NEWS
Ortmayer : Natural born stoneman
Koklyaev : A master degree in strength
Sebastian Wenta : All-Around strongman
Andrus Murumets : The Estonian PowerMan
Louis-Philippe Jean :Heart of a lion
Terry Holland: To be or not to be the strongest
Arild Haugen: Viking Power on the rise
Randall J. Strossen: Man with an Ironmind
Stefan Sölvi Pétursson: Keeping the Tradition Alive
Zydrunas Savickas: World Records Breaker
Ervin Katona: A powerhouse from Serbia
Agreement between Fortissimus & ASC
Agreement between Fortissimus & AussiPower
Agreement between Fortissimus & SCL
ORTMAYER : NATURAL BORN STONEMAN
At 6'4" and a little over 300lls, the man could easily be one of football's big story. He has the looks, especially when he wears that famous cowboy hat while holding the American flag. A younger John Wayne looking straight at you and urging you on to patriotic duties.
He is Travis Ortmayer, he will turn 27 this coming August and he has the heart of a lion. They call him the Texas Stoneman or, more appropriately, the King of Stones . Why is that? Because this man is the best stone lifter in the universe, bar none . And why is it that he lift stones? Because he is a professional strongman since 2002. He learned the tricks of the trade with Marshall White on the training grounds in Cypress, Texas. He gave it all, asked for no mercy, faced the most extreme conditions, heat and humidity included, and overcame all of his fears. As he puts it : "Don't ever be afraid to win, and if you want to win, then give it your all."
Between 2004 and 2008, he made it 15 times to the top of the podium, winning more than once the All American Challenge/Fit Expo, competing in several World Strong man Championships and making it big in several international competitions, in Dubai, Cyprus, Sao Paolo, Hungary, Lithuania, Ukraine, amongst other places.
How good is he? Top 10 in the world for sure. In a race with Derek Poundstone for the number one spot in the USA, with a slight edge favouring the Connecticut superman at this very moment. But the tide can turn at any time. Record holder of the fasted time in Atlas stones lifting (19,2 secs at the IFSA World Championships, Iceland 2006). And the best is yet to come. Guess what? He just ordered a 600 pounds Atlas stone from Steve Slater, the best stone maker in the trade. That will trigger speculations : But it also reflects on the nature of the man : make the impossible look possible.
When things have to happen they do. Travis Ortmayer got his invitation to compete in FORTISSIMUS on his wedding day. "One tremendous gifs," were his first words. Since he must have liked the list of events and you can bet your last dollar that he will be eagerly waiting to step into the circle of stones on Sunday, June 30. As this will be the closing event of FORTISSIMUS 2008.
