World's Strongest Man winners poll

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/25/Mariusz_Pudzianowski-mv4-2006.jpg

Mariusz began training for strength sports at age 13½, in December, 1990. Mariusz cites his key strength supplement as malted milk. "I met a kid, he was 12 years old," he said in an interview. "I could not lift him, then he tried to, and he lifted me up 6 inches in the air. He was strong. This motivated me to work out and become the world's strongest man."

he's on the 'roids
he's on the 'roids

http://www.kraftsport-attack.de/magnusson.jpg

Magnús is a single father and lives with his child in Hafnarfjörður, Iceland. Magnús frequently judges international powerlifting and strongest man competitions.
In 2008, he made an appearance on Comedy Central's "The Daily Show".

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Then he grinned, thank God. Geoff Capes was not in the mood to thump anyone yesterday, despite his fearsome reputation. The former Olympian, twice crowned the World's Strongest Man, was presiding for the first time over a different set of competitors: budgerigars.

Breeders had brought 3,000 of them to the Dome in Doncaster for the world championship run by the Budgerigar Society. Moving among them was the mountainous form of the newly elected president, the man everyone called Capesy.

The massive chest that helped make Capes a household name has moved a few feet south to hang around the waist. But his handshake felt as if it could crush bones – let alone a tiny budgie.

http://home.vicnet.net.au/~capo/icons/art_bb_4.jpg

Kazmaier wrestled during the 1980s for promotions such as Stampede Wrestling and Continental Championship Wrestling. His biggest national exposure came when he debuted for World Championship Wrestling in 1991 at Halloween Havoc. He received several shots at Lex Luger's WCW World Heavyweight Championship but failed to win the title. He also briefly teamed with Rick Steiner, only to lose to The Enforcers in a tournament final for the WCW World Tag Team Championship.

http://www.healthcaresite.ca/LifeWave/pic_Phil_Pfister.jpg

The greatest American Strongman since Bill Kazmaier, Phil Pfister is without dout amoung the best Strenght Athletes alive. An impressive sight to behold, Pfister stands at 6'6 and weighs an even 345Ibs and has proven he can lift almost four times his weight. He is firmly against Steroid use and is 100% all natural.

I myself look to become a Strength Athlete and big Phil is my idol, and I truly hope to become one day like him.

http://www.moviepublicity.com/image_assets/invincible_20001.jpg

Jouko Ahola, the Finnish guy who won the title twice, starred with Tim Roth in the Werner Herzog movie Invincible.

his handshake felt as if it could crush bones – let alone a tiny budgie.

I like this as it implies that budgies don't in fact have bones.

Someone I know was trying to bring next year's instalment of WSM to my manor but it costs too much :(

My kind of poll. Maruisz is ridiculously superior these days. I saw him on tv going last in that stand-inside-the-car-and-carry-it event. He couldn't do it at all, couldn't get the technique, the grip or the balance right. So he just stood up and ran with it, obliterating everyone else's time

But I have to go with Jón Páll Sigmarsson as the purists' choice, and also because I saw him performing live once. When he died, a mysterious crate appeared in reception at my school and stood untouched for a couple of weeks before disappearing. It was rumoured that Jón Páll's body was inside. It seems unlikely, but I'm keeping an open mind

that is one of the all-time great unfounded rumours

Has to be Mariusz. I love this programme.

I love this programme.

― Tom D says "...get them fuckin' up here, ya fuckin' walloper!" (Tom D.), Wednesday, 1 October 2008 13:47 (19 minutes ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

^^^this. I really want to come up with some ironic post-modern whatever justification for it, but no, I love this show completely earnestly.

I haven't watched it for ages, my memories of it largely consist of the Atlas Stones and John Inverdale being hurled into a convenient swimming-pool by whichever contestant he happens to be interviewing

Went with Magnús Ver Magnússon, mainly because he dominated while I was growing up and I was always concerned that his veins would actually explode.

http://www.gb64.com/Screenshots/G/Geoff_Capes_Strongman_Challenge.png

Geoff Capes Strongman Challenge, Commodore 64, 1986

I find it a great antidote to the crushing pomposity of sports coverage, esp. athletics, y'know, like some dick running really fast actually matters

No irony here, either. How come it draws no crowds? I saw the one from Anaheim recently - there were about twenty people there. A packed Colosseum would be the ideal venue

I have MET Magnus ver Magnusson and have a photograph in a box in my parents house of me hoisted on his shoulders. I do believe that also in the same set is a photo of me sitting on Gary Taylor's knee.

Holy shit, Ailsa - really! How, what, where etc etc?

I always liked Svend and was pleased to see him win, but I suspect that he is probably a church-burning nazi, so cannot vote for him.

I vote for the only one *I* have met (he gave prizes at speech day at my school one year) - the wonderfully bonkers Geoff Capes.

I remember watching Bill Kazmaier win back in the day (when though? late 70's?) but I suspect he'd be lucky to make it to a final these days. Better steroids today, I guess.

I was working at a hotel and they stayed there for two days when they were competing at a Highland games (there were some other strongmen types too, but I can't remember their names now - this would have been in around 1993-ish?). My boss was a giggly girlie type and forced us all into posing for photos with these actual proper manly men. I think I'm scowling in every single one of them. I promptly confiscated them so they didn't go up on the wall in the hotel bar.

Geoff Capes will walk this I reckon.

WALK THIS WHILE DRAGGING A BUS ALONG WITH HIS TEETH.

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Scott Walker - 0

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

He initially finished third in the WSM contest in 2004, but was later disqualified in questionable circumstances (supposedly after being tested positive for using cocaine). He was forced to return his prize money, stripped of the International Federation of Strength Athletes points from the event, and received a one-year ban from competition. Pudzianowski did not dispute his banned substance violation and waived his right to have his stool sample verified.

these guys must shit bollards.

Current UK WSM competitor 'Little' Darren Sadler used to be in my class at school! He was never a big guy, by any stretch, but I heard that he got into bodybuilding after I left. So, a few years back, I was watching the show, and some other UK competitor gave a shout out to 'Little Darren Sadler' during a post-car rolling interview. I was like 'surely not!', until a year or so later, I turned on the tv, and there he was, all burlied as fuck. He's way too small, but he's got heart, dammit.

http://www.geoffcapes.com/index/geoffbirds.jpg

I wonder how many budgies he goes through with Lennie Small moments.

Atlas Stones are always good but there's nowt better than a big Swedish bloke towing a Volvo.

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

Congrats GC.