Paul Edward ANDERSON

Many people consider Paul Anderson to be the strongest man who ever lived. He had a short but meteoric career in Olympic-style lifting, winning the U.S. Championship in the heavyweight class in 1955 and then, later in the year, taking the world title by a margin of 37.5 kg. – unheard of in world competition. He won his gold medal at Melbourne in 1956, however, in a surprisingly close competition with Humberto Selvetti of Argentina. In fact, Selvetti and Anderson tied in weight lifted but Anderson was declared the winner based on lighter bodyweight.

Anderson later set many records as a powerlifter. He bench-pressed 625 lbs. (284 kg.), squatted with 1,200 lbs. (544 kg.), dead-lifted 820 lbs. (372 kg.), and did three repetitions in the squat with 900 lbs. (408 kg.) In addition, he performed a back-lift off trestles, supprting 6,270 lbs. (2,850 kg.) – the greatest weight every lifted by a human.

Paul Anderson became a devout Christian and a well-known public speaker in support of his faith. He ran a Christian Boys' Home to share and spread his principles. In his later years he had numerous health problems, including kidney failure which necessitated a kidney transplant.