kg, for 20 meters) plus duck walk (205 kg, for 10 meters)
4. Atlas stones: 125 to 180 kg
5. Truck pull: 14 ton truck, for 20 meters

"This competition show how ready our athletes for WSM 2007," said Vlad.

"After this competition I stopped work in WSMC, because they would like to work with IFSA and every time [they] changed money conditions before competition . . . I lose big money with WSMC. I still work in strongman sport. We will cooperate with SS WSM [World's Strongest Man Super Series] in next year and organize many competitions for this series," Vlad told IronMind.

With raining forcing changes in the program, Vasyl Virastyuk pounded through the first day of the finals at the IFSA World Championships and emerged in first place, followed by Derek Poundstone.

Bad weather forced the competition to be held under a tent, IFSA Managing Director Christian Fennell told IronMind, as well as the cancellation of two events that had been scheduled for today: the bus pull and the medley.

First up today was the timber carry, using a 290-kg frame, and this event cost two top competitors - Zydrunas Savickas and Michail Koklyaev - a lot of time when they lost their grip on the apparatus when they made the turn, Fennell said. Virastyuk won the timber carry, Andrus Murumets was second and Derek Poundstone, who Fennell said continues to look very impressive, was third.

A 410-kg super yoke was the second event contested today, and Vasyl Virastyuk and Vidas Blekaitus tied for top honors, followed by Derek Poundstone in third place.

Here are the top six places and points after the first day of competition in the 2007 IFSA World Championships finals:

1. Vasyl Virastyuk 23 1/2 points
2. Derek Poundstone 20
3. Vidas Bleikaitus 19 1/2
4. Andrus Muruments/Robert Szczepanski 17 (tie)
6. Zydrunas Savickas 12

The action continues tomorrow and with rain predicted again, Fennell said the contest is likely to resume under the tent, with plans for at least the medley to be added to tomorrow's schedule. The bus pull, which had been hampered by a defective bus, Fennell said, along with the weather, might be dropped from the program.

"I think a lot of people were surprised," Fennell said of today's results, but he added that tomorrow's events should see defending champion Zydrunas Savickas improve his position.

Apparently unruffled by the changes forced by the inclement weather, Fennell said, "What are you going to do" and the show went on regardless.

Thanks to Boris Kirshin and Sergey Klimakov of the "Chelyabinks Worker" newspaper, we are pleased to present a "translation made specially for IronMind" of an interview with Elbrus Nigmatullin, who is set to compete in the 2007 World's Strongest Man contest - which begins on Saturday.


Elbrus (left) and Misha (right) "after the World Championships in pairs in Poland (still friends, 2005)." Photo courtesy of Boris Kirshin and Sergey Klimakov of "Chelyabinks Worker" newspaper.

Elbrus Nigmatullin (EN): Last year the strongest athletes were in my subgroup and they closed my road to the final. I lost one and half points to Phil Pfister and Mark Felix . . . I hope this time Lady Luck will smile on me!

"Chelabinks Worker" (CW): People say that you've already finished with your sport activities and start socio-political career.

EN: Stuff and nonsense! The main argument against it is the invitation to this competition. Only athletes who took part in the last year international starting line get the invitation to the competition. I was on the second place in the World Cup final and I've also showed good results on the European championship in Poland this year.

CW: Do you know any other candidates for the World Championship?

EN: There are only three world level athletes: I, Michael ["Misha"] Kokljaev and Igor Pedan. But we are in different strongman camps. Michael and Igor are the Russian Strength Extreme League, which is working with International Federation of Strength Athlete (IFSA). I'm in the anti-IFSA camp. We have different world championships. In the nearest future I'm going to "The World Strongest Man" in USA and Kokljaev is going to the IFSA World Championship in South Korea. It is still unknown if Pedan will take part in this competition or not [IronMind: Pedan did compete in the IFSA World Championships, which are underway at the moment, but he just barely missed advancing to the finals from his semi-finals heat]. No other Russian athletes, including athletes from Chalyabinst, have the world championship level. I think, only once Alexey Serebrykov successfully took part in international competitions. Dmitryi Kononez took part three times in some stages of World Cup (with my assistance) and he was on the sixth-eighth places. But those results are not enough to participate in the world championship.

CW: Who is your main sport rival?

EN: I acknowledge that only Michael Kokljaev is the main rival in Russia. In this case, besides the sport rivalry I also have some private things. In 2004 when he didn't participate in the Olympic Games and was on the crossroads: to stay in the weightlifting or not, I carried him to the strongman. During that year I was his teacher, I opened to him all the "cuisine" of this sport, and I introduced him to the main people. I wanted to be the hero trainer, because Michael is really strong, hard-working and I believed in him. And then there was the common sport history. Michael signed the contract with Vladimir Turchinskij League without me, [while] I was [at the] Chengdu Championship. I thought he'll let me know beforehand. In short, my alumnus became my first rival. The League doesn't need my name in his sport history; it seems like there was no Nigmatullin in his sport career. Nevertheless, Michael thanked me in some interviews. Today I'm in another camp. Last time we met on the "Russian Strongest Man Final 2005" and I won him. It was the most significant victory in my life. I won like Zhukov won the battle of Moscow. I proved that I'm not the past stage of Michael sport history, I'm his main rival. But, in spite of that fact, we are in good relations with Michael. Nowadays due to the regular telecasting on "Sport" channel, people think that Koklyaev is the monopoly in Russian strength extreme. But it's not so, and while I participate he knows it.

CW: Is it hard for you to maintain your image without championship telecasting?

EN: The competitions in which I regularly take part also have the broadcasting. But not in Russia. Mainly they are shown on "Eurosport" (about 50 countries broadcasting), "Fox Sport", "ESPN" many national channels buy and show it. Today I think I'm equally famous in Russia and abroad. After "The World Strongest Man" in Chengu, I've found my photo on the "Washington Post" site. Last year after Hainan - they noticed me in "Times". And here's the recent case. Early in the morning Shamil Sultanov, the State Duma deputy, is calling: "Elbrus, I'm in Algeria with my Arabian friends. We are watching you on the TV and they are interested in working with you, they have some projects." There are two elite Asian strongmen, I and the Iran one. Recently, I was in Moscow and people from news office "Al-Jazeera" promised to shoot a plot about me. Now I'm learning English language, I'm writing on the foreign sport forums. I also take part in Russian regional competitions, for example "Baikal Hercules" in Irkutsk, to stay in good form. Last year I was also interested in vehicles traction: two Russian records - track-pulls of bus coupling and motor sip on Moscow River. But there should be the limit. For example, Dmitryi Kononez accommodates himself to set "world records" every week in the regional centers of our district.

Interview conducted by Andrey Gorbunov

Just in, IronMind has received the official results from the semi-final round of the IFSA World Championships.


Don't call him an idle lat spreader: Michail Koklyaev won his heat in the semi-finals at the IFSA World Championships and has qualified for the finals. Photo courtesy of Christian Fennell.

"The top two from each heat move on to the finals, which will held on the 14th and 15th," IFSA Managing Director Christian Fennell told IronMind.

Heat One

1. Michail Koklyaev
2. Vidas Blekaitus
3. Agris Kazelniks
4. Volodomyr Muravlov


Heat Two

1. Derek Poundstone
2. Jarno Hams
3. Georg Ogmundson
4. Michael Holding


Heat Three
1. Andrus Murumets
2. Van Hatfield
3. Nick Best
4. Matt Wanat


Heat Four

1. Vasyl Virastyuk
2. Tom McClure
3. Igor Pedan
4. Suck Young


Heat Five

1. Ervin Katona
2. Zydrunas Savickas
3. Etienne Smit
4. Hoygeun Min


Heat Six

1. Saulius Brusokas
2. Robert Szczepanski
3. Travis Ortmayer
4. Bumsoo Han

"There were some surprises," Fennell said, "in a great competition that came down to the wire in some heats. The top seven-ranked IFSA athletes all made it," Fennell said, referring to Koklyaev, Blekaitus, Murumets, Virastyuk, Savickas, Brusokas and Szczepanki, "and two guys made it who have been close in the past," Hams and Katona, "plus the three Americans: Poundstone, Hatfield and McClure."

"Poundstone was on fire," Fennell said, also explaining that Ortmayer got knocked out of the finals when he lost his grip on the third sack in the last event, costing him precious time he could not afford to lose.

Asked about Savickas placing second in his heat, Fennell said, "He's a world champion and a smart man. The last two days were all about getting to the next two days."

Shahin Nasirinia told IronMind yesterday that while he is happy with his current job, his first love is weightlifting and he would especially like a job coaching juniors, because he is most interested in developing great lifters for the future.


He had only made his first attempt in the snatch, but when he made this 220-kg clean and jerk on his second attempt at the Athens Olympics, Shahin Nasirinia (Iran) still had a shot at a medal. Randall J. Strossen, Ph.D. photo.

"I have been in weightlifting for 17 years," Nasirina told IronMind. "I like weightlifting very much and would like to teach weightlifting," saying that he would be willing to relocate within the US for an appropriate job. Nasirinia's interest has been relayed to USA Weightlifting, but if there is nothing within the national governing body of the sport, Nasirinia is hoping that a club or a school might be able to offer him a position.

Shahin Nasirinia's electrifying performance at the 1999 World Weightlifting Championships is seared into the minds of all who were lucky enough to be there, as he uncorked a huge clean and jerk to grab the title from hometown super-hero Pyrros Dimas. Now 32, Nasirinia told IronMind that he stopped training a year ago, realizing that at this stage in his life, he is better suited to stay involved in weightlifting as a coach than as a competitor.

"I remember last year that one day you wrote, �Janne Virtanen Shines in WSM Qualifiers' . . .I'm pretty sure that this year he will shine in the final, too," Jyrki Rantanen told IronMind.


2000 World's Strongest Man winner Janne Virtanen at an exhibition a couple of days ago. Virtanen is said to be in top form, so will 7 be his lucky number? Photo courtesy of Maarit M�kitalo/Sandvik Oy.

Jyrki Rantanen might be best known for his selfless chauffeuring of Randall Strossen from Helsinki to Lahti at about 4 am, only to return a couple of hours later to guide the Finnish Tour, a visit to some key gyms in the area, but he's also a good friend of Janne Virtanen. Virtanen is the 2000 World's Strongest Man winner, and he is showing up on short lists as a favorite for the 2007 contest, which begins on Saturday.

"Janne's last preparations have gone really well and he haven't suffered any injuries lately," Rantanen told IronMind. "For the WSM final 2007, my count is that �the old school' will go fast and strong. For the old school I count Virtanen, Samuelsson, Mariuz and Jarek and of course you can't forget Terry Hollands, Tarmo Mitt and last year's champion, Pfister."

"I just drove Janne to the airport," Jyrki Rantanen reported . . . showing once again that he is the strength world's most in-demand personal driver.

Callie Marunde told IronMind that she just received the coroner's report and would like "to put the kabosh on the rumors" surrounding her husband's death.


Jesse Marunde on the Super Yoke at the World's Strongest Man Super Series Muscle Beach Grand Prix in June. Tragically, Jesse Marunde - an extremely popular strongman competitor - died just weeks later. Randall J. Strossen, Ph.D. photo.

Rumors are running rampant on the forums, Callie Marunde said, with people speculating about what caused Jesse Marunde's death, frequently using drug-based themes. Yet, "the toxicology screen turned up nothing," Callie Marunde said. "Jesse died from cardiac arthythmia due to hypertrophic and dilated cardiomyopathy. We always knew he had a large heart and the coroner confirmed this, stating the enlarged heart was a genetic defect.� The coroner explained that Jesse could have passed�anytime. I am blessed to have so many precious memories of the short time he had with our daughter."

Callie Marunde told IronMind that she wanted to share this information from the coroner's report because "the people who are stirring the pot" have no knowledge of Jesse's family history as it relates to heart disease, and this should be emphasized.

"In a great competition today in Geumsan, South Korea, Travis Ortmayer won the 2007 IFSA Strongman World Open Championships with a score of 41 points," Christian Fennell reported to IronMind.


Travis Ortmayer (USA) won the 2007 IFSA Strongman World Open Championships today. Photo courtesy of Christian Fennell.

"He also earned a spot in the 2007 IFSA Strongman World Championship semi-finals starting September 11, 2007 in Geumsan, South Korea," said Fennell.

Also, qualifying for the semi-finals were:

Etienne Smit (South Africa) 40.5 points
George Ogmundsson (Iceland) 40 points
Igor Pedan (Russia) 38 points
Agris Kazeinis (Latvia) 35.5 points

In addition, Fennell said that three Korean competitors - Hyogeun Min, Bumso Han and Suckyong Kang - also qualified.

He won the superheavyweight title there ten years ago, and Andrei Chemerkin will be returning to Chiang Mai, Thailand for the World Weightlifting Championships, which open next week.


On his way to cleaning and jerking 262.5 kg, Andrei Chemerkin (Russia) won the 1997 World Weightlifting Championships in Chiang Mai, Thailand, and he will be on hand when the world championships return to Chiang Mai next week. Randall J. Strossen, Ph.D. photo.

Chemerkin, who first predicted the possibility of a surprise Chinese superheavyweight in Beijing next year, told IronMind today that he does not necessarily expect the winning performance at this year's World Weightlifting Championships to match the 462.5-kg total he achieved in 1997. Instead, matching other predictions IronMind has received, Chemerkin thinks that the superheavyweight crown might be scooped up with a total more in the 450-kg range, especially with Hossein Rezazadeh (Iran) withdrawing from the competition due to injuries suffered in a recent car crash.

"Miracles do happen," Chemerkin asserted, as he explained that anything is possible in sport and that with the right athletes and the right motivation, huge weights will go overhead, but it all depends on having "more desire to win and a willingness to do anything to attain that goal."

Showing that he can be philosophical while retaining his sense of humor, Chemerkin answered a question about a specific weakness of a certain lifter by noting, "Those who are born to crawl cannot fly."

Go to CNN right now and watch Bill Kazmaier bend a frying pan and pull a truck.

The three-time World's Strongest Man winner, simply known as The World's Strongest Man, Bill Kazmaier is a regular at YMCAs, which focus on the mind, body and spirit.

"YMCAs build stronger individuals, families and communities," the Kaz told IronMind.

"After you reach a certain level of prominence in the strength world," Kazmaier said, "it comes down to what we do with it. Yesterday, Pfister called me, and he's talked at over 100 schools recently," Kaz said, referring to Phil Pfister, the 2006 World's Strongest Man winner.

"Paul Anderson did great things," Kazmaier said. "He was an awesome strength athlete and great man, giving back to the community."

Bill Kazmaier proved the wisdom of never leaving home without it - referring to his trusty Draft Horse Pulling Harness . . . Jim Leisey, director of the Adamtown, Pennsylvania YMCA was retiring after 40 years of service and when his car broke down, guess who hooked up and pulled him to the YMCA?

The Kaz was in town not just to help honor Mr. Leisey, who had been friends with the Good brothers, Kaz said, but also for the grand opening of the Allentown YMCA. Introducing Bill Kazmaier to the crowd, YMCA Director Rusty Barr said, "If you want to bring attention to the YMCA, you bring in the World's Strongest Man."

"The YMCA is all about leadership," Kazmaier told IronMind, quick to praise Barr's role in the YMCA.

"It was a great weekend," 2007 North America's Strongest Man winner Jessen Paulin told IronMind.


Jessen Paulin, winner of the 2007 North America's Strongest Man contest, shown on the Apollon's Axle Deadlift. Photo courtesy of Jessen Paulin.

Paulin emerged victorious after a very close three-day battle, in front of an estimated crowd of 8,000 fans who showed the kind of support that Odd Haugen said rivals anything he has seen anywhere in the world.

"Really gave it my all," said Paulin. "Shaw showed great skills and unlimited potential . . . Good spirit and a giant body too," Paulin said, praising runner-up Brian Shaw. "Competitors, crowd, organizers and TV were pleased everything ran smoothly."

Looking ahead, Paulin said, "I have to recover well now and practice some tricks for WSM, as I am a alternate. You never know ... what you're gonna get."

Once again, Dr. Samuel Dube calls the action for us as the battle for the 2007 North America's Strongest Man title came down to the final event on the final day.

"The third and final day of the 2007 North America's Strongest Man began with the Apollon's Axle Deadlift. The ponderous barbell started at 600 pounds and the event proceeded with a �rising bar' protocol in 25-pound increments. Each competitor had seventy-five seconds to complete one repetition, and a missed lift meant the end of the event for the athlete. The field was quickly reduced to St. Clair, Philippi, Savoie, Shaw, and Paulin, with only Shaw capable of a 725-pound pull, and with power to spare. Unfortunately, Dan Ford suffered a partial tear of his left biceps rather early in the event and had to withdraw from the rest of the competition.

At the start of the eighth and last event of the contest, the Power Medley, only three and one-half points separated the triad at the top: Savoie with 69.5, Shaw with 71, and Paulin with 72. The event consisted of three parts: a 790-pound Super Yoke for 50 feet, four flips of a 950-pound tire, and a 600-pound marine chain drag for 50 feet, all with a ninety-second time limit.

Proceeding two at a time, with Shaw and Paulin paired up last, it came right down to the wire, much as the Canadian's did two weeks prior. The efforts from all the athletes was so monumental that several collapsed during the chain drag, utterly spent. After Savoie became the first to complete the course, Shaw and Paulin's heat had 8,000 people on their feet, with Shaw besting Paulin, but both beating Savoie's time!

The result was a points tie for first place, but Paulin would be declared the winner based on his greater number of event first place finishes.

All-in-all, a truly world class event!"

Here are the final places and points:

1. Jessen Paulin 83
2. Brian Shaw 83
3. Christian Savoie 79.5
4. Mark Philippi 62
5. Jean-Francois Caron 56.5
6. Corey St. Clair 55
7. Dan Ford 50
8. Matt Parkes 50
9. Odd Haugen 36
10. Grant Higa 29
11. John Dungey 21

Many thanks to Sam Dube for his outstanding coverage of the 2007 North America's Strongest Man contest.

"Scott Rider, former Olympic Bobsleigher and Commonwealth games shot putter from England, took the Royal Braemar Highland Gathering Heavyweight title on Saturday against a field of 16 top athletes," Colin Bryce reported to IronMind.


Scott Rider on his way to winning the 16-pound stone at the 2007 Highland Games World Championships (Inverness, Scotland). Randall J. Strossen, Ph.D. photo. The Londoner just added to his considerable laurels with a historic win at Braemar this weekend.

"It took five personal bests and a toss of the legendary Breamar caber to beat the international field including World Champion Gregor Edmunds, Ukranian discus champion Kyrylo Chuprinin, nine times Glenfiddich Champion Bruce Aiken, Scottish Shot put champion Bruce Robb and American NCAA indoor shot put Champion Garrett Johnson.

Not since the might of Geoff Capes, three times Olympic shot putter, has any Englishmen won the title at Braemer," Bryce said. "To look back further than that for English greatness at Braemar you have to go to the European Shot Put Champion of 1958, Arthur Rowe, who managed to beat the great Bill Anderson, M.B.E. in the 1960s to take the title for the first time back down across the border. For the ranks of Englishmen there have been no other recorded successes at Braemar right back to the early 19th Century.

This very famous event on the Scottish calendar is where the birth of the Modern Highland Games is accredited to and since the 1840's it has been the focus of the Royal Family's summer holiday.

Perhaps it was rather fitting therefore that it was under both the watchful eyes of the Bill Anderson, Chief Referee, and the Queen that the title was again taken back to England by Scott Rider. To do it, he had to pull out an incredible final round throw in the last event, the Braemar stone, to win the overall contest by just half a point ahead of Scotsman Bruce Robb, with Bruce Aitken again just a further half point back in third place.

Rounding out the top five was Chiprunin in fourth place and American Jim Parman respectively. Sadly, for the recently crowned World Champion, Gregor Edmunds, gaining a second Braemar title was soon ruled out in the pre-event training as he badly strained his back and decided to only take part in the caber.

Rider's winning efforts included 38 feet in the Braemar stone, over 100 feet in the heavy hammer, nearly 130 feet with the light hammer, over 57 feet in the light stone, over 84 feet with the 28-pound weight and 15 feet 6 inches in the weight over the bar.

It was an all around tremendous day for Rider who has only turned his attentions to the Highland Games in the last two years, and the big question now is will his success in the Highland Games drag him away from the full time circuit of Amateur Athletics and the lure of another Olympic Games in Bobsleighing?

Quite probably yes, as when asked that very question he said, �There is little better feeling than taking part in such a wonderful traditional sport. Most of the athletes there had the capability of winning the title but it was just my day.' Highland Games fans had best keep one eye out for this superb all around talent."


Scott Rider (front) and Colin Bryce on their way to the fastest push title at the 2004 British Championships. Photo courtesy of Colin Bryce




Scott Rider (left) and Colin Bryce (right), training for the 2002 Olympics. Photo courtesy of Colin Bryce.

Andrus Murumets continues to turn in impressive performances on the professional strongman circuit and this weekend he won the Oulu Grand Prix in Finland, underlining his stature as a contender for one of the top positions at the upcoming IFSA World Championships.


Andrus Murumets on the Hercules Hold at the Oulu Grand Prix. Murumets, a former world record holder on the Rolling Thunder, is having a huge year in strongman and is seen as a favorite at the upcoming IFSA world championships. Photo courtesy of Ilkka Kinnunen.

"This competition was the main event of the Oulu City Festival," promoter Ilkka Kinnunen had explained to IronMind and, "the competition got excellent media coverage nationwide and especially in Oulu media. It will also be seen on National TV channel MTV3 22.9. and after that on Eurosport."

Looking ahead, Kinnunen said, "The organizer, Fitness Media Ltd., has already started negotiations for next year's competition and the plan is to make it even bigger than this year, with more athletes and lasting the full weekend [rather than one day]." Kinnenen said there are also plans to add a professional powerlifting event next year.

"Andrus Murumets, Jani Illikainen, Robert Schepanski, and Vidas Blekaitis showed that they are ready for the [IFSA] World's, taking all top four places," said Kinnunen. Kinnunen also praised "a new athlete from Czech Republic, Zdenek Sedmik, who is called "Giant,'" who totals 1040 kg in powerlifting, stands 196 cm tall and weighs 160 kg, Kinnunen said. "For sure we will hear [more] from him in a future . . . This was his first international competition."

Here are the final places and points:

1. Andrus Murumets 47 points
2. Jani Illikainen 43.5
3. Robert Scepanski 35
4. Vida Blekaitis 33
5. Zednek Sedmik 30.5
6. Mareks Leistis 24.5
7. Juha-Matti Jarvi 24
8. Janro Hams 22.5
9. Vladimir Rizov 10

"It's a three-horse race right now," Mark Philippi told IronMind, speaking from Quebec last night, as the second day of the North America's Strongest Man contest saw a lead group push to the front.

Once again, IronMind is fortunate to have Dr. Samuel Dube, Host of the Canadian Strength Athletes Series, calling the action:

"The first event of Day 2 of North America`s Strongest Man consisted of the Super Farmer`s Walk: four pairs of implements weighing 265, 300, 320, and 340 pounds had to be successfully transported a distance of 50 feet each in seventy-five seconds or less," reported Dr. Dube. "Christian Savoie, Brian Shaw, and Jessen Paulin were the only ones able to complete the course, and they finished in that order. Jessen was well on his way to a winning time when he fell with the implements less than six inches from completion. He recovered, but ended up in third. Odd Haugen elicited a huge ovation from the crowd of over 8,000 when, early in the event, he registered the best distance with the fourth pair to that point. The legendary strongman's hand strength was certainly not in question!

The Train Wheel Load was next: The athletes had to place five solid metal train wheels weighing 280, 320, 360, 380, and 400 pounds onto a three-foot platform in seventy-five seconds or less, beginning at 25 feet from the platform and decreasing by 5-foot intervals with each successive weight. The last wheel proved to be the bane of most of the athletes, largely due to fatigue and the more compact shape of this wheel. Placing all five wheels were Paulin, Savoie, Philippi, and Caron. The latter two used the unorthodox yet effective technique of pushing the wheel over and hoisting the flattened load onto the knees to secure it. St. Clair actually had the fifth wheel wedged between himself and the platform for almost fifteen seconds before the time expired.

The third event of the day and the sixth of the competition was a traditional event, the Tire Flip. Going two at a time, the competitors each had to flip a 950-pound tire a distance of 80 feet in seventy-five seconds or less. The pair of Paulin and Savoie blasted through the course, placing first and third respectively, with St. Clair and Brian Shaw garnering second and fourth during separate heats. The truly grueling event saw veteran WSM competitor and former U.S. champion Mark Philippi struggling halfway during his final flip, where he supported the tire with awesome delt and tricep strength for a good seven or eight seconds before summoning the surge of power required to blast the tire across the finish line.

So far, this contest has been replete with efforts like Philippi's. The weather has been ideal, the crowd could not be better, and the spirit of strength and camaderie is in full force amongst the athletes."

Here are the cumulative places and points after the second day of North America`s Strongest Man 2007:

1. Jessen Paulin 62
2. Christian Savoie 59.5
3. Brian Shaw 59
4. Dan Ford 45
5. Corey St. Clair 44
6. Mark Philippi 44
7. Jean-Francois Caron 44
8. Matt Parkes 41
9. Grant Higa 24
10. Odd Haugen 22.5
11. John Dungey 9

Stay tuned for more inside commentary from Sam Dube as the 2007 North America's Strongest Man wraps up today.

Sean Betz just won the professional class at the 33rd Invitational Heavy Events Championships in Pleasanton, California.


Sean Betz, on his way to the title, loads up on the 56-pound weight for height in Pleasanton. Randall J. Strossen, Ph.D. photo.

Here are the top three:

1. Sean Betz 20.5 points
2. Ryan Vierra 22
3. Larry Brock 26

"After three events, the standings for the 2007 North America's Strongest Man competition in Gatineau, Quebec, Canada are as follows," reports Dr. Samuel Dube, host of The Canadian Strength Athletes Series.

1. Brian Shaw 32
2. Jessen Paulin 28
3. Christian Savoie 26.5
4. Matt Parkes 25
5. Dan Ford 24
6. Jean-Francois Caron 22
7. Corey St. Clair 20
8. Mark Phillippi 19
9. Grant Higa 14
10. Odd Haugen 11.5
11. John Dungey 9
12. Dominic Filiou 0

"Originally, the contest was to feature the top six Canadian and the top six American strongmen," explained Sam Dube, "but for various reasons, not the least of which was the upcoming World's Strongest Man contest, this was not to be. In addition, Hugo Girard, suffering from a swollen knee, had decided not to compete. And surprisingly, before any of the events could commence, Canadian Champion Dominic Filiou explained to the crowd of approximately four thousand that he would have to leave the competition immediately in order to accompany his pregnant yet three-week overdue wife to the hospital where it was likely labour would be induced. He promised to return to the contest as soon as possible. We wish them well.

So the remaining eleven competitors began the battle with the Arm-Over-Arm Pull. The event, which entailed pulling an 18-ton city bus, was �the heaviest arm-over-arm pull I've ever experienced," said Colorado's Strongest Man Brian Shaw. Only he and Christian Savoie were able to complete the course, with the latter winning by a two second margin. Caron, Paulin, and St. Clair rounded out the top five for the event."

"The second event was a 270 lb. Log Lift for repetitions. Dan Ford showed awesome power by winning with 6 reps, followed by Brian Shaw and Matt Parkes with 5 reps each. Shaw, who by this point was charming the audience with a massive 6'8", 360 lb. frame juxtaposed with a sincere, polite demeanor, had a sixth rep nearly locked out before time expired. Parkes' brute strength and refined knee-jerk technique was equally impressive.

The third and final event of the day was the Atlas Stones. Five stones weighing 242, 265, 308, 331, and 386 pounds had to be successively placed on 56-inch ring platforms. Jessen Paulin was the only one able to place the fifth stone, with Shaw coming very close. In one of the most amazing stone lifts I've ever witnessed, 57-year-old Odd Haugen extended with the fourth stone, only to lose his balance and stumble well to the right of the platform. Rather than put the stone down, Odd side-stepped into proper position with the ponderous load still crushed to his chest, and in a monumental effort achieved successful lift accompanied by a deafening roar of the crowd."

Stay tuned for updates, as North America's Strongest Man continues today.