Location: Greater Columbus Convention Center, 400 N High St., Columbus, OH 43215

I walked around the corner to a stage area (Concourse Stage) where women were competing in Armlifting. (I only knew the name after I interviewed the participants).

Tell me why you love Armlifting. How do you train?

I train by doing this stuff. I love it because it is the best of all.

Where are you from? The accent is not from Columbus, Ohio.

I’m from Finland.

How long have you been doing this?

A year and a half.

What is your personal best and how much did you lift today?

My personal best is 62 kg(kilograms). Today, I lifted 57.5kg. It depends on the day and the situation.

Do you have to follow a special diet?

No. I eat normally. Nothing special.

What were you just doing?

They call it armlifting. It is a grip competition. It is how strong is your hand.

How long have you been doing it?

About a year.

What is your personal best and what did you do today?

My personal best in this event is what I did today 55 Kg. I hold the world record in the country crush, and I am hoping to break a world record tomorrow in the axle deadlift.

Do you do any specific training for this event?

No. I broke my arm a couple of months ago, so I haven’t done anything. I found grip on accident. I am a MAS wrestler. It is a Russian sport. It translates roughly into stick wrestling.

Sidebar: Lifting one hundred something pounds with grip strength is amazing!

Anything that I didn’t ask you but should have asked you?

Grip strength is exactly what it sounds like. They make us pick up odd objects with our hands. They make us measure in kilograms to try to confuse me. I think 130 pounds sounds a lot better than some of the things they say I lift.