The 32nd Annual White Castle NYC Big Apple Grapple International Arm Wrestling Championships attracted more than 5,000 spectators throughout the day at the New York International Auto Show at the Jacob Javits Center in Manhattan.
Held in the Level 1−Special Events Hall, the event offered show−goers an up−close−and−personal look at some of the world’s top arm−wrestlers, athletes from Brooklyn and beyond, as well as from Canada, Russia, California, Kentucky, Turkey, Brazil, Korea, and Russia.
Arm wrestler Giorgi Gelashvili (pictured), a Brooklyn resident by way of the former Soviet republic of Georgia, took home the prestigious NYC King of Arms honors, defeating the behemoth from West Virginia, Travis Bagent (pictured), who has won more than 50 arm−wrestling championships around the world.
“It feels great,” said Gelashvili, 28, a professional arm−wrestler since 2001 who lives in Sheepshead Bay. “The key is to try to be smart against him.”
The event, which offered more than $5,000 in cash and prizes, included 14 separate categories for pros and amateurs with team competition divided by borough, state, and country.
