What was 2014 like for you, armwrestling-wise?

Both nationally and internationally it has been a year of work necessary to develop our sport. For me 2013 was a year full of great experiences and competitions, while 2014 has been more focused on work that needs to be done.

What were the 3 best events for you this year?

During 2014 I must say that the Swedish nationals was a fantastic success, with 260 armwrestlers, and 15 000 people watching a very professional online broadcast.

Of course the Europeans and Worlds are highlights, despite organizational issues the championships remains the main stage for the world’s best armwrestlers.

What were the worst armwrestling failures of this year?

The fact that we don’t have a sufficient control system to in time see if an organizer in fact is capable of delivering what they have promised, and a systematic plan of how to deal with it in time. The worlds were hosted this year by an organization that did not have the capacity, and when during the year this became clear it was too late to do anything about. The bickering that followed is not worthy of a world federation.

Who would you nominate as the armwrestler of 2014? Any new faces, or surprises from old fighters?

I would mention Evgeny Prudnik, Sascha Andreev and Heidi Andersson. Prudnik proving he is not a one season wonder, Andreev shocking the world with 4 goldmedals, and Heidi Andersson for being able to bring her armwrestling to a new level after so long a career, and for the first time taking double golds at Worlds.

What will 2015 be like for you?

I hope to be a part of solving the mess we as a sport seem to be in in our internal international relations.  

im