Arm wrestling heavyweights muscle into Adelaide for the AWE Grand Prix tournament

Some of the best biceps in Australia and the world are about to muscle in to Adelaide – but one promising local talent hopes to win hands down.

It’s an ancient test of strength that has gripped the fascination of thousands who follow the sport online. And it’s muscling its way in to Adelaide.

It’s the fast-growing world of arm wrestling, which is surging in popularity and turning wrestlers into stars.

This Sunday (October 27) arm wrestling’s heavyweights will descend on Adelaide for the third AWE Grand Prix tournament – which will pit some of the best biceps in Australia and around the world against one another.

The eight-man double elimination tournament will bring some of the sport’s biggest names to Adelaide, including South African star and AWE Heavyweight Champion Riekerd Bornman, Australian teenage sensation Hamza “The Hammer” Hodzic and NZ’s strongest woman Ashleigh Hoeta-Williamson.

Also taking part is 29-year-old local talent Taran Broad, who has been involved in the sport for seven years.

Arm wrestlers Taran Broad and Thylor Harrison at Sebastyan's Bar at the Grand Chancellor Hotel. Picture: Mark Brake

“I didn’t even know arm wrestling was a sport,” the Glenelg man said.

“I just used to do it with my dad, my friends.

“But one day I looked up arm wrestling, found the club and I’ve been doing it ever since.”

With a No. 1 Oceanic ranking on the line, Broad hopes the tournament will be a turning point in his career.

“I’ve been training five or six days a week for this. I’ve been eating everything to put on weight. I’m doing as much as I can.”

The former furniture removalist has even quit his job to focus on his passion

“I’m hoping to go pro,” he says.

“And with social media, there’s people who make enough money to do that.”

The event is putting “Adelaide on the global arm-wrestling map”, according to organisers.

Such is the popularity of the sport in SA, each week about 50 people gather at the Kilburn Community Centre, to sit with fists interlocked as they grapple one another.

And it draws crowds from all walks of life.

By day, Dave Stockbridge is an auctioneer and real estate agent.

But by night he’s the general manager of Arm Wrestling Entertainment and a member of the SA Titans Arm Wrestling Club.

He says the sport initially surged during Covid, and now shows no signs of stopping.

“There is a huge audience for this sport – all based on social media,” he said.

“You think it’s this small on obscure little spot but there’s videos on YouTube with 5m views.”

Fellow SA Titans member Grant Law agrees.

“It’s just massive on social media,” he says.

“There’s people out there making 15 videos a day.”

And while strength is, of course, important, it’s technique that’s paramount, he says.

“It’s all about technique – it’s not the strongest that wins.

“It’s more like chess where whatever move you want to deploy, there’s a counter technique to combat that move.”

Limited tickets for Sunday’s AWE Grand Prix, held at the Grand Chancellor Hotel, are still available.

Originally published as Arm wrestling heavyweights muscle into Adelaide for the AWE Grand Prix tournament