On watching the first show of World’s Strongest Man 2009 on Bravo TV it became evident that there was some confusion as to who had qualified for what and how. We were told that the top 3 competitors from each of the three Giants Live Tour events would qualify for the World’s Strongest Man 2009, with 2008 winner Mariusz Pudzianowski making it a round 10. However, what unfolded was that in fact there would be 5 heats with 6 competitors, with the top 2 going through to the final from each heat. Those heats would be made up of people who had come in the top 3 at the Giants Live Tour events AND those that failed to make the top 3. This all poses the question as to what exactly the top 3 competitors in the Giants Live Tour events were qualifying for? Nothing, it would seem! That said, I’m just happy to see all this World’s Strongest Man programming on television, no matter what the qualifying implications!
World's Strongest Man 2009
Anyway, on with the show, and this first heat consisted of the following 6 competitors:
Derek Poundstone (America) – runner up in World Strongest Man 2008 and winner of the 2009 Giants Live Mohegan Sun Grand Prix
Jimmy Marku (England) – UK’s Strongest Man 2009
Louis-Philippe Jean (Canada) – Two time Canada’s Strongest Man
Kevin Nee (America) – Youngest ever World’s Strongest Man competitor at World’s Strongest Man 2005, aged 20
Kostiantyn Ilin (Ukraine) – I have no stat to put here 
Sebastian Wenta (Poland) – 2nd at World’s Strongest Man 2007
Derek Poundstone won the first two events getting a maximum 12 out of 12 points. In the first event, the Medley, he put in a time of 38.71 seconds, over seconds ahead of 2nd place Jimmy Marku. Jean put in a good showing to take 3rd while Wenta and Ilin took 4th and 5th places respectively. Plagued with nagging bicep injuries, Nee was the only man not to finish the course, managing just 18.6 metres.
Poundstone was just as dominant in the Truck pull, finishing the course in 42.66 seconds, which was over 7 seconds faster than 2nd place Ilin. Jean again finished in 3rd, Wenta in 4th and Nee in 5th. Jimmy Marku was last with a time of 1 minutes 7.47 seconds, but he at least finished the course – in last year’s qualifiers he didn’t manage to even move the truck!
At this point Poundstone had a commanding lead with 12 points, with Jean (8), Ilin (7), Marku (6), Wenta (6) fighting for that 2nd qualifying place and Nee trailing in last place with just 3 points. Unfortunately, before the Squat Lift, Sebastian Wenta had to pull out due to back injury.
The third event, the Squat Lift, saw a winner not called Derek Poundstone as Jimmy Marku took the victory. Neither could manage the maximum 7 lifts but Marku got 6 lifts in a quicker time than Poundstone. Nee and Ilin managed 6 lifts for 3rd and 4tg, with Jean bringing up the rear with 5 lifts.
The Car Walk was the 4th event and saw Derek Poundstone back to his winning ways, destroying the other guys with a time of 19.09. In a post-event interview he remarked how he thought he could shave a 3 seconds of that time to go quicker in the final! Jean finished 2nd, some 8 seconds slower than Poundstone but over 20 seconds quicker than the 3rd and 4th placed Nee and Ilin. Jimmy Marku could only manage 12.4 metres to finish in last place.
With 23 points Derek Poundstone had already guaranteed his place in the finals, with 2 events still to go! With only 4 points splitting them up, Jean, Marku, Ilin and Nee could all take that 2nd qualifying place.
The 5th event, the Dumbell Press, is one that Derek Poundstone holds the world record in, so maximum points were looking very unlikely for anyone else! As expected, Poundstone won with 9 lifts, though it looked like he got of added another 4 or so to that title, had he needed more than 9 to win. Ilin with 8 and Jean with 6 took points for 2nd and 3rd but neither Marku nor Nee could manage even one lift. Kevin Nee had retire injured after this event, leaving just four.
Going into the traditional last event, the Atlas Stones, Marku and Nee were out of the running and it was between Jean and Ilin to get the 2nd qualifying place. It turned out to be Jean’s day as he put in an awesome performance to win the event, the only man to lift all 5 stones. Poor Ilin had an accident with the first stone which hit him in the head opening up a nasty gash.
That elusive 5th stone
Derek Poundstone only managed 4 stones, that 5th stone still the Achilles heel in his almost perfect arsenal. Jimmy Marku also managed 4 stones but did it more for fun than anything else as he was out of the points already. The following shows the final standings for Heat 1, with Derek Poundstone and Louis-Philippe Jean going through to the World’s Strongest Man 2009 Finals.
Poundstone and Jean Qualify for the finals!
On this form Derek Poundstone should be looking to take the World’s Strongest Man 2009 title, as long as it doesn’t come down to the Atlas Stones, which he still has trouble with. Particularly in the Atlas Stones, Jean showed he’s very worthy of his place in the finals. Heat 2 will be next Monday, January 11th, where we know that 1 of the 6 competitors will be England’s Mark Felix, arguably today’s best dead lifter in the World’s Strongest Man arena.
At the end of yesterday’s shows we were told about a competition to win a World’s Strongest Man goodie bag on the Bravo TV website – here is the link to that competition – good luck if you enter. For all official World’s Strongest Man news then the official website can be found here.
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