VIDEO. Toulouse: Thor, the French arm wrestling champion, will try his luck at the worlds
Through Thibaut Calatayud
Published on
updated on Oct 3, 21 at 9:43 am
Even far from Asgard, Thor continue to martyr their adversaries. To do this, he does not use Mjöllnir, the famous hammer from Norse mythology, or lightning. His only weapon are his two arms.
This Franco-Danish, living in Toulouse for two years, a fact of iron bras his speciality. So much so that he will represent France at the world championship of the discipline, from November 24 to December 3, 2021, in Bucharest In Romania.
He practices the iron bras
If he is not the tallest in size, Thor Boutet imposes with his viking build and golgoth arms, carved by the practice of street workout for several years. A very useful physical strength for the arm wrestling, a sport in its own right that he has been practicing for five years and a meeting.
“I made an Armenian friend who did arm wrestling. I didn’t really know the discipline, so he initiated me.”
Since then, learning has been rapid. In 2019, he became champion of France (right arm and left arm) in the under 70 kg. Two years later, he won a new right-hand title in the under 75 kg category and became runner-up on the left. An already solid track record for this engineer from Nice (Alpes-Maritimes).
Guitar and computer
Because yes, there is not only the arm wrestling in the life of Thor Boutet. This computer developer also enjoys playing the guitar in his spare time.
In addition to the discipline in which he distinguished himself at the national level, the young man of 29 years practices the street lifting, a series of weight training exercises. “It develops my general strength”, underlines the one who is made redundant at Toulouse Arm Wrestling Club, the Pink City arm wrestling club.
In total, he trains five times a week: three specific arm wrestling sessions and two more for his general strength.
“You have to have confidence in yourself”
When we discuss several minutes with him, we discover a man calm and sure of himself.
“This discipline teaches us to have a lot of self-control. It’s a combat sport so there is a lot of pressure. You have to have self-confidence because it is possible that at the last moment, you decide to go differently” .
When we talk about the iron bras, the champion says what he is talking about. Very pedagogue, the ironworker does not hesitate to give advice to other members of his club. During training, at Villate (Haute-Garonne), near Muret, he never refuses an opposition like the one proposed by Ali.
Lightning battles
This veteran dreams of bringing down the champion. He tries, forces again and again. But his opponent is impassive, almost relaxed, as he struggles to swing the wrist to the right side. Nothing helps, Thor does not give in and manages to get the best of Ali. It will be necessary to remember. Still !
The fight between the two men did not exceed the ten seconds. A fairly standard duration in this sport where the average is between two and ten seconds. “There are games where there are very specific techniques on endurance. On a already seen matches last seven minutes! But it is extremely rare ”, wishes to specify the one who will participate in his second world championship after that of Constanta (Romania) in 2019.
“We are considered a real sport”
“It was the first time that a French delegation was going to make a world championship under the aegis of the FFForce, with the president of the Toulouse Armwrestling Club, Aymeric Pradines”, remembers Thor.
“The standoff is very well represented abroad: in Russia, Kazakhstan, Bulgaria, Romania… Obviously, we travel so I like it a lot! We meet new people, new places”.
Although it is still quite confidential in France, with only twenty clubs in France and 130 licensees in 2019, arm wrestling is a real sporting discipline. “It’s starting to take shape. Since 2019, we have been considered a real sport by the ministry. We are associated with the French Federation of Force (FFForce) ”, rejoices the athlete.
Focus on preparations for the world championship
Saturday, October 9, Thor Boutet will defend the colors of France, on the other side of the Alps, at Gardone Riviera, for a series of friendly matches against Italy. A good training before the world championship, from November 24 to December 3, in Bucharest.
“It’s a big competition where there will be a lot of stress, challenges and commitment to have. I will have a lot of physical and mental preparation to be ready. You have to prepare mentally to be able to start well enough and to be able to apply your strength. When you are completely free on the table, this is where you will be able to exploit your full potential ”.
In Romania, Thor does not want to appear. But he knows it, the task will be difficult… “Our common goal is to be able to make the Grail. But knowing that it’s a competition that makes all the best athletes in the world, the goal is to do our best by aiming for the best place and making the best fights possible ”.
While waiting for D-Day, the wrists of the Toulouse Armwrestling Club licensees will continue to undergo the power of Thor.
Arm wrestling, a very technical sport
During the fights, the ferrists can use three main techniques: the press which consists in crushing the wrist of his adversary, the “Top-Roll” and the “Hook”, two techniques explained by Thor Boutet in our video.
In a fight, good technique is not always enough. Indeed, it is also necessary to combine concentration and speed to succeed in your fight. “To ‘Ready to go!’ of the referee, the one who is likely to win the match is the one who will go first. It is played in less than a second! It is extremely fast “, explains Thor Boutet.
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