The strongest man on the planet: what is Zydrunas Savickas famous for?

The strongest man on the planet: what is Zydrunas Savickas famous for?

The powerlifting star of the early 2010s is still in terrific shape today.

Zydrunas Savickas is a world icon of weightlifting, a multiple record holder, but his legacy is being encroached upon by nimble newcomers. Do they have a chance to surpass the legendary Zydrunas, or is it still impossible?

Who is Savickas and what is he famous for?

Žydrūnas Savickas was born in the town of Biržai in the north of Lithuania. In his youth, he became interested in power sports and later made the whole world talk about him. Žydrūnas was able to lift 400 kg and 1000 kg in power lifting and set a world record in the log elevator (lifting a log of maximum weight). His record in this discipline is an incredible 228 kg, considering that the projectile is lifted from the floor until the hands are fully unclenched at the top.

Big Z’s victories

The Lithuanian is one of the most titled athletes in history. From 2002 to 2015, Zydrunas never fell below second place in the ranking of the prestigious World’s Strongest Man competition, and four times became the winner. This earned the athlete the nickname “The World’s Strongest Man”.

At the Arnold Strongman Classic, named in honor of Arnold Schwarzenegger, “Big Z” has never once finished out of the top three at the tournament. Zydrunas also won a similar tournament among Europeans in 2012.

Is he the only one?

Between 2010 and 2016, the World’s Strongest Man award was won either by Zydrunas or his eternal rival, American Brian Shaw. In terms of size and weight, he is bigger than the Lithuanian: 197 kg Shaw vs. 176 kg Savickas. For seven years the fans have been admiring their confrontation, as they now enjoy the rivalry between Ronaldo and Messi in soccer. The two strongmen broke all possible and impossible records.

The main myth about Žydrūnas

Those who do not follow Savickas’ social networks believe that now he has lost his former form and his results in the early 2010s are far away. But if you go to his Instagram page, you will see that the athlete has not only not lost his power, but has become even more impressive and stunning.

Zydrunas Savickas still remains a benchmark for many powerlifters. His sporting legacy is vast, and his outstanding achievements are recorded in the Guinness Book of Records.