Sunday, June 3, 2001

[ POWER LIFTING ]

FL MORRIS / STAR-BULLETIN
Julie Havelka of Oregon got to the finish line of the women's
Farmer's Walk while carrying two 56-kilogram tanks during
the Beauty and the Beast 2001 World Strongman Challenge
at Andrews Outdoor Theatre yesterday.

Give Samuelsson
a hand...

The Swede finishes first in
the strongman, despite
a sore hand

---

By Dave Reardon
Star-Bulletin

IN THE DON'T-TRY-THIS-AT-HOME world of strongman events -- where the seemingly impossible is lifted, carried around and held up as long as possible -- injuries are inevitable.

While back, leg and arm ailments are commonplace, the part of the anatomy most critical in competition for these superhumans might not seem so obvious.

It's the hands.

Look at those of Odd Haugen -- but not if you don't have to. His were a bloody mess early in yesterday's 24 Hour Fitness Beauty & the Beast contest yesterday at Andrews Outdoor Theatre.

"You're not allowed to use gloves or anything except chalk, so you really have to take care of your hands," he said. "You've got to scrape off all the callouses before the contest."

Haugen, who doubled as the oldest finalist (he's 51) and the promoter of the event, still managed to placed eighth. And despite his mangled hands, he was able to sign prize checks, including the one for $6,000 for Sweden's Magnus Samuelsson, who won the championship before a crowd of 200 people.

Samuelsson came in first or second in three of the final five events, despite intense pain in -- where else? -- one of his hands.

"My left hand was bothering me all day. It's an old injury, but it comes back sometimes," Samuelsson said.

It didn't seem to faze the 1998 World's Strongest Man, especially in the final event, the Power Stairs Medley.

He lifted and loaded onto an elevated surface, first a fire hydrant and then two 220-pound kegs. Next, he carried three 440-pound weights up a set of three steps.

Samuelsson, who was second in the 1999 competition, did it in the fashion and speed of a luggage handler throwing around so much Samsonite.

As did his nearest competitor, West Virginia firefighter Phil Pfister. But Pfister suffered a brief slip-up trying to grip one of the weights, giving Samuelsson the winning edge.

Pfister, 30, is a relative newcomer to strongman events; he's in his third year on the tour.

"I did much better than I thought I would today," he said. "Four of the five best in the world are here today, so I'm very happy."

The field was so strong that the sport's biggest name didn't even make the final. Four-time World's Strongest Man winner Magnus ver Magnusson of Iceland was 13th after preliminaries.

Julie Havelka of Portland, Ore., won the women's competition. The women started with three strength events similar to what the men do, but they finished with an obstacle course that had power lifters and bench pressers out of their element -- they'd rather do "normal" things, like try to lift cars.

Havelka, 26, did train for the obstacle course, but her high school track experience still didn't prevent her from skinning a knee.

"This used to be a bikini contest, so we're headed in the right direction," the Portland State engineering graduate student said. "But I'm hoping the women's events become all more like the men's ... true strongman events."

Debbie Bullman of Honolulu finished second among the women.

24-HOUR FITNESS BEAUTY AND THE BEAST At Andrews Outdoor Theatre Yesterday's results MEN 1. Magnus Samuelsson 22. 2. Phil Pfister 24.5. 3. Svend Karlsen 36. 4. Karl Gillingham 40.5. 5. Brian Schoonveld 48. 6. Zydrunas Savickas 56. 7. Janne Virtanen 58.5. 8 (tie). Ken Brown and Odd Haugen 66.5. 10. Chad Smith 72.5. 11. Chad Coy 80.5. 12. Grant McReynolds 92. WOMEN 1. Julie Havelka 10. 2. Debbie Bullman 11. 3. Kathy Schoonveld 12. 4. Lyn Silbert 13. 5. Julie Scanlon 18. 6 (tie). Mary Jacobson and Jennifer Aylward 27. 8. Kim Coy 32. 9. Lisa Kromer 34. 10. Erica Neese 36.