Jump to content

2017 October - King Kong - Eric Roussin


Eric Roussin

Recommended Posts

The thing I find most exciting about the International King Kong Grip Challenge is the amount of unknowns. Who’s competing today? In which weight class? How much he/she’s lifting? Each of us is only really aware of what’s going on in the venue where we’re competing. But with 18 venues around the world, and minimal communication during the contest, a lot of mystery remains.

In terms of my performances, I was satisfied overall, but not ecstatic. I was most satisfied with my Flask lift. I had never really tested my maximum strength on this implement prior to the contest, and I was expecting to lift considerably less. So to lift over 97 lbs, and get air with 102 on my fourth attempt, I certainly couldn’t complain. I was a bit disappointed with my performance on the Crusher. While I managed to lift just under 194 lbs, I failed in my attempt at 200. At last year’s King Kong I almost locked out 208 and after lifting 227 on the Rolling Thunder just a week ago in Florida, I felt like I should be able to get over 200 again on the Crusher. But this time it wasn’t to be. On the Stub, I lifted pretty much exactly what I expected to lift. I’ve traditionally lifted more weight with my right hand on the v-bar, but an injury to my right middle finger, which has not yet fully recovered, makes heavy v-bar lifting painful. So I’ve had to use my left hand for v-bar-type lifts lately. I lifted 266 on my third attempt, and felt I was very close to my limit. I went for 268 on my final attempt, got it off the ground, heard some popping sounds near my elbow, and dropped the weight. I have calcium deposits and/or bone spurs in my elbows from years of armwrestling that prevent my arms from fully straightening, and I think there was just too much load on the joint. Some damage to my arm occurred on that last attempt. I’m not exactly sure how much – I don’t think it’s anything major – but I’ll definitely need to ease back into things over the coming weeks.

I was thinking that my four lifts could put me in contention for a medal in the 93 kg class – but I was by no means confident. So I was really surprised to see that I finished first! The reverse strongman scoring can produce some interesting results. Gil Goodman actually finished ahead of me in the overall standings, but when only the 93 kg competitors were considered, I just managed to edge past him. I have no doubt that my placing could have changed had a certain competitor taken part (Kody Burns) and another not moved up in weight (Jouni Mahonen). Last year I placed 7th overall, but 4th in the 93 kg class. This year I placed 11th overall, and 1st in the 93 kg class! Like any sport, I guess there’s always a certain amount of luck involved.

  • Like 7
Link to comment
Share on other sites

What I always enjoy about your write ups Eric is the articulate detail behind them. Showcasing not just your personal perspective but an all-around summary of what transpired with the other competitors.

I would like to congratulate you on the success of your lifts and overall placing, and hopefully the elbow recovers fast enough to allow you to continue training hard going into the next venue.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...

Nice write up.  Hope the elbow  heals up quickly.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Sorry to hear about the elbow Eric. I hope it heals quickly. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks, guys. Luckily, the injury does not seem to have affected the majority of my grip lifts. I think the bigger impact will be on my ability to arm wrestle.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Unfortunately, your content contains terms that we do not allow. Please edit your content to remove the highlighted words below.
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy policies.