Fortissimus

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Fortissimus
2009
Zydrunas Savickas

The Fortissimus is a defunct event in strength athletics. The name means "the mightiest"[1] and was a multi-event challenge at the end of which the winner is crowned as the "Strongest Man on Earth". It was set up to bring together the strongest competitors on the planet independent of the organisations to which they were signed, and also as a tribute to the nineteenth-century Canadian strongman Louis Cyr, which gave it many similarities to Le Defi Mark Ten International which last took place in Canada in the early 1990s. After its first airing in 2008, the strength athletics magazine Milo described it as the ultimate strongman competition ever held.[1] Despite a successful edition in 2009, a reported lack of a major sponsor for 2010 resulted in the competition being suspended, no future contests have been announced.[2]

History

The world of strength athletics in 2008 was fragmented, with a number of individuals being able to lay claim to be the strongest in the world by virtue of having won mutually exclusive events. Athletes affiliated to

WSM Super Series nor the IFSA circuit can claim to have a comprehensive field of the top athletes. Some events did exist that bridged the divide between the major organisations, such as the Arnold Strongman Classic
. Fortissimus was to be another such bridge but with a difference. The driving force behind the event, Paul Ohl, is one of the world's leading authorities on the great Louis Cyr, the nineteenth century strongman and want to create a competition to honour this man, said to have been the strongest man in the world. Fortissimus was set up to be the all-inclusive strength and power package to demonstrate "the essence of the sport of strongman is the multi-disciplinary array of tests of global strength, resulting from a combination of static (brute) strength, overall explosive power and power grip, strength athletics mastery, endurance and stamina". The concept was to link with the tradition of strongman and to honor the memory and deeds of the great Louis Cyr. Ten events, called the Classical Events, were incorporated into the programme.

The night before Day 1 of the 2008 event the athletes were honoured at a banquet hosted by Paul Ohl and was attended by the townspeople of

Zydrunas Savickas, having lifted the first two in an astonishing 8.8 seconds, tried the Cyr stone but managed to lift it just one inch before deciding it was too much. Poundstone took 11 seconds over the first two stones, significantly quicker than all others except Savickas. Savickas is reported to have raised his hands in victory at seeing this time.[1] However, his celebration was to have been premature. To the astonishment of the athletes, the crowd and even the organisers, Poundstone managed to move the stone. Screams of amazement were said to have come from the crowd. Inch by inch he raised the stone and eventually placed it on the platform. Later, Paul Ohl was to say to Derek Poundstone "You know, you weren't supposed to lift that stone. I put it in the competition as a tribute to Louis Cyr. Whoever is able to lift that stone would be considered an heir to Louis Cyr."[1] Having lifted the fabled Cyr stone, Poundstone had the honour of having his name added to the stone, being the only man other than Cyr to lift the giant weight.[3]

Paul Ohl involved the local community, including the regional press, to increase the presence of the event. The 2009 competition saw Marcel Catellier, the chief commissioner of the Regional Community of Montmagny, as chairman of the board, in charge of the general administration of the new corporation and Paul Ohl as president of the event.[4]

World Championship Rolling Thunder on June 26, an event which determined which athlete has the greatest grip strength in the world. Mark Felix successfully defended his title in this event.[3]

The 2010 edition was suspended. Canada World Strength noted in a formal statement: "Since the precondition for the holding of a third edition resided mainly in the arrival of a major sponsor by early December and that this condition has not been reached, the organizers have no choice but to [suspend] the 2010 edition."[2] However, the door was held open for 2011 with the statement continuing: "“The Board, however, does not abandon the idea of holding a third edition in 2011.".[2]

Strongman Champions League Cooperation

In 2008 Paul Ohl stated that the

America's Strongest Man title would be granted a slot in Fortissimus from 2009, as would the winner of the Australia's Strongest Man title. The agreement with the Strongman Champions League went further, stating that the top three athletes would have guaranteed places and in return the top Canadian athletes would have guaranteed selected participation in the Champions League.[5] This later went further, guaranteeing the SCL its top five athletes would have places.[6] The agreement was reemphasised in a joint statement from Marcel Mostert and Paul Ohl in early 2009.[6]

Events

Fortissimus regards the ten events that are incorporated in its programme as the Classical Events of strength athletics.

Trophy

From 2009 Fortissimus established that the title of the champion would be "The Strongest Man on Earth". The winner's trophy is a bronze statuette of Louis Cyr hoisting the huge 273 ¼ lbs dumbbell that brought him fame on the evening of 19 January 1892 at London's

Inverness Bronze Museum, in Inverness, Quebec, Canada.[3]

Results

2008

Dates: 28, 29 June 2008

Notre-Dame-du-Rosaire, Quebec, Canada

# Name Nationality Pts
1 Derek Poundstone United States 119
2
Zydrunas Savickas
 Lithuania 118
3 Sebastian Wenta Poland 84.25
4 Louis-Philippe Jean Canada 83.5
5 Travis Ortmayer United States 76.5
6 Mikhail Koklyaev Russia 76.5
7 Mark Felix United Kingdom 67.5
8
Stefan Solvi Petursson
 Iceland 63.75
9 Andrus Murumets Estonia 62
10 Christian Savoie Canada 42.5
11 Arild Haugen Norway 40.5
12 Ervin Katona Serbia 36.5
13 Dominic Filiou Canada 25.5

[7]

2009

Dates: 27, 28 June 2009

Montmagny, Canada

# Name Nationality Pts
1
Zydrunas Savickas
 Lithuania 124.5
2 Derek Poundstone United States 118
3 Brian Shaw United States 106.5
4 Travis Ortmayer United States 94
5 Mikhail Koklyaev Russia 84
6 Phil Pfister United States 82
7 Andrus Murumets Estonia 74
8 Louis-Philippe Jean Canada 73.5
9 Terry Hollands United Kingdom 55.5
10 Mark Felix United Kingdom 54
11 Christian Savoie Canada 49
12
Agris Kazelniks
 Latvia 47
13 Jimmy Marku United Kingdom 32
14 Derek Boyer Fiji/Australia 24

[8]

Fortissimus Strongman of the Year

This is not the Fortissimus competition title but a recognition of the achievements of a particular strongman over the previous year.

2008

Poland Mariusz Pudzianowski[9]

2009

Zydrunas Savickas[10]

Fortissimus Lifetime Achievement Award

The Fortissimus Lifetime Achievement Award is given to recognize the greatest strongman athletes in the history of the sport, both past and present athletes are eligible for this title.

2009

Magnus Ver Magnusson[11]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f Kristin Nelson, Milo, Fortissimus: A mighty challenge - a magnificent win, September 2008, Vol 16, No2
  2. ^ a b c "Randall J. Strossen, Canada World Strength: No Strongman Contest in 2010, Friday, December 11, 2009, IronMind". Archived from the original on March 16, 2013. Retrieved May 24, 2010.
  3. ^ a b c Official Sire[permanent dead link]
  4. ^ Randall J. Strossen, Ph.D., Fortissimus 2009 . . . 2010 . . .2011, Ironmind, December 22, 2008
  5. ^ "Fortissimus Enters Agreement with Strongman Champions League, the American Strongman Corporation and Aussiepower by Randall J. Strossen, Ph.D. 2009 IronMind Friday, May 16, 2008". Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved August 27, 2009.
  6. ^ a b "FORTISSIMUS - Strongman Champions League: Cooperation and Joint Statement by Randall J. Strossen, Ph.D. 2009 IronMind, Tuesday, January 13, 2009". Archived from the original on August 10, 2014. Retrieved August 27, 2009.
  7. ^ "2008 Fortissimus Results". Strongman Archives. Retrieved 24 August 2023.
  8. ^ "2009 Fortissimus Results". Strongman Archives. Retrieved 24 August 2023.
  9. ^ "Mariusz Pudzianowski Wins 2008 Fortissimus Strongman Achievement of the Year Award". Archived from the original on 2011-12-10. Retrieved 2011-06-02.
  10. ^ "Zydrunas Savickas Wins Fortissimus Strongman of the Year Award". Archived from the original on 2011-12-10. Retrieved 2011-06-02.
  11. ^ Ironmind report Friday, May 1, 2009
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