April 1975 - #
2
2005-05-30
Bench-press specialist Anthony
Clark, dubbed “World’s Strongest Man” several times during
his powerlifting career, died of a heart attack on Sunday, May 22, 2005.
His funeral mass was held at the Gulf Meadows Church in Houston on Thursday,
May 26, 2005. His burial took place at the Forest Park East Cemetery in
Webster, Texas. Clark was only 38 years old.  He
will be particularly remembered for employing a reverse grip when he benched,
instead of the palms-facing-away grip almost universally used by millions
of people the world over who bench press.Clark’s legend grew from an early age. In 1986, when he was 19, he accomplished the feat of being the only teenager, up to that point, ever to bench press 600 pounds. Six years later, in 1992, he became the first lifter to bench press 700 pounds using the reverse grip. That same year he finished on top in the race to bench over 700 pounds. At the Arnold Classic weekend in 1997, he dazzled the bodybuilders and bodybuilding fans in attendance by putting up an 800-pound bench press. In reporting Clark's death, MuscleMag's web site was once again the first to do so among the sites of the major bodybuilding magazines. Our magazine's memorial tribute to Anthony Clark, already on its way to our printers, will appear in issue 280. |
