Olympic wrestling champion Balboshin describes legendary grip strength

Five-time world champion and Olympic gold medalist Nikolai Balboshin shared stories about his exceptional grip strength in an interview. Balboshin explained that he could feel an opponent's strength through their handshake before matches, and during wrestling he would squeeze opponents' forearms so hard that their hands would swell. He recounted instances where opponents couldn't continue due to their arms being rendered useless. During a medical examination, Balboshin broke a dynamometer designed to measure grip strength, which had a maximum reading of 120. He also described a memorable moment at the 1977 World Championships when he squeezed the hand of the King of Sweden so hard during the medal ceremony that he heard the king's fingers crunch, intentionally doing so to ensure the monarch would remember him forever.