Martins Licis and Romark Weiss continue to share the origins of different lifting around the world.
The 2019 World’s Strongest Man (WSM) champion Martins Licis has continued his series on YouTube called “Strength Unknown,” where he shares different history of lifting around the world. During a recent episode, videographer Romark Weiss took a trip to Hawaii with Martin Licis to learn about the origins of stone lifting.
Weiss was in Hawaii during the perfect time. The Te Moana Nui Games were underway. This is a competition that features many athletes from the Pacific region competing in some of the classic exercises in the culture. This major event takes place during the Makahiki season. In Hawaii, this four-month period begins in November and is a time where harvest is gathered.
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Polynesian Stone Lifting & Te Moana Nui Games
Romark Weiss was joined by native Joey Cadiz, who shared knowledge about the event. These games were held as preliminaries to the finals that are held in Tahiti.
The games continued with three main events:
1. Tree Climb
The tree climb required competitors to climb 100 feet on big palm trees. This was another timed event. The entire bodies of participants must complete 100 feet. There is not much to protect athletes from injury involving the trees. Cadiz claimed that his chest tore on his way down by the tree bark.
2. Fruit Log Race
The fruit log race is exactly how it sounds. Athletes must carry fruit on a log on a one-kilometer, incline path without shoes on. Female competitors must carry 15kg of fruit while males carry 30kg. Again, this is a timed event.
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3. Stone Lifting
Polynesian stone lifting is a classic event that requires lifters to get the stone from the ground to their shoulder. This is a timed event that varies by weight of the competitor. The lightweight category is under 165 pounds, middleweight is between 165-210 pounds, and heavyweights are over 210 pounds.
Martins Licis did not witness the lifting in person but claims that he would be “pressed” to manage the incredible speeds with which competitors moved the stones. Of course, Licis has built a reputation as one of the best in this event during Strongman.
The final event of the Games was Tahitian wrestling. This is similar to Japanese sumo wrestling but with slight differences. Athletes must push each other out of a circle or tackle them to the ground. It is judged on a three out of five basis.
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