In the spotlight: Mariusz Pudzianowski

In doing so, he became the first five-time champion in the competition's history. Pudzianowski defeated 10 competitors in the final, despite aggravating an old calf injury.

Directly after the Charleston championships, Pudzianowski told Polish tabloid Super Express that he had lifted enough in his life and would now end his professional career and focus on his private life. As the WBJ went to press, however, Pudzianowski's official website featured a denial, saying that the sportsman's comments had not been authorized and that he would only take a break from competition for a month in order to get some rest.

The website quoted Pudzianowski as saying that he was satified with his latest achievement but had not yet given up on competition. Some commentators have surmised Pudzianowski may want to compete against Lithuanian Zydrunas Savickas, who holds the championship in rival strongman organization IFSA Strongman's annual competition. Pudzianowski bested Savickas twice in Strongman finals, in 2002 and 2003

Born in 1977 in Biała Rawska, Pudzianowski is the son of a weightlifter. He began training in the discipline in 1990 and debuted in his first strongman competition in 1999, in the Polish town of Puck. Pudzianowski has also trained in kyokushin kaikan karate since the age of 11, holding a green belt, and trained as a boxer for almost seven years.

Pudzianowski's success has made him a popular figure in Poland. He has been a guest on a large number of TV shows, including the seventh edition of the TVN-broadcast Polish version of the "Dancing with the Stars" competition, in which he finished in second place.