Kicking off the list is none other than America's Strongest Man, Derek Poundstone.
Why I like him:
Derek is a great representative for strongman. He's done a great job of marketing himself while bringing a positive light to our sport. He is a perfect combination of brutally strong, technically sound, and extraordinarily well conditioned. And despite his accomplishments he seems very approachable outside the competitive arena.
Other reasons to like Derek Poundstone:
- Hands down the best circus dumbbell presser in the world
- He's a cop
- Proposed to girlfriend after winning The 2010 Arnold Strongman Classic
- Drives a Dodge Viper
Career Highlights:
2007 - America's Strongest Man - I was there to witness this, as he set the standard for other strongmen to strive for. He had won the competition by such a wide margin that he could have probably not done the last two events and still maintained a respectable lead over his fellow competitors. I feel like this competition raised the bar for American Strongmen and launched Derek into the international strongman spotlight.
2008 - Fortissimus - The final event, the natural stone load. The competition belonged to Zydrunas Savickas, all that was left was the formality of letting Poundstone fail on loading the 517lb. Louis Cyr natural stone to it's platform (a task that all other competitors had failed to do as well). To the amazment of everyone in attendance Derek wrestled the stone to his lap and put it on the platform, beating Zydrunas by 1 point. Hands down one of the greatest strongman moments in history.
2009 - World's Strongest Man - Mariusz Pudzianowski vs. Derek Poundstone on the stones for the win. Derek jumps out and has the lead going into the last stone, he laps it and loads it, the stone slips from the edge of the platform and falls to the ground. Mariusz completes the final stone a second behind him for the win, Poundstone takes second. A real heart breaker, but still, we know know who was stronger that day.
Career highlights:
