Vasyl Virastyuk Leads IFSA World Championships

With rain forcing changes in the program, Vasyl Virastyuk pounded through the first day of the finals at the IFSA World Championships and emerged in first place, followed by Derek Poundstone.

Bad weather forced the competition to be held under a tent, IFSA Managing Director Christian Fennell told IronMind®, as well as the cancellation of two events that had been scheduled for today: the bus pull and the medley.

First up today was the timber carry, using a 290-kg frame, and this event cost two top competitors - Zydrunas Savickas and Michail Koklyaev - a lot of time when they lost their grip on the apparatus when they made the turn, Fennell said. Virastyuk won the timber carry, Andrus Murumets was second and Derek Poundstone, who Fennell said continues to look very impressive, was third.

A 410-kg super yoke was the second event contested today, and Vasyl Virastyuk and Vidas Blekaitus tied for top honors, followed by Derek Poundstone in third place.

Here are the top six places and points after the first day of competition in the 2007 IFSA World Championships finals:

1. Vasyl Virastyuk 23 1/2 points
2. Derek Poundstone 20
3. Vidas Bleikaitus 19 1/2
4. Andrus Muruments/Robert Szczepanski 17 (tie)
6. Zydrunas Savickas 12

The action continues tomorrow and with rain predicted again, Fennell said the contest is likely to resume under the tent, with plans for at least the medley to be added to tomorrow's schedule. The bus pull, which had been hampered by a defective bus, Fennell said, along with the weather, might be dropped from the program.

"I think a lot of people were surprised," Fennell said of today's results, but he added that tomorrow's events should see defending champion Zydrunas Savickas improve his position.

Apparently unruffled by the changes forced by the inclement weather, Fennell said, "What are you going to do" and the show went on regardless.

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