Vytautas set a new world record in the squat event in the qualifying heats at the 2012 WSM by squatting 700 lb (320 kg) for 11 repetitions.[5]
Vytautas has a younger brother, Marius Lalas, who is also a professional strongman competitor who achieved a 3rd place finish at the 2012 Strongman Champions League Russia contest.[6]
Ahola set world records for the Hercules hold (45.7 sec, 197 kg) and Atlas Stones (215 kg).[3]
He is one of only seven men to be a repeat champion in the World’s Strongest Man competition.[3]
Jouko was a very successful strongman competitor, at 6′ 1″ (1.85 m) and 275 lbs (125 kg), corresponding to a BMI of 35.8, which is low by WSM standards.[3]
Jouko appeared in the music video for Robin‘s “Faija skitsoo” in 2012.[5] He also made a cameo appearance on the second season of The Dudesons TV series, which aired worldwide in 2008.
Vasyl Virastyuk competed in the finals of the World’s Strongest Man contest in 2003 and 2004. He finished third in 2003 behind then-defending champion Mariusz Pudzianowski and runner-up Zydrunas Savickas.[2] The following year Virastyuk won the 2004 World’s Strongest Man title, placing ahead of Savickas and Pudzianowski (Pudzianowski would later be disqualified for testing positive for a banned substance).[2]
After this victory there was a split in the world of Strongman competition. While some of the competitors such as Virastyuk and Zydrunas Savickas started competing for the IFSA Strongman title (with Savickas winning the title in 2005 and 2006), others such as Pudzianowski remained and competed for the Met-Rx World’s Strongest Man title (with Pudzianowski winning in 2005, 2007, and 2008 Phil Pfister in 2006).
After finishing 2nd in 2005 and third in 2006, at the 2007 IFSA World Championship in Geumsan, South Korea, Vasyl defeated the 2 time IFSA World Champion Zydrunas Savickas. With this victory Vasyl become the first athlete in the history of strongman to win both a World’s Strongest Man title and an IFSA World title. Zydrunas would be the second to accomplish this feat after winning the 2009 World’s Strongest Man title in Malta.[3]
Virastyuk has also achieved a podium finish on three occasions in three consecutive years (2005, 2006 and 2007) at the Arnold Strongman Classic coming second on each occasion to Zydrunas Savickas. At the 2008 Arnold Strongman Classic, Vasyl was forced to withdraw due to injuries, and finished in tenth place with only 8.5 points.[4]
Savickas first became interested in strength sports after watching a Lithuanian strongman contest on TV in 1989. Three years later he took part in that same strongman contest, and defeated a number of older and more experienced competitors. At age 17 Savickas began to train in powerlifting, and in his second powerlifting contest he broke all the Lithuanian records. He is the only Lithuanian to squat over 400 kg. In 1998 Savickas won his first Lithuania’s Strongest Man contest, he would later go on to win this contest a total of 7 times. Savickas then competed in the 1998 and 2000 World’s Strongest Man contests, but failed to qualify for the finals both times. He won the silver medal in the World powerlifting championship in Japan with a total of 1020 kg, just 2.5 kg behind Brad Gillingham.
A contest in the Faroe Islands in 2001 dealt Savickas a major setback, as he tore both patellar tendons during the conan’s wheel event. Many believed that the extent of the injury meant that his career was over. However, nine months later Savickas won the Lithuanian powerlifting championships, and a short time later he also won the 2002 Lithuania’s Strongest Man contest. Savickas would go on to finish in 2nd place at the 2002 World’s Strongest Man in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. He would finish in 2nd place 3 more times in 2003, 2004 and 2011, and 1st place at the 2009 and 2010 World’s Strongest Man contests.
Savickas won the Arnold Strongman Classic six consecutive times from 2003–2008. Savickas won the IFSA European Championships in 2005 which qualified him for the world championships. In September 2005, he broke three world records and won the IFSA Strongman World Championships in Quebec, Canada. Savickas won the 2005 IFSA World Team Championships with Team Europe and won the IFSA World Championships for a 2nd time in 2006 in Reykjavík, Iceland. In 2007, Savickas finished in 3rd place at the last ever IFSA World Championships behind runner-up Mikhail Koklyaev and Champion Vasyl Virastyuk in Geumsan, South Korea.
Savickas won 5 out of the 7 total contests during the inaugural 2008 Strongman Champions League season, and won the 2008 overall title 58 points ahead of second place finisher Ervin Katona.
On April 15, 2011 Zydrunas set a new Guinness World Record performing a 20 meter Farmer’s Walk in 7.55 seconds with 150 kg (330 lb) implements in each hand. The event was broadcast on the Guinness TV show in Europe.[4]
Savickas won 5 Strongman Champions League events during the 2011/2012 season, in Finland in March 2011, Germany on April 16, 2011,[5] the SCL Semi-finals in Canada in Oct. 2011, Latvia in Nov 2011 and the SCL Finals in Sarajevo, Bosnia on Feb. 7, 2012.[6]
During the SCL Finals in Sarajevo, Savickas set a new world record in the log lift with 215 kg (470 lb).[6] This was his 7th consecutive world record in the log lift, not including his world record in the giant wooden log lift set at the 2010 World’s Strongest Man contest.[7]
Savickas won the 2012 Europe’s Strongest Man contest on June 23, 2012, his second ESM title after winning in 2010.[8] Savickas also set a new world record in the log lift with a lift of 216 kg (480 lb), this was his 8th consecutive log lift world record.[8]
Savickas has won 8 Strongman Champions League events in the 2012 season and is the current overall leader. He won the 2012 SCL Iceman Challenge III in Finland in March, his third consecutive victory in that contest. Savickas also won the 2012 FIBO event in Germany in April, and the SCL Holland event in Zevenaar, Holland on June 30, 2012.
During the SCL Holland event, Savickas set yet another world record in the Log Lift with a lift of 217.5 kg (480 lb). This was Savickas’ 3rd log lift world record in 2012, and 9th consecutive log lift world record.
Savickas has held the log lift world record since 2005, and has set more total world records than any other strongman competitor in history.
Savickas won the inaugural 2012 SCL World Shanghai Cup in China on July 8, 2012, his 4th SCL victory of the 2012 season, and the SCL Portugal event on July 21 in Oporto, Portugal.[9]
Savickas won the SCL Finland event on Aug. 11, 2012 and was the co-winner of the SCL Poland event on Aug. 18 in a tie with Mikhail Koklyaev. Savickas also won the SCL Gibralter event on Sept. 2, 2012. This was his eight SCL victory for the 2012 season, and 28th career SCL win.
Zydrunas regained the WSM crown by winning the 2012 World’s Strongest Man contest in Los Angeles, California on Oct. 1, 2012.[10] This was Savickas’ third WSM title, he is only the fifth competitor in WSM history to win 3 or more WSM titles. Savickas also set a new log lift world record in the finals with a lift of 220 kg (490 lb).[11] Savickas and Jon Pall Sigmarrson have each placed in the WSM top three a record seven times.
Savickas won the inaugural 2012 SCL Savickas Classic on Oct. 6, 2012 in Vilnius, Lithuania.[12] This was Savickas’ ninth SCL victory for the 2012 SCL season. With this victory Savickas has already clinched the 2012 SCL overall title, this marks his second SCL overall title along with the 2008 season.
Savickas also won the 2012 World Log Lift Championships on Oct. 7, 2012 which was held at the same venue as the Savickas Classic, this was his fourth consecutive Log Lift title.[13] Savickas has won a record 13 of his last 14 events.
At the end of September 2010, a biography entitled Žydrūnas Savickas – žmogus iš geležies (Žydrūnas Savickas – A Man From Iron) was published in Lithuania.(ISBN 978-609-408-104-0)
During the Strongman Champions League Ireland contest in Limerick, Ireland, 2010.
6 Pack Lapadat 