When it comes to Jean-Stephen Coraboeuf, Australia looks to be in capable hands with an elite strongman. On April 11, 2022, the athlete clean and pressed an impressive 155 kilograms (341.7 pounds) for three reps using a log. In what looks to be a lift of somewhat casual ease, Coraboeuf provides a solid showcase of why the log press is a mainstay event in the sport of strongman.
Check out the lift below, courtesy of Coraboeuf’s Instagram profile:
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Lifting Australia
Coraboeuf started professional strongman in 2017, acclimating to the sport quickly. The 2019 Australia’s Strongest Man (ASM) Champion, Coraboeuf will now participate in his first-ever World’s Strongest Man (WSM) this coming May. Here’s his complete ledger of strongman work to date:
- 2017 ASM — 3rd overall
- 2018 Arnold Australia (AA) — 10th overall
- 2018 ASM — 2nd overall
- 2019 AA — 11th overall
- 2019 ASM — 1st overall
Peruse Coraboeuf’s general social media presence, and you’ll note one consistent theme — he’s big on representing his native Australia. Not only that, but in achieving his success, the 28-year-old seems to relish a potential opportunity in the limelight.
The only limit to the height of your achievements is the reach of your dreams and your willingness to work for them!
Coraboeuf may soon perhaps break the Australian national log press record of 183 kilograms (403.4 pounds) if all goes well. His all-time log press competition PR — set roughly three years ago at the 2019 AA — is only eight kilograms (17.6 pounds) away from the lofty mark. Such a figure would undoubtedly be a stellar path to put himself on the map further.
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[Related: Strongman Oleksii Novikov Is The 2022 Europe’s Strongest Man]
Lumber Foundations
In some ways, the log press (or log lift) could be one of the genuinely synonymous events of strongman. Whereas many strongman events, like the deadlift, can be trained relatively simply within the gym while relying on high-level conditioning, the log press demands more unconventional attention.
The log has an awkward shape and is cumbersome to handle, regardless of strength. On top of that, pressing the log overhead requires a neutral grip (when an athlete’s palms face one another), which could mean an extra challenge if a person is inexperienced with the position.
The log press first rose to prominence in competition during the early 1980s, mere years after the World’s Strongest Man’s initial inception in 1977.
According to Strongman.org, the first pioneer to elevate the event’s prominent place in the sport was an all-time strongman great, Bill Kazmaier — a three-time WSM Champion (1980, 1981, 1982). It was during the 1980 WSM that Kazmaier hoisted a 157-kilogram log (346.1 pounds), winning the inaugural event while also setting a then-world record.
Since then, many of the world’s top strongmen have built upon Kazmaier’s initial benchmark to varying degrees of success. After a few decades, another strongman legend, Žydrūnas “Big Z” Savickas, held what seemed to be an unimpeachable record with a 228-kilogram log press (502 pounds) notched at the 2015 Força Bruta.
That is until Cheick “Iron Biby” Sanou eclipsed Savickas by one whole kilogram at the 2021 Giants Live World Tour Finals. In recent years, the Giants Live organization has since been the main organizer of the primary log press event — The World Log Lift Championships — though they alternate with the Strongman Champions League.
Only time will tell whether another strongman eventually breaks Sanou’s new log lift boundary. If history is any indication, it might seem foolish to doubt that it never happens again — no matter how long it takes.
On to the WSM
If Coraboeuf wants to continue raising his strongman profile, he could do much worse than finishing some stellar log lifts during the prestigious WSM for the first time. The 2022 WSM will take place on May 24-29, 2022, in Sacramento, CA.
Featured image: @coco_strongman on Instagram
