Ukrainian strongmen pull Mriia plane and set a record
Photo: ukrinform
Eight Ukrainian strongmen pulled the world's largest aircraft AN-225 "Mriia" for more than four meters and set a national record.
The press service of the Federation of Strongmen of Ukraine reports.
The world's largest aircraft AN225 "Mriia," weighing 330 tons (including fuel), was pulled by eight strongmen at the Antonov airport in Hostomel in the Kyiv region. The record was set by:
- Serhii Koniushok,
- Oleksandr Lashyn,
- Bohdan Ksenchuk,
- Denys Dubrovskyy,
- Serhii Ponomariov,
- Volodymyr Reksha,
- Denys Berezhnyk,
- Vitalii Herasimov.
Dmytro Antonov, commander of the "Mriia" aircraft crew, said that he was "impressed" by the efforts of athletes.
"I'm amazed, they pulled almost 5 meters, so it's solid. It's not always possible to move the plane using the engines at once, we have to give a significant thrust to move, but the guys were much stronger than our engines," said Antonov.
According to the judges' committee, the participants moved the plane by 4 meters 30 cm in 1 minute and 13 seconds.
According to the athletes, the record was timed to the 30th anniversary of Ukraine's independence.
"The 'Mriia' plane is a symbol of modern Ukraine. The symbol is also our strongmen-heroes. And I feel a great responsibility and great honor that I take part in such a wonderful team. We'll truly give all our strength in honor of the thirtieth anniversary of our state," Serhii Koniushok told.
According to Denys Berezhnyk, the preparation for pulling "Mriia" turned out to be more difficult than the "The Strongest Man of Ukraine" competition.
"I'm anxious about this record. I'm very pleased that I was invited to participate and I have the opportunity to come here. After the 'The Strongest Man of Ukraine' competition, I got over it the next day. And after yesterday's training, it's much harder, all muscles work, micro muscles are included," Berezhnyk shared.
Photo: Ukrinform
Volodymyr Reksha, a participant in the record-setting, said that most athletes were wary of the negative effects of rain.
"We were worried that it would be quite slippery, but no, it was normal. We don't feel it when lit up. To be honest, when we returned to the starting position, I forgot that the rain was behind the Mriia and just focused on giving myself to the record. The load was felt after the end when the cramps in all the leg muscles started; when you can't breathe. Honestly, I hoped we would go a little further, but you heard, it's far over 300 tons, and even a small stone of a few millimeters can affect the entire team," Reksha said.
Photo: Ukrinform
The organizer of the record was the Federation of Strongmen of Ukraine.
Photo: Ukrinform
