The equipment for our signature event, Apollon's Wheels, was made by the Ivanko Barbell Company. It weighs approximately 366 pounds (166 kg.), and the handle is 1.92" (49 millimeters) in diameter. The thick bar is set firmly into the two "wheels," so that they do not rotate or turn independently of the bar. The wheels are of a height that places the bar approximately 13" from the floor.
The Ivanko Wheels are a copy of the wheels made famous by the legendary French professional strongman Louis "Apollon" Uni. History is unclear as to whether Apollon himself ever lifted those wheels above his head, but we know that three men conquered them--Charles Rigoulot of France in 1930, John Davis of the U.S. in 1949, and Norbert Schemansky of the U.S. in 1954. At our event in 2002, two men joined those iron game immortals by raising the Ivanko Wheels overhead--Mark Philippi, who hoisted them once, and Mark Henry, who power-cleaned and push-pressed them for three complete repetitions. In 2003, four other men joined the ranks of those who have put the bar overhead—Phil Pfister, who raised it twice; Svend Karlsen, who hoisted also lifted it using the “clean” technique; Raimonds Bergmanis, who cleaned and jerked it three times; and Zydrunas Savickas, who made four reps, taking it to the shoulders in two motions and push-pressing it overhead. The total number of cleans and jerks/presses completed gets higher every year!
The competitors have two minutes in which to put the Wheels overhead as many times as possible. The competitors who are able to lift the Wheels to the top of their chest in one motion (as in a power clean, split clean, or squat clean) and then put them overhead to the satisfaction of the judges at least once will receive a higher placing than the competitors who lift the bar to their chest in two or more motions (as in a "continental" lift) and then lift it overhead. Also, if one man cleans the Wheels but cannot put them over his head he will be placed higher than a man who takes them to the shoulders in two or more movements but then fails to get them overhead successfully. We have made this provision because it is more difficult to clean the Wheels than to lift them to the shoulders in two or more movements. In the same way, a man who makes two cleans and successful overhead lifts will place higher than a man who takes them to the shoulders in two or more movements twice and puts them overhead successfully each time. And so on. Also, a man who makes one good complete lift using a clean to take them to the shoulders and then cleans them again but fails to get them overhead will place ahead of a man who cleans them and gets them overhead successfully once but then fails to clean them a second time. The same scoring procedure would be used for the men who need two or more movements to bring the Wheels to the shoulders.
Nasty event that is.
Glenn Ross doing it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kmIlVveLraM
