A legend, professor, the father of armwrestling. That’s how some people describe John Brzenk. The “professor” who is a multiple armwrestling world champion and still competes. He’s achieved many successes and took part in a number of spectacular matches.

John Brzenk began his career as a 13-year old kid and already picked up a serious injury as he broke his arm. Despite that he kept armwrestling and began a champion at the age of 18. He wasn’t going to give up. He had a clear goal- to climb the podium.

John Brzenk’s anthropometric data were not unusual. He did not achieve much in other sports he practiced. It was only armwrestling that he excelled in. Many armwrestling fans consider John to be the greatest armwrestler of all time. And they believe that the legend will return and will again amaze everyone with spectacular matches.

John Brzenk has had many spectacular matches, during which the crowd would go wild. Probably one of the most exciting matches took place in 1998, when John fought with the representative of South Ossetia Alan Karaev. In his time Karaev was successful and became an amateur world champion. When both athletes approached the table, everyone could see that Alan Karaev was much bigger than an audience favourite John Brzenk. Many worried about John, but the “Professor” stayed calm approaching the table without fear.

Despite the fact that Brzenk lost the match it was clear that he could win, but something prevented him from doing so. Perhaps that defeat gave him a kick up the backside and made him work on his technique. After a few years John Brzenk faced Taras Ivakin. Taras was bigger than John. Ivakin’s arms looked very impressive.

The match started with the big BANG, which usually gives the win right away. This time John approached the table and remained calm. The audience could even notice a slight smile on his face, a kind of sign of self-confidence. This time the “professor” was well-prepared, he was not going to lose the match. After the start a murderous struggle began, and it was Taras who gained the advantage over his opponent . Despite the fact that Ivakin had a quick “explosive” start, John Brzenk counterattacked and pinned his rival’s hand into the pad without much effort. That’s when it all became clear: the match was dominated by a new audience favourite - John Brzenk!

Then there was another interesting match that surprised many fans - the match against Denis Cyplenkov. Denis is a very strong puller, but Brzenk did not seem to be afraid of that. He approached the table and placed his hand on the elbow pad. The fight began almost immediately. Shortly after the start John dominated his opponent and won, leaving Denis no chance to resist him.

Currently, John Brzenk keeps competing in international tournaments, still achieving good results. He is often the main focus of attention for many commentators. People keep talking about him. Of course, John has changed over years. He has had many injuries that do not allow him to compete on the same level as before. Also Brzenk’s age affects his perfrmance. Regardless of this, the legend does not give up and takes part in all possible competitions. Many of his fans hope that he will become the champion once again.

John can be called a “legend” and he is also a role model for many pullers around the world. Will he manage to climb the podium again? Will he be the best once again? We can only wait and hope that the ”professor” will still be able to show us something special and surprise us.

Artur Gregorian