When he was little, he wanted to be a fireman. Now he teaches physical education, he’s a personal coach and, of course, an armwrestler.

He started training in 1999, he was looking for his place in the world.

- It was a bad time in my life, I was looking for some sort of outlet, a safety valve – says Wagner Bortolato, Brazilian armwrestler. - I knew I was strong, I looked around for a strength sport and found armwrestling. I also liked it because of the Sylvester Stallone movie.

At first Wagner had a lot of trouble with technique, coordination and strength development.

- The basics for my development were all the tournaments I started in – says Wagner. - The most exciting ones were the internationals, always very high-level.

He was four-times champion of the world, twice the vice-champion, once placed 3^rd and was also 3^rd in Nemiroff 2013. He placed 2^nd in the Arnold Classic in Ohio, he was two times Brazil and South American Arnold champ, and he is 16 times champion of Brazil in armwrestling.

- Titles matter to him as much as other things in life: family, fans, opponents, work, friends, victories, losses, enemies, God… It all matters to me, makes my life important – says Wagner. - It makes me create new goals for myself, making my life and the life of people close to me good and pleasant. I had many great moments in my life, I ‘m grateful for that.

He is very determined in everything he does.

- I don’t tolerate quitting – says Wagner. – I know that the biggest achievements always have the biggest obstacles. When I started training I decided I would be a winner despite the losses, a wise optimist. I will never give up. The older I get, the more I’ll fight, for myself and my fans. I want to be on top of the world, and the obstacles just make the journey more interesting.

Iza Małkowska