Matjaz Belsak
Matjaz Belsak (in Slovenian Matjaž Belšak) is a Slovenian professional strongman competitor and powerlifter.
Biography
Matjaž Belšak was born in Slovenia on September 23 of 1992. He grew up in a family of cooking lovers; his parents own a restaurant where he occasionally works as an apprentice chef. He competed in junior powerlifting at the age of 17 before starting his strongman career. Belšak is a two-time winner of Slovenia's Strongest Man (2014, 2015) and in 2015 he participated in Europe's Strongest Man and the 2015 World's Strongest Man competitions. In January 2016, he placed 2nd at World's Strongest Viking and in that same year, he qualified for the 2016 World's Strongest Man grand final, placing 9th overall
Physical and technical characteristics
Belšak stands 185 cm (6 ft 1 in) tall and weighs 140 kg (310 lb). He is very strong in the upper body (personal record on giant circus dumbbell event: 14 reps with a 87 kg weight) and also shows great power in his legs and back. Despite being a strongman competitor, as well as his strength, Belšak also has great stamina and speed.
Board placings
In strongman career:
| 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| World's Strongest Man | / | 3rd - heat 5 | 9th - final |
| Europe's Strongest Man | / | 5th | / |
| World's Strongest Viking | / | / | 2nd |
| World's Ultimate Strongest Team | / | 1st with | / |
| Slovenia's Strongest Man | 1st | 1st | / |
Personal records
In competition:
Deadlift with straps - 400 kg at Europe's Strongest Man 2015.
Log Lift - 190 kg (419 lb) at Strongman Champions League 2015 in Germany.
Tyre Deadlift - 350 kg (771,6 lb) for 8 reps.
Giant Circus Dumbbell - 87 kg (192 lb) for 14 reps.
Gym lifts:
Deadlift - 380 kg.
Squat (max) - 400 kg (881 lb).
Squat (for reps) - 372,5 kg (821 lbs) for 3 reps.
Log lift (for reps) - 140 kg (309 lb) for 9 reps.