The Heaviest Show on the Planet
The Heaviest Show on the Planet
Congratulations to our winner, Vytautas Lalas!
We are excited about the great athletes who will be competing in the 2013 Arnold Strongman Classic.
Second-year competitor at the Arnold Classic
I began training for strongman and weightlifting in general in at the beginning of 2010. I got into the sport when I ran into a group of guys after joining a gym in my neighborhood. I am still really new to this sport. I met Brian Shaw at the end of 2010 and have been training with him ever since.
Age: 38
Height: 6'6"
Weight: 330 pounds
Hometown: Aurora, Colorado
Family: Wife Maree Burke, son Michael and daughter Isabella
Occupation: Framing contractor
Second-year competitor at the Arnold Classic
Hafthor began competing in strongman after an injury to his ankle ended his basketball career. In his first contest, with no real training, Hafthor won one event and made an Icelandic record in stone carrying. After this auspicious beginning, Hafthor was hooked and began training solely for strongman competitions. Since 2009, he has won seven competitions.
Age: 24
Height: 6'7"
Weight: 430 pounds
Hometown: Kopavogur, Iceland
Family: Girlfriend Kolbrun Linda Siguroardottir, daughter Theresa Lif
Occupation: Bank security guard
Second Arnold Classic appearance
Mark was a dedicated body builder and turned his attention to strongman competitions in 2003 at the age of 37, comparatively late in relation to other strength athletes.
Age: 46
Height: 6'4"
Weight: 295 pounds
Hometown: Grenada, England
Family: Wife Denny and three children
Occupation:Plasterer
First Arnold Classic appearance
I started strongman 7 years ago - my first competition was Lithaunia's Strongest Junior, where I took second place. Next year I came back and won.
Age: 30
Height: 5'10"
Weight: 300 pounds
Hometown: Mazeikiaia, Lithuania
Family: Wife Simona
Occupation:Co-owner of Animal Barbell gym in Ireland
Eighth Arnold Classic appearance
Misha began training weight training when he was only 12 and the beginning was interested in boxing. However, his exceptional athleticism brought him to the attention of Russia's weightlifting coaches and in 1992 he switched to Olympic weightlifting where he quickly excelled and became the Russian champion. Misha is the only professional strongman who actively competes in both sports.
Age: 34
Height: 6'3"
Weight: 350 pounds
Hometown: Chelyabinsk, Russia
Family: Wife, Oksana son Mikhail and daughter Diana
Fifth Arnold Classic appearance (two-time champion)
Derek hosts Poundstone Power Radio, a satellite radio show helping people achieve a "high performance lifestyle", on Sirius/XM satellite radio (Sirius 92/XM 208). Derek also owns Poundstone Performance Training Center located in Waterbury, CT and is a Global Ambassador for the Law Enforcement Torch Run for the Special Olympics.
Age: 31
Height: 6'1"
Weight: 340 pounds
Hometown: Waterbury, Conneticut
Family: Wife Kristin Poundstone
Occupation:Police Sergeant for the Naugatuck, CT Police Department.
First Arnold Classic appearance
Jerry began his strength career in powerlifting at the age of 15. Prior to his involvement in strongman contests, Jerry was a Sprint Car driver and still enjoys racing in his spare time.
Age: 32
Height: 6'4"
Weight: 340 pounds
Hometown: Phoenix, Arizona
Family: Wife Kasey, daughter Abigail and son James
Occupation:Metal fabricator
Fourth Arnold Classic appearance (2011 champion)
I like competing in strongman because it is the best test of overall body strength that there is. It is great to be able to test my strength against the strongest men in the world.
Age: 30
Height: 6'8"
Weight: 440 pounds
Hometown: Furt Lupton, Colorado
Family: Girlfriend Kristen Paruleski
Occupation:Sports performance coach
First Arnold Classic appearance
Adam began training for strongman while working security at a night club. He trained for two weeks before winning his first contest in September of 2009.
Age: 29
Height: 6'8"
Weight: 410 pounds
Hometown: Sherrills Ford, North Carolina
Occupation:Mechanic
First Arnold Classic appearance
Age: 31
Height: 6'1"
Weight: 320 pounds
Hometown: Glowno, Poland
