Olympic wrestling champion Balboshin describes legendary grip strength

Five-time world champion and 1976 Olympic gold medalist Nikolai Balboshin has revealed details about his exceptional grip strength in interviews. Balboshin explained that he would assess opponents by their handshake before matches, and during bouts would squeeze their forearms near the elbow to cut off blood flow, causing swelling and incapacitation. He recounted instances where opponents' arms would become so damaged they couldn't continue fighting, with one athlete yelling "arm is dead!" During a medical examination, Balboshin exceeded the 120-unit maximum on a dynamometer and broke the device. He also described deliberately crushing the hand of the King of Sweden during a 1977 awards ceremony, believing the monarch's fingers audibly cracked, as a way to ensure the king would remember him forever. These anecdotes come from an interview and his autobiography "The Standard Bearer."