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
MARIUSZ
No need to spell his family name to the strongman community. On all five continents suffice to say «Mariusz» and everybody will immediately know that we are talking about the most spectacular, charismatic, but also the most performing strength athlete on the planet.
Of course the man's full name is Mariusz Pudzianowski from Poland. He is best known as Polski Mocarzu (Polish Power) and Dominator. That last nickname came right after he had swarmed the 2002 World Strongest Man contest, the first of four victories of the most coveted title of strongman's competitions.
The Polish superman is from Biala Rawska, a small community located in the center of the voïvodia of Lodz. In that area of Poland, names such as Nowak, Kowalski and Kowalczyk are frequently heard. But Pudzianowski is the most famous one.
From one end of Poland to the other, Mariusz Pudzianowski is celebrated as a national hero. And for the younger population he is the equivalent of a rock star. Indeed his début, in 2002, as he stormed the scene of international strength contests, was remarkable, but today, that seven letter surname Mariusz, defines what strongman feats are all about. One has to go back to the early 80's, back to the Jon Pall Sigmarsson's era, to recall the beauty and finesse of the craft. The legendary Icelandic phenom having been the first ever to win the World Strongest Man's title four times, that being equalled by another Iceland's great, Magnus Ver Magnusson. In 2007, in Anaheim, California, Mariusz Pudzianowski did just that.
Wishful thinking has nothing to do with Mariusz rise to fame. He was an all-around athlete long before he stepped into the strongman’s arena. First with martial arts, then as a boxer, having competed seven years in that sport. Pudzianowski, whose father was a noted weightlifter, won his first strongman competition in Plock, back in 1999. And from there on, he has won 90% of all the strength athletics’ contests he entered, including four World Strongest Man titles and five world championships of Super Series titles.
Talk to Mariusz Pudzianowski about world records that he holds and he will shrug his shoulders. He knows that these records, amongst a number of others, raise all kinds of discussions. So he will get the record straight and talk about victories. No arguments there. As a matter of fact, the one record he his interested in is the «magic five». Clutching that 5th title would make him «The One». A unique achievement. Somewhat comparable to Lance Armstrong's seven wins of the Tour de France.
Where does that leave FORTISSIMUS? Well, he was the first man to register in the contest. The mark of a true champion. He would not skip the occasion but rather rise to it. And he stated his case clearly: «I am prepared to meet them all and to win that competition that seems to me as one of the most challenging ever. And above all, I want to see my name next to Louis Cyr's.»
Mariusz Pudzianowski has FORTISSIMUS well circled in his agenda. And FORTISSIMUS expects Mariusz to be a part of history at the conclusion of the competition.
©Paul Ohl 2008
Photo credits :
- With permission Wojtek Witkowski
- Caroline Gaudrault/2004
- With permission IRON MIND © Randall J. Strossen
- With permission IRON MIND © Randall J. Strossen
