In 1992 Dmitry Kirilenko got into the Belarussian State University. Faculty – atomic physics and electronics. He chose weightlifting for his PT class, under Victor Kovaliov. Nobody suspected that this will be a milestone in his career. – I also practiced sambo. I wanted to become stronger that others, to be able to fight for myself and my loved ones – says Dmitry. – That’s why I continued in strength sports. Armwrestling is the easiest way to choose the strongest person, I think. Its simplicity was its main attraction for me. I’ve gained a lot of experience practicing it at the university. Weightlifting wasn’t fashionable anymore at that time, most guys went into powerlifting. The more experienced guys showed us specialist armwrestling exercises and techniques. If Dmitry could go back in time to the 90’s, he wouldn’t have changed much, maybe just introduce expanders into his training – he discovered them only recently.
The expander is an in-home training tool – says Dmitry. – I hold a high position in a large company, I have two sons. I can hardly find any time to go to the gym. To keep fit and teach my sons to love sports, I had to build my own in-house gym. I have a climbing board, bars, dumbbells, barbells, a bench and even a boxing bag. So I only have to find some time to go sparring once in a while.
The sporting event that he remembers the best is connected to the “Golden Bear” tournament in 1997. He took 2nd place then in his category. - In my many years in armwrestling, I dealt with many famous sportsmen and beat a few world champions even – says Dmitry. – I fought in the European Championships many times, often placing in the first 5. I won my category many times in the nationals. Those are all good memories, I treat armwrestling as a hobby.
Should an armwrestler use a diet? Dmitry is certain that you need to eat well, but he himself uses no special diet, nor does he use supplements; the first whey products that he tried put him off because of their taste.
I try to work out twice a week – says Dmitry. – I love doing basic powerlifting stuff. I do specialized training at home.
Dmitry has a lot of respect for masters like John Brzenk, the Babayev brothers, Alexey Voyevoda, or Devon Larratt. He says one can learn a lot from them. He keeps track with their progress by watching A1 or Nemiroff World Cup. – I watch all the more important events in armwrestling – says Dmitry. – I’m always happy for Belarussian sportsmen when they get successes. Personally, I can’t find time to go to championships. But I do try to fight locally, especially in Minsk. According to my sparring partners opinions, my strength is not really related to my training activity. My strength indicators haven’t changed much in the past 20 years. Although I have bench pressed 200kg when I was 39 years old (laughs).
Looking back, Dmitry thinks that Belarussian armwrestling hasn’t changed much. – The main problem is financial – he says. – But despite that, the number of fans hasn’t dropped. In Minsk, Baranowicze, Nesviz and Snow there are still new guys who draw a lot of other people in.
Unfortunately, Dmitry is not planning to take part in the upcoming world championships. On one hand, it’s sad, because he would surely show a good fight and get good scores. On the other hand, since armwrestling is just a hobby for him - no harm done, really. Armwrestling is a great way to let off some steam.
Artur Grigorian
Artur Grigorian