The Strongman Who Fought Nazis

Charles Rigoulot was what you would call an ‘old-timey strongman’. He was a French Olympic weightlifter, wrestler, and race car driver, singer, and actor. He even traveled with the circus, performing as an actual strongman. He was known for lifting a 261 lb. barbell over his head with just one arm. Between the years of 1923 and 1926, he set twelve world records. Though he had been named the ‘Strongest Man in the World’, he wasn’t very tall. He just stood 5’8”. But he had an explosive strength to him, allowing him to lift those old-fashioned barbells that had huge iron globes instead of plates like we use today.

In the late 1800’s, the legendary French strongman Louis Uni, AKA Apollon, made an unliftable barbell. He called his creation the Apollon Wheels and they were comprised of two railroad car wheels connected to an axel, weighing 366 pounds in total. Other than the creator, no one could lift the Apollon Wheels until the absolute beast Charles Rigoulot hefted those bad boys in Paris in 1930. Only two more people lifted the original Apollon Wheels until they were sent to a museum.

But I’m not here to talk about feats of strength. I’m here to say that Charles Rigoulot is the shining example of what every modern-day sports hero should be. Because to me, it’s not good enough to be the best at your game. I mean, come on. You’re the best at the thing you’re paid to do. That’s great, and not everyone can do it, but I don’t think you deserve to be called a hero. You have to do heroic things to earn that title. Maybe it’s starting a charity. Maybe it’s working with kids, or hosting a sports camp.

Or maybe it’s straight up punching some Nazis.

Being French wasn’t great during World War II. Charles Rigoulot worked in the French Resistance. One day, events conspired and he ended up punching a Nazi. You know how it goes. So he got himself thrown in jail. Dang it. Game over, right?

No way. Not for the World’s Strongest Man. As soon as the Nazi guard left, Charles Rigoulot bent the bars of his cell. You know. The one thing you’re not supposed to be able to do in jail. He helped all the others escape, but did he flee along with them? Absolutely not. He found his jailer and beat the ever-loving shit out of him.

He lived his life after the war. He had a daughter, Dany Rigoulot, who went on to become an Olympic figure skater. In 1953, he became the sports director at the Cognac Distillery Ricard. This great man’s story ended when he died of a heart attack in 1962, but his legend lives on.

I’ve got a picture of him hanging up in my Deadlift Dungeon (which is just my basement that has some weight plates and a bench). It’s a reminder to be strong, not just for yourself, but to be strong so you can help other people. Because in these scary, increasingly fascist times, we might just need to punch some more Nazis.

References:

Hamilton, E.L. (19 April 2018). “A French Olympic gold-medal-winning weightlifter used his strength to bend the bars of his cell and escape the Nazis”. The Vintage News. Retrieved 02 April 2021.

Mr. Berg (3 November 2019). “Charles Rigoulot Training Philosophy”. NECKBERG. Retrieved 02 April 2021.

Rachael Dunn

Freelance blogger | feminist | fantasy author. Buy me a coffee? https://ko-fi.com/rachaeldunn. Get my first book free at https://bit.ly/3czUXSS.