Olympic wrestling champion Balbashin's legendary grip strength detailed

Five-time world champion and 1976 Olympic gold medalist in Greco-Roman wrestling Nikolai Balbashin discussed his extraordinary grip strength in an interview. Balbashin revealed that he could cut off blood circulation in opponents' forearms during matches by squeezing near the elbow, causing their arms to swell and become useless. He recounted an incident where he broke a dynamometer that measured grip strength when it maxed out at 120, and he exceeded that limit. During the 1977 World Championships medal ceremony, he deliberately gave Sweden's king a memorably strong handshake that made the monarch's fingers crunch. Balbashin also described how he could determine an opponent's strength immediately through their pre-match handshake. His "friendly handshake" that brought tears to people's eyes was considered his signature move, with few able to withstand the pressure he could generate.