Olympic wrestling champion Nikolai Balboshin describes legendary grip strength

Five-time world champion and 1976 Olympic gold medalist in Greco-Roman wrestling Nikolai Balboshin discussed his extraordinary grip strength in an interview. He explained that he could gauge opponents by their handshake strength before matches, and would deliberately squeeze forearms during competition to cut off blood flow and cause swelling. Balboshin recounted causing opponents' arms to go numb during bouts, with one wrestler unable to continue because his "arm died." During a medical examination, he broke a dynamometer that measured grip strength after exceeding its 120-unit maximum. He also described making the King of Sweden's fingers crunch during a handshake at the 1977 World Championships medal ceremony. Balboshin intentionally squeezed hard so the king would "remember this moment for his whole life."