Robert Bednarski

:: 2/3/2024: Alan Holvey, boulder co, usa
Who would hve known that 1973 would be the final time that American weightlifting's two best lifters ever completed lifting in a meet. Yes, it was the finaltime for both Rick Holbook as wellas Bob Bednarski ever cmpeted. Sure bob competed once more in 1976 but did not even tosl. I mysellf was associated with Bob Hisee II's lifting lub. His son Bob III himelf had his own problems.

:: 1/31/2024: AJAX, , USA
How fortunate we all are to have your professional diagnosis as a trained and qualified doctor of psychology or psychiatry to determine a persons mental fitness. Everyone is entitled to their opinion but should ask themselves if their printed statements and judgments will help anything. I don't want to say anything more on this subject. Let's just let it go. I'm going to just let it go

:: 1/30/2024: Alan Holvey, Boulder Co, USA
I am soorry if I angered anyone but i believe that the truth should be told. Bob Bednarski obviously had drug as well as sex problems which eventually ended his lifting carrier. To not mention those fscts just leve total blank spo in understnding why he only lifted one time three yers after his last contest in 1973. Tokeepquiet I feeldoes a diservice to the lifting community iself.

:: 1/29/2024: AJAX, , USA
You should just print a retraction and an apology in comments. Everyone makes mistakes I'm sure most reasonable people will forgive you both. I'm sorry that I told you guys to fuck off. That was wrong of me it very easy to say I'm sorry when ityou sincerely mean it

:: 1/29/2024: AJAX, , USA
Too bad Holvey it's still only alligations how you you like it if you were smeared without going through legal process I'm not saying he did bad or or not I don't know for SURE neither do you

:: 1/26/2024: Alan Holvey, Boulder o, USA
tAlso look up Marty Gallager's column on Paul Grippaldi where he says that Bob bdnarski was thrown out of Yorl plus banned fdue to a sex crime right after the end of the 1973 Senior Nationals. Yes, it is alltrue.

:: 1/25/2024: Alan Holvey, Boulder Co, usa
AjaX; i just read your comment. i imediaty loked up bob bednarsky and came upwith an article by bill star article-Te york Barbell series Exhibitions IV. Please look it up. AlsoJames Farr in his article on york BarbrllsttethtBob was kicked out of York following the end of the 1973 senior Nationls. Suposidly he was banned from lifting after the meet. It is all there.

:: 1/15/2024: AJAX, , USA
Hey Holvey and focacci your third hand information about bednarski is slander and grossly defamatory. You don't know shit. Bednarski is not here to defend himself. You two have no credibility at all so fuck off

:: 4/20/2023: Mark Focacci , mfocacci@yahoo.com CT, United States
Mr. Holvey, Morris Weissbrott told me the same thing. He said that was the reason that Bednarski got booted from York Barbell and was suspended after he won the Seniors in 1973. I competed in a meet in 1975 and Bednarski was trying to sell porn mags and photos in the warm up room. He seemed like a nice guy, but was definitely 'different '.

:: 6/27/2021: Scott Duchesneau, Reno Nevada, United States
If anyone is interested in Bob's life in his last years you can email me. He lived at my dad's house for a time and worked for my dad, who also coached him.

:: 6/6/2021: Alan Holvey, Boulder Colo, USA
Sorry, I meant to say little boys and girls. Yes it is entirely true.

:: 6/4/2021: Alan Holvey, Boulder Colorado, USA
The one thing that has rarely even been referred to is Bob's sex addiction. Years ago Bob Hise III would vagely refer to his observations back at York in the late 1960's. Little girls and little girls were involved to a great extent. So many knew of it and said and did nothing. Crazy times.

:: 9/2/2017: ted neville, , ireland
Rob , That's a great answer to all my questions from an eye-witness and one that never seemed to be published as Bob was 'dissappeared ' from the media ? Indeed I had heard of the kitchen table incident story ... we'll probably never know the truth of that but at least we now have a lifting final chapter . thanks Ted

:: 2/26/2017: Rob, Del Mar Ca, USA
I saw Bob left at the 1976 Philly Open. He bombed with a 155kg snatch. He weighed 270 and was looking great with mustache and beard. He told me he was planning to weigh 300 pounds for the Olympics in Montreal . He clean and jerked 200kg and then cleaned 215kg three times yes they gave him an extra attempt and he missed the jerk out front every time. I believe this was his last competition. He did finally clean 500 pounds training, heard it was an ugly clean but still 500 pounds. One story that did not sound too believable was that an accident in the kitchen with hot oil spilled over his legs and did his comeback. The other story was that the heavy training just broke his body down. I was at the 76 Montreal Olympics. I believe a 390 KG total would have given him the overall bronze. RIP Bob Bednarski, 'The ninth wonder of the world'

:: 1/29/2017: James Akard, Waterford CA, United States
Bednardki and many others of that era or my hero's God bless them all

:: 6/19/2016: ted neville, cork , ireland
Could anyone explain the mystery of Bob's disappearance from lifting. I have a picture of him from Strength and Health jerking at the 1976 Phillie Open when I assume he was starting a final bid to get to the the Olympics.The scoreboard says 215 kg. - a very respectable weight , though he had earlier bombed in the snatch and there had been some reported difficulties with the organisers in his continuing at all. It looked like he was well on track to achieve a qualifying total for Montreal but then there's no further mention of him. Was that Phillie Open in fact his last contest ? Thanks Ted

:: 5/29/2015: Alan Holvey, Boulder Colo, USA
I only met Bob briefly at the 1965 Senior Ntionals in Culver City. Anyway even though this was his last meet as a midheavy I believe, but he told me at the time that he would soon be world champion. No doubt it whatsoever. At the time he could have played the part of Superman. This was backstage the night before he was to lift, but it was obvious even then that it was his mental state of mind that was the main factor in his later success. Understand that at this time, having to diet down to 198 that he was only a very promising lifter at the time. This is before he finally went up to superheavy-over 198 pounds at the time as that was all there was. Again it was not the words that Bob said to me at the time. No it was the total and complete sinsarity of the way he said it that still sticks in my mind today-soon to be 50 years ago.

:: 1/29/2013: Lee Murray, Salem Oregon, USA
I saw Bob at the Nationals in Culver city, Calif i think that was 1970. He passed me in the isle when he was heading out side. He had a big smile as he passed by. Gary Glenny and Bob deulled it out on the press or clean and jerk. I don't remember. Bob Hise senior was coaching me along with his son at the time at the temporary YMCA in the Los Angelos athletic club.

:: 6/22/2012: RF Johns, Cambridge , Canada
What a great guy always friendly to meet and welcome you.I met him at pre-Olympic tournament in 1975. Back in 1968 us lifters really thought that he could take the gold in Mexico Olympics using his superb ability in clean and jerk and as everyone knows he ended up as an alternate.It is alleged that he clean and jerked 500 in warm up room in Mexico.I don't know how he died heart attack I don't know but he was only 60!

:: 12/2/2011: RICHARD WOOD, FAIRFIELD CA, U S A
THIS WEBSITE BRINGS BACK SOME OF THE BEST MEMORIES OF MY YOUTH.. ALL OF MY HEROES ARE HERE.. IT'S SAD TO SEE GUYS LIKE BOB BEDNARSKI HAVE PASSED. AND NOW ALEXEEV. I HAVE ALMOST EVERY ISSUE OF STRENGTH & HEALTH MAGAZINE, AND A LOT OF MUSCLE/FITNESS UP TILL ABOUT 1989. I LIFTED FROM AGE 13 TO NOW, AGE 59, I STILL LOOK THROUGH MY OLD MAGS, OFTEN, MAY GOD BLESS YOU BOB, AND ALL OF THE OTHER GREAT WEIGHTLIFTERS WHO ARE GONE NOW...

:: 5/29/2011: johnathon bednarski, woonsocket ri, usa
im happy to see that he was well respected and seeing these post and pic of him made my cry again its been awhile im family Robert bednarski sons son im 21 years of age now and i hope one day i will become half the man he became i love and miss u

:: 10/18/2010: Tim Manigan, townsend ma, usa
I gew up in Woonsocket, RI, and Bob and his brother came from nearby North Smithfield. I ended up becoming a pretty good body builder during my high school years, but it was largely because Bob, who worked out in those days at the Central Falls RI Weightlifting Club would often show up at the Woonsocket YMCA to workout and taught me how to build great strength by doing heavy squats and other things Bob was doing for his own training. I remember him hanging out with Jerry Ferelli, another outstanding weightlifting athlete, and they had a great and positve impact on my life. At 63, I still go to the local Y and remember the things Bob taught me. He was a truly great guy and I am happy to have known him.

:: 2/13/2010: Paul OHearn, Ridgeland SC, USA
Iwas 14 years old and Bob was 16 when I first met him in February 1960, It was just a chance meeting and actually I was more impressed with the lift of his younger brother Gary than I was of Bob, but he had beaten Dave Mason who at that time was nationaly ranked and Bob wasn't, but over the next 15 or 16 years we became very close. I actually was his 2nd at the last meet he lifted in. Whats the meaning of being his 2nd. Well as always Joe Mills was the coach, but Joe was not feeling good so he told me to take care of Bob during the meet. I don't recall a meet that I worked harder at than this one but, I loved it I was working with my friend. If my memory serves me right this was the first meet that Gary Valentine put on. It was a great gathering of life time friends and I shall go to my grave with the fond memories of this met

:: 12/18/2009: Art Lamb, Plymouth MA, USA
My greatest memory was at the 1968 Olympic Tryouts when Bob racked 490 twice in an attempt to beat Joe Dube and Ernie Pickett but was unable to get up with the weight to attempt the jerk.

:: 5/24/2008: Mel Arnold, Cincinnati Ohio, USA
In 1970, I was an 18-year old small-time lifter but big-time Olympic weightlifting fan from Hamilton, Ohio. Imagine my excitement when I learned that the 1970 World Championships were going to be held right up the road in Columbus. I made the trip to see the middle-heavy session. I saw Grippaldi take the silver on bodyweight. I saw Kolotov take the gold with some unbelieveable feats of strength. As I remember it, on his 2nd Clean & Jerk attempt, he practically power-cleaned 396 pounds. My greatest anticipation that year, though, was the head-to-head match-up between our guy Bob Bednarski and Jan Talts of the Soviet Union in the Heavyweight division. The American/Soviet rivalry was huge at the time. Probably at it's pinnacle. With fingers crossed, we waited for Bednarski to not only take the gold, but possibly crash the 500 pound clean & jerk threshold. As history would have it, Talts had more than a little to say in the matter as Bednarski settled for the bronze. Nonetheless, the name Bob Bednarski is still a household word in the minds of Olympic weightlifting fans in the 50+ age group. To this day, someone always brings up the name Bednarski when I get together with my old weightlifting buds from back in the day. I was saddened to learn on your website that Bob has passed on. His memory, though, will still live on in the memories of those of us who were fans and followers of the sport in the 60's and 70's.

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