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| What: |
World's Strongest Man Super Series |
| When: |
Saturday, June 21, 2008 - 7:00pm |
| Where: |
WaMu Theater @ Madison Square Garden |
The World's Strongest Man Super Series gathered the top strongmen from around the world to compete in an extraordinary test of strength and power at the WaMu Theater at Madison Square Garden. American Travis Ortmayer came in first, winning his first ever Super Series event and qualifying him for the year-end World’s Strongest Man Competition.
The competition featured 12 of the sport’s greatest athletes as they contended in feats of strength such as the famous Atlas Stones, in which athletes attempted to lift, carry, and load five stones ranging from 295 to 420 pounds onto platforms in what is one of the most challenging events in the sport. Among the athletes who competed was America’s Strongest Man, Derek Poundstone, who finished second overall. This year’s event represented the first time since the 1930’s that a professional strongman world championship took place in New York City.
The Super Series is the official qualifying route to becoming the World’s Strongest Man. In each Super Series event, athletes are awarded points based on their placement in each of six to eight disciplines. Points are then tallied at the end to produce an overall standing, and the top four finishers automatically qualify for the year-end World’s Strongest Man Competition. One particular discipline that was featured at this event was the power medley, a combination of three consecutive events that includes flipping tires and carrying heavy weights long distances. Another highly-anticipated competition was the last man standing deadlift, in which competitors lifted bars of gradually-increasing weight until only one person completed the task.
The event at the WaMu Theater was the second of four Super Series events for the year, before the tour heads to Norway on July 5 and closes in Sweden on August 16. Points are awarded for performance in each of these four Super Series events, and the final standings determine a Super Series World Champion. Mariusz Pudzianowski of Poland, also the reigning World’s Strongest Man titleholder, has taken the Super Series crown in each of the past four years.
In the first Super Series event of 2008, Poundstone emerged victorious, upsetting the heavily-favored Pudzianowski in thrilling fashion at the Mohegan Sun Casino in Poundstone’s home state of Connecticut. Although Pudzianowski pulled out of this event with a knee injury, strongmen who competed at the event included 1998 World’s Strongest Man titleholder Magnus Samuelsson of Sweden and Britain’s Strongest Man Terry Hollands. Super Series events typically include the top six strongmen in the international rankings and at least four other top qualifiers.
Final Standings:
1. Travis Ortmayer (USA) 32.75 – Qualifies for World’s Strongest Man Competition
2. Derek Poundstone (USA) 29.00 – Qualifies for World’s Strongest Man Competition
3. David Ostlund (USA) 24.50 – Qualifies for World’s Strongest Man Competition
4. Brian Shaw (USA) 22.00 – Qualifies for World’s Strongest Man Competition
5. Olli Thompson (UK) 18.50
6. Mark Felix (UK) 16.75
7. Kevin Nee (USA) 12.75
8. Jarek Dymek (Poland) 12.00
9. Mark Philippi (USA) 11.00
10. Janne Virtanen (Finland) 8.75
11. Terry Hollands (UK) 4.00
12. Magnus Samuelsson (Sweden) 2.50
For more information, please visit http://www.super-series.com/index.htm.
Last Updated On:
Thursday, June 26, 2008 | |
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