Gerrit Badenhorst (born 10 October 1962) is a former WPC world champion

powerlifter Powerlifting is a competitive strength sport that consists of three attempts at maximal weight on three lifts: squat, bench press, and deadlift. As in the sport of Olympic weightlifting, it involves the athlete attempting a maximal weight singl ...

and professional

strongman Strongman is a competitive strength sport which tests athletes' physical strength and endurance through a variety of heavy lifts and events. Strongman competitions are known for their intensity, pushing athletes to their physical and mental limit ...

competitor from

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

Powerlifting

Badenhorst was born on 10 October 1962 in De Aar,

Northern Cape The Northern Cape ( ; ; ) is the largest and most sparsely populated Provinces of South Africa, province of South Africa. It was created in 1994 when the Cape Province was split up. Its capital is Kimberley, South Africa, Kimberley. It includes ...

.David Webster, ''Sons of Samson – Volume 2'', pages 74–5, (Ironmind Enterprises Inc: Nevada City), As a sportsman he played

rugby union Rugby union football, commonly known simply as rugby union in English-speaking countries and rugby 15/XV in non-English-speaking world, Anglophone Europe, or often just rugby, is a Contact sport#Terminology, close-contact team sport that orig ...

, but excelled in the sports of

weightlifting Weightlifting or weight lifting generally refers to physical exercises and sports in which people lift weights, often in the form of dumbbells, barbells or machines. People engage in weightlifting for a variety of different reasons. These can ...

and

powerlifting Powerlifting is a competitive strength athletics, strength sport that consists of three attempts at maximal weight on three lifts: Squat (exercise), squat, bench press, and deadlift. As in the sport of Olympic weightlifting, it involves the athle ...

. Before Badenhorst competed for South Africa internationally on the strongman stage, he first represented his country as a powerlifter. Between 1988 and 1990, Badenhorst won three world titles in the World Powerlifting Congress organization. In so doing, he broke world records in the squat at , and the

deadlift The deadlift is a strength training exercise in which a weight-loaded barbell is lifted off the ground to the level of the hips, with the torso perpendicular to the floor, before being placed back on the ground. It is one of the three powerlifting ...

at 402.5 kg (887.4 lb). He also broke the world record in the total (squat+

bench press The bench press or chest press is a weight training exercise where a person presses a weight upwards while lying horizontally on a weight training bench. The bench press is a Compound movements, compound movement, with the primary muscles involved ...

+deadlift) of 1102.5 kg (2431 lb). At first, his world titles and world records led to him being acclaimed the greatest ever powerlifter at the time, with his totals having beaten the likes of Lars Noren, Don Reinhoudt and Bill Kazmaier. However Kazmaier, Noren and Rienhound had not utilized bench shirts when posting their totals. Lars Noren Posted his 1077.5 kg total in the 1987 IPF World Championship, which was drug tested. Having reached the pinnacle of the sport of powerlifting, a lack of financial incentive led him to strongman competitions.

Strongman

Badenhorst was eight times South Africa's Strongest Man. Badenhorst was also a seven time

World's Strongest Man The World's Strongest Man is an international strongman competition held every year. Organized by American event management company IMG, a subsidiary of Endeavor, it is broadcast in the US during summers and in the UK around the end of Decemb ...

finalist, coming second at the 1995 World's Strongest Man and third at the 1996 World's Strongest ManBiography at strongestman.billhenderson.org
/ref> where he established the inaugural strongman deadlift world record from the standard 9 inch height with . In strength athletics Badenhorst had already made an impact in South Africa having been crowned South Africa's Strongest Man in 1989, 1990 and 1992. At the 1992 World's Strongest Man as a newcomer he placed fourth. In 1993 he won the highly regarded World Strongman Challenge and entered the 1993 World's Strongest Man contest as one of the favourites but had to retire due to an injury in the Pole Push. At the 1994 World's Strongest Man he again came fourth. Determined to improve, and having won South Africa's Strongest Man once again, he entered the 1995 World's Strongest Man as one of the favourites. Despite an injury sustained in the Bavarian stone lift during the qualifying heats, he came second overall to Magnus Ver Magnusson in the finals. He competed in a further five World's Strongest Man contests, coming third in 1996, and 7th in 2000. Badenhorst won his heat at the 1998 World's Strongest Man and qualified for the final, but sustained an injury and was unable to compete.

Personal records

''Powerlifting'' * Squat – ''single ply squat suit, with knee wraps'' (1990 WPC World Championships) *

Bench Press The bench press or chest press is a weight training exercise where a person presses a weight upwards while lying horizontally on a weight training bench. The bench press is a Compound movements, compound movement, with the primary muscles involved ...

– ''single ply shirt'' (1990 WPC World Championships) *

Deadlift The deadlift is a strength training exercise in which a weight-loaded barbell is lifted off the ground to the level of the hips, with the torso perpendicular to the floor, before being placed back on the ground. It is one of the three powerlifting ...

– ''raw'' (1990 WPC World Championships) * Total – ''single ply except for the deadlift'' (1990 WPC World Championships, Italy) ''Strongman'' * Flintstone

– ''raw with straps'' (1996 World's Strongest Man) (former strongman world record) * Block press – (1998 IFSA Grand Prix Hungary) (former world record) :→ ''First man in history to block press '' * Power stairs (3 x duck walks / total of 15 steps) – 21.37 seconds (1993 World Strongman Challenge) (World Record) * Car flip – x 1 time in 11.51 seconds (1996 World's Strongest Man) (World Record) * Keg toss – over (1999 IFSA Hungary Grand Prix)

Personal life

Badenhorst is married to Olivia, and loves to spend his time with his two Yorkshire Terriers in the outdoors.

Honours

*8 times South Africa's Strongest Man (1989, 1990, 1992–1995, 1998 and 2001) *4th place 1992 World's Strongest Man *8th place (withdrew due to injury) 1993 World's Strongest Man *4th place 1994 World's Strongest Man *2nd place 1995 World's Strongest Man *3rd place 1996 World's Strongest Man *7th place 2000 World's Strongest Man *DNP (qualified for finals, injured during heats) 1998 World's Strongest Man

References

External links

www.vikingpower.net profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Badenhorst, Gerrit 1962 births Afrikaner people Living people South African strength athletes South African people of German descent South African people of Dutch descent South African powerlifters