Written by Siera Jenkins, CNN London, Contributing Writer
Welcome to the great tunnel mystery of World’s Strongest Man.
You might remember Lance Armstrong for his fierce competitive spirit, his scandalous denials of steroid use and his grand confession to having won his Tour de France titles on the use of them. You might have also seen Lance along with Micky Ward and Renzo Gracie in the film “Raging Bull,” about Micky’s devastating 1977 defeat by the notoriously intimidating trainer.
Lance Armstrong in “Raging Bull.” Credit: catey drayton
Lance has long been known as the strongest man on earth. And this guy has found a man who’s believed to be the strongest man on earth. He’s not even that to claim that he’s the strongest — the current record holder is estimated to be 167 pounds lighter.
In a nutshell, what’s at stake in this battle for a rare new super-strong man is not who is stronger in the gruelling, science-based contest against the clock. What really counts is who could be the first to conquer this new and mind-boggling new strain of muscle called the “metallobelmet.”
There are 20 minutes left on the clock, and you’re on standby. You’re about to be blown open, literally.
‘What on earth is going on?’
This is where the dope test comes in. The contestants are trained to find the mystical man in the sky who will signal to them that they’ve just leaped over the 4.2 meters (16 feet) task.
And what is it? Here’s my spoiler-free version:
It’s cobalt. And if you’re not a super man, it means your muscles are small, your heart isn’t strong and you’ll soon be considered obsolete.