Vehicle pull

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Vehicle pull is a signature

World’s Strongest Man and other similar competitions which requires competitors to pull extremely heavy trucks, buses, trains or planes while being attached to a harness that is connected to the vehicle. The heavier the vehicle is, a rope is provided for them to pull on.[1] The person who completes the course in the fastest time or covers the most distance is declared the winner.[2]

History

In 1920s, farmers in

World’s Strongest Man
in 1977.

In Strongman competitions

Since 1977, Vehicle pulls involving numerous trucks, buses, trains and planes have been used in more than 460 events organized by

In the

World’s Strongest Man competition, the vehicle is often chosen to reference a previous winner or the current host city of the current competition; and the terrains change yearly as well, with vehicles being pulled on snow, ice, sand, concrete etc.[5]

Physical demands

Vehicle pulls are a true test of brute strength and endurance which literally causes the heart rate to hit its maximum within just a few seconds.[6] The start is the hardest as it persuades an extremely heavy vehicle (most often between 10 - 25 tonnes, and up to 40 tonnes) to start moving from a standstill upon overcoming its inertia. Once the vehicle is moving, it is essential that the strongman continues its momentum because it is a rare sight to see someone restart pulling the vehicle for a second time once it has stopped. The biggest and heaviest strongmen are usually the people who excel in this event because the heavier the strongman is, the easier is it for them to lean against the weight of the vehicle and get it moving.[7]

Notable Strongmen

This table summarizes the 10 greatest Vehicle pullers in competitive Strongman (open category). 9 of them have won more than 10, and 4 of them have won more than 15 Vehicle pull events in their careers. With 24 wins at 2 wins per every 3 Vehicle pulls he undertook, Iceland's

Strongman history.[8]

# Name Nationality Peak stats Events Wins Win %
1 Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson Iceland Iceland 2.05 m (6'9"), 205 kg (452 lb) 36 24 66.67%
2 Žydrūnas Savickas Lithuania Lithuania 1.91 m (6'3"), 182 kg (401 lb) 63 23 36.51%
3 Kelvin de Ruiter Netherlands Netherlands 2.03 m (6'8"), 168 kg (370 lb) 27 15 55.56%
4 Ervin Katona Serbia Serbia 1.87 m (6'1.5"), 150 kg (331 lb) 56 15 26.79%
5 Mariusz Pudzianowski Poland Poland 1.85 m (6'1"), 145 kg (320 lb) 30 13 43.33%
6 Magnus Samuelsson Sweden Sweden 2.01 m (6'7"), 154 kg (340 lb) 38 13 34.21%
7 Terry Hollands England England 1.99 m (6'6.5"), 195 kg (430 lb) 38 12 31.58%
8 Matjaz Belsak Slovenia Slovenia 1.85 m (6'1"), 152 kg (335 lb) 47 11 23.4%
9 Krzysztof Radzikowski Poland Poland 1.88 m (6'2"), 148 kg (326 lb) 60 11 18.33%
10 Mateusz Kieliszkowski Poland Poland 1.95 m (6'5"), 150 kg (330 lb) 20 9 45.00%

- As at 6 July 2023[9]

References

  1. ^ "Truck Pull". strongman.org. 2018-02-02. Retrieved 2022-04-10.
  2. ^ "Lorry Pull". theworldsstrongestman.com. 2007-01-11. Archived from the original on 11 January 2007. Retrieved 2022-04-10.
  3. ^ "Truck Pull". strongman.org. 2018-02-02. Retrieved 2022-04-10.
  4. ^ "Contests Featuring a Vehicle Pull Event". strongmanarchives.com. 2022-04-10. Retrieved 2022-04-10.
  5. ^ "Vehicle Pull". theworldsstrongestman.com. 2022-04-10. Retrieved 2022-04-10.
  6. ^ "How To Train For The Truck Pull". barbend.com. 2017-01-26. Retrieved 2022-04-10.
  7. ^ "Truck Pull". strongman.org. 2018-02-02. Retrieved 2022-04-10.
  8. ^ "Most Successful Athletes: Vehicle Pull". strongmanarchives.com. 2022-04-10. Retrieved 2022-04-10.
  9. ^ "Most Successful Athletes: Vehicle Pull". strongmanarchives.com. 2023-07-06. Retrieved 2023-07-06.