They are rivals of old, their rivalry is almost a tradition by now. This time, four out of six rounds were enough to decide who the winner is. In an intense, but one-sided combat, Tsyplenkov one 4-0, once again proving to the world that he is the strongest.

How did this fight came to be?

On the 23^rd of February I was told that there was to be no OPEN category in the Russian Championships. That was a relief for me (laughs). I haven’t trained for armwrestling tournaments, on the 5^th of March I had a real murderous time. I was beat up, not ready for a sudden armfight that happened only two days after the previous event. Of course I agreed to fight, but I wasn’t a 100% ready. I didn’t mind fighting with both hands, but after some negotiations I chose thr right.

Andrey is your traditional rival by now. How do you see him after this fight?

I have not thoughts on that, I’s sure this fight was a surprise for Andrey too, it was hard for both of us.

In all four rounds you stopped Andrey first, and then launched an attack. Is this a tactic, or is Andrey that strong?

It was a tactic, but a wrong one, I lost too much power too quick.

Some say Andrey is too weak for you, so you gave him some space to fight first, to make it a more spectacular fight…

Andrey is a serious sportsman, neither he nor I would risk an injury in this way.

Artur Grigorian © Gra