Zydrunas Savickas is titled as the strongest all-time man. Six times in a row he won the title of the strongest man on earth in the most prestigious contest “Arnold‘s Strongest Man“. The participants of the contest are not only the strongest men but the representatives of other events in powerlifting as well. The winner is called the strongest man on earth.
It was one of many flights I had to take so as to get to my destination. I adjusted comfortably in my seat and was waiting for the plane to take off. The passengers were getting on the plane and there came the last and the tallest and the biggest one. There was a seat available by my side. He took it. I wondered for a second how he was going to fit himself into that small aircraft’s seat. I did not need to wonder for a very long. This tall, massive man adjusted himself comfortably to his seat next to me, where he sat calmly and quietly.
Zydrunas Savickas the same like me was travelling to his homeland – Lithuania, where his family was looking forward to receive him. I looked at him for a brief moment pondering to myself about his possible occupation. At that time I did not know yet who exactly he was, however, somewhat I understood he was a sportsman. I prepared myself to be nicely surprised.
Half an hour before landing we started talking. Our conversation went so smoothly, it seemed as if we have known each other for ages. I guess, that’s what happens when you take life as it is and don’t pretend to be someone you are not. From that moment to the moment we reached the airport gates one hour went by and during that time we introduced each other, I learned about his occupation and some titles he has achieved throughout his 20 years career. I also invited him to meet up before I go back to London and have an interview with me. He agreed and promised to get in contact with me. The World’s Strongest Man kept his word and five days later I received an email from him. We met again almost three weeks later just a few hours before my flight back to London. While sitting in the terrace and slowly seeping a green tea we talked.
It would be insane to say that Zydrunas Savickas’s job is to be a sportsman. It is more than just a job. It is his lifestyle. It is who he is. Yes, he is The World’s Strongest Man, and yet there is more to him than anyone could expect. While being in his presence, I perceived him as incredibly humble, simple, modest and profoundly intelligent. I felt at ease talking to him. His approach towards me was open and gentle. It seemed as if he could talk to anybody and yet everyone would feel comfortable being in his presence. Although Zydrunas often gets to be surrounded by many various people, being interviewed and thousands of pictures taken, yet he seems to juggle his life quite well. And there is one more fine detail about him – it seems he never stops smiling.
Zydrunas Savickas was born on July 15, 1975 in Birzai, Lithuania. His height and strength was already exceptional in his boyhood. The decision to go in for sports and become a strongman was inspired in 1989 when Zydrunas saw the first strongmen contest in Lithuania on TV. After three years, when he was just sixteen, he participated in his first strongmen contest ever. Zydrunas participated not only in the strongmen contest but in the powerlifting contest as well. His second powerlifting contest broke Lithuania’s record. Zydrunas Savickas is the first in Lithuania to squat with a 400 KG barbell, to upraise 400 KG and in total to collect 1000 KG in the powerlifting contest. In 1998 Zydrunas won Lithuania’s strongmen contest and for the first time participated in the world’s strongmen championship.
As Zydrunas Savickas says: “There cannot be growth without possessing high levels of intellect and maturity. Critical thinking and understanding human’s psychology, human’s physical limits and the works and walks of life are as important as preparing yourself for championships like The World’s Strongest Man or breaking record after record.” Now he breaks records simply out of curiosity so as to just know how long and how far he can go. It has been 20 years since he has begun his career in heavy sports and yet he is not willing to give it up. Zydrunas says that everything has its own timing and he is aware of his own timing, but yet he intends to go on just for a little bit longer.
So far he has been titled as the strongest man on earth six times in a row after taking a part in the ‘Arnold’s Strongest Man’ competition. Not to mention the considering amount of records he has broken throughout the years of his career. He says he enjoys breaking records, it excites him, “There are still some records I wish to break in this sport and for as long I can do this, I choose to carry on. Every record I break proves to me over and over again what a human being is capable of. To tell the truth, we are capable of much much more, just not everyone is aware of it yet.” In the past few years he won almost all the contests he participated in and broke a huge number of the world records. I asked Zydrunas how it feels to be living his dream. He responded very simply by saying, “I chose what I felt I was good at and what made me content, so therefore then step by step I went towards my goal.”
Taking part in such kind of sports one cannot avoid injuries. In 2001 Zydrunas suffered an injury at the Faroes. The flourishing career was suspended because of the legs’ patella ligament tear during the strongmen tournament at the Faroes. The injury was very serious and there was little hope of Zydrunas’ returning to the professional sport. However, Zydrunas refused to give up and after just nine months he returned to the professional sport with the help of lot of effort and obstinacy and won both the powerlifting contest and the strongmen championship in Lithuania. Also, twenty months later after his injury Zydrunas became the winner of the “Arnold Strongman Classic“ contest and broke the world record several times.
At one point during our interview I asked him how he felt about his fellow competitors. “Competition can be good at motivating you to move forward. I respect my competitors and when my time comes to go, they will take over, especially the younger generation,” Zydrunas replied. When competing Zydrunas chooses to be motivated rather than discouraged. I also asked Zydrunas about his critics and if he has gotten many or any at all. “Not that I know”, he responded while smiling. According to Zydrunas he has been fortunate in receiving lots of support from his fans, media, press, his family and friends, and even if there were any critics, he was not much aware of them. He feels grateful for every moment of his success. He worked hard to get to the point in his life where he is now, and surely he deserves it all. How could anyone criticise a person who dares to live life of his dreams regardless of the challenges and difficulties met whilst travelling on his chosen path? I definitely cannot see it as a defect, but only as a gift and encouragement to others.
World’s Powerlifting Vice-Champion (2000)
More information can be found on www.savickas.lt
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