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Vasyl VirastyukUkrainian athlete, world champion in all-around strength and actor
Date of Birth: 22.04.1974
Country:  Ukraine |
Content:
Biography of Vasily Virastyuk
Vasily Yaroslavovich Virastyuk, a Ukrainian athlete, world champion in strength athletics, and actor, is an honored master of sports of Ukraine who has repeatedly been awarded the title of 'World's Strongest Man'. He was born on April 22, 1974, in Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine, to parents Irina Vasilyevna Virastyuk and Yaroslav Vasilyevich Virastyuk, a truck driver with over 30 years of experience. Vasily began practicing athletics at the age of 10 and excelled in the challenging discipline of shot put. In 1989, Virastyuk completed eighth grade at the Ivan-Frankivsk Secondary School. At the age of 13 (or according to another version, 15), he sat behind the wheel for the first time, driving his father's truck and covering a distance of 25-30 km. A few years later, Vasily obtained his driver's license and imported his first cars from abroad, including the first 'Zhiguli', the first foreign car, and the first jeep.
Early Career
In 1992, Vasily received a diploma from the Sports College and served in the Ukrainian army until 1994. After his military service, Virastyuk worked as an athletics coach at the 'Ukraine' club until 2000. In 1995, he achieved the title of Master of Sports, and in 1998, he became an International Master of Sports. In the year 2000, Vasily moved from Ivano-Frankivsk to Lviv and worked as a driver-guard at 'Galnaftogaz'. It was during this time that he started competing in the 'World's Strongest Man' competition.
Strongman Achievements
Vasily Virastyuk represented Ukraine in the field of athletics until 2000 and competed in the 'World's Strongest Man' finals in 2003 and 2004. He secured a third-place finish in 2003, behind Polish powerlifter Mariusz Pudzianowski (who won gold) and Lithuanian strongman Zydrunas Savickas (who won silver). In 2004, Vasily won the title of 'World's Strongest Man 2004', surpassing Savickas and Pudzianowski (who was later disqualified due to a positive drug test). His victory marked a turning point in the 'World's Strongest Man' competition, with some athletes, including Virastyuk and Savickas, beginning to compete in the 'International Federation of Strength Athletes (IFSA)' championships. In 2007, Vasily triumphed over two-time world champion Zydrunas Savickas at the IFSA World Championship in Geumsan, South Korea, becoming the first athlete in history to win both the IFSA championship and the title of 'World's Strongest Man'.
Later Career and Personal Life
Following his strongman success, Vasily received the 'Order for Merits' III degree in 2007. He competed in the 'Arnold Strongman Classic' for three consecutive years (2005, 2006, and 2007), securing second place each time. Unfortunately, in 2008, he had to withdraw from the competition due to injury and finished in tenth place. In 2015, Vasily joined the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine as an inspector.
Vasily Virastyuk has also ventured into the world of acting, appearing in several films. He starred as a blacksmith in the comedic TV musical 'Kak Kazaki...' in 2010 and was subsequently cast in the adventure film 'Ivan Syla' in 2013, inspired by the Ukrainian circus strongman Ivan Firtsak. In 2014, he appeared in the Ukrainian comedy 'Odinok po kontraktu' and later became the main star of the mystical detective mini-series 'Kod Konstantina'. As of 2016, Vasily is set to appear in the fantasy film 'Polina' and the comedy 'Luchshaya Partiya'.
Vasily Virastyuk has set several unique records that have been included in the 'Ukrainian Book of Records'. He lifted and placed four ice cubes weighing approximately 150 kg each on 130-meter-high pedestals within 60 seconds. He also moved seven 'Mitsubishi' cars (11 tons) for a distance of 25 meters, pulled five tram cars weighing 101.5 tons, and in 60 seconds, dragged ten connected 'Mitsubishi Carisma' cars weighing 16.5 tons for a distance of 18.5 meters.
Vasily was previously married to Svetlana Vasilevna Virastyuk from 2003 to January 2, 2006. Tragically, Svetlana passed away in an avalanche while skiing at the Palandoken ski resort in Turkey. She was a Ukrainian fitness champion who enjoyed water skiing and jet skiing. Vasily has a son named Adam Virastyuk from his first marriage. He later married Inna, whom he met in a traffic jam. In 2007, they had a wedding ceremony at the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra and welcomed their son Oleg on March 19, 2008.
