The Top 15 Pullers of the 2000s (WoMen)
While North Americans dominated the sport through the 1980s, the tide began to turn in the 1990s when armwrestling was spreading around the world at an accelerated pace. North American women still took up two thirds of the spots on the list of the top 15 pullers of that decade, but Europeans made up the balance. This trend continued into the first decade of the 21st century. Among the Top 15 Female Pullers of the 2000s (the period between 2000 and 2009), two thirds are European. Remarkably, three of the women who appear on the list of the top pullers of the 1990s are also on the list of the top pullers of the 2000s.
The pullers who made this list were selected based on my analysis of major tournament results from the first decade of the 2000s. These events include many professional tournaments as well as various National, Continental, and World Championships: the events that typically attracted the best competitors. The level of competition at the World Armwrestling Federation (WAF) World Championships increased significantly over the course of the decade, and thus WAF World titles figured heavily in my analysis. The results from most of these tournaments can be found here.
Who were the top 15 female pullers of the 2000s? In my opinion, they were the following…
The pullers who made this list were selected based on my analysis of major tournament results from the first decade of the 2000s. These events include many professional tournaments as well as various National, Continental, and World Championships: the events that typically attracted the best competitors. The level of competition at the World Armwrestling Federation (WAF) World Championships increased significantly over the course of the decade, and thus WAF World titles figured heavily in my analysis. The results from most of these tournaments can be found here.
Who were the top 15 female pullers of the 2000s? In my opinion, they were the following…
#15 - Margie Worden (Ciaccio)
American Margie Worden (Ciaccio) was one of the top pullers of the 1990s and her success continued into the 2000s. During the first decade of the millennium, she accumulated more than 20 senior division national titles, five titles as the prestigious Arnold Classic, and a Ruler of the Nation title.
#14 - Jocilene Bassanelli
Winning a single world title during would be the highlight of most pullers’ careers – winning six of them within a span of six years is a whole different level of success. This is what Brazil’s Jocilene Bassanelli did between 2002 and 2008 at the World Armsport and World Armwrestling World Championships. She won a senior division super heavyweight title with her left hand and five of them with her right.
#13 - Anzhela Enaldieva
Russia’s Anzhela Enaldieva is from a family of world champions: her older sister Regina won several WAF world titles and her father Aslanbek was also a world champion. She did not compete for a long period of time, but during the middle of the decade, she was quite dominant. Just in 2005 and 2006, she won four European and four WAF world titles with both arms in the senior division in the always competitive 70 kg class.
#12 - Barb Zalepa (Schlegel)
The second puller to appear both on the list of the top pullers of the 1990s and the top pullers of the 2000s is Canadian Barb Zalepa (Schlegel). A bit less active during the 2000s, she primarily focussed her attention on money tournaments. While she did attend the WAF World Championships in 2002 (where she won a world title), she won many other major titles including two Arnold Classic titles, three Mike Gould Classic titles, a title at the huge All-Niagara Championships in 2002, and a title at the Ultimate Armwrestling Championships in Las Vegas in 2005 (the biggest pro tournament in North America of the first decade). It is believed that her only losses during the decade against someone in her weight class were to Heidi Andersson (who also figures on this list).
#11 - Ekaterina Larina
Ekaterina Larina was another successful Russian puller during the 2000s. Most often competing in the 60 kg class, she won five senior division world titles at World Armsport and World Armwrestling Championships between 2003 and 2009. She got stronger as the decade went on: she won four European titles between 2007 and 2009 and won titles with both arms at the 2009 Nemiroff World Cup (Europe’s most prestigious professional tournament).
#10 - Diana Albegova
She may have only weighed 50 kg, but there was a lot of power in Diana Albegova’s arms. The slender Russian amassed a total of five WAF world titles and nine European titles between 2003 and 2009. She also won titles with both arms at the inaugural World Challenge in 2009: an invitational tournament intended to identify the very best female pullers on the planet.
#9 - Liliya Khamidullina
Russia’s Liliya Khamidullina was a major force in the super heavyweight division starting around the middle of the decade. Between 2004 and 2006 she won five WAF world titles. But her success wasn’t limited to just these few years: she finished the decade in style, winning two European titles and another WAF world title in 2009.
#8 - Irina Gladkaya
Whether competing in the 60 kg, 65 kg, or 70 kg class, Russia’s Irina Gladkaya was a consistent performer during the second half of the decade, a period during which she won three senior division European titles and six WAF world titles!
#7 - Joyce King
Canada’s Joyce King’s muscles weren’t just for show: they were tremendously strong. Most associated with the 80 kg class, between 2003 and 2007 she won six senior division WAF world titles at this weight. She also travelled to many of the biggest pro tournaments in North America, where she usually finished at the top of the podium. During the decade she won titles at the All-Niagara Championships, the World Wristwrestling Championship, the Harley Pull, the Arnold Classic, and the Ultimate Armwrestling Championships in Las Vegas. And, she won an incredible five titles at the Mike Gould Classic!
#6 - Viktoriia Iliushyna
The sole Ukrainian to be featured on this list, Viktoriia Iliushyna experienced great success throughout the decade. Typically competing in the 55 kg class, she won an amazing six WAF world titles, five European titles and four Nemiroff World Cup titles between 2002 and 2008. In 2008 she accomplished a truly remarkable feat: she won European titles with both arms, world titles with both arms, and Nemiroff World Cup titles with both arms!
#5 - Heidi Andersson
To say Sweden’s Heidi Andersson’s right arm was strong during the 2000s would be an understatement. During the first decade of the millennium she won more senior division right arm WAF world titles than any other woman: six in all between 2000 and 2009. Typically competing in the 60 kg or 65 kg class, she attended the biggest professional tournaments of the era. She took first at the 2005 Ultimate Armwrestling Las Vegas tournament and also won her class at the inaugural World Challenge in 2009 – the toughest women’s tournament at the time.
#4 - Gabriela Vasconcelos
Brazil’s Gabriela Vasconcelos experienced success in arwmrestling almost immediately upon her entry into the sport at the age of 12. She won six junior division WAF world titles (combined World Armsport Federation and World Armwrestling Federation) and ten senior division WAF world titles before the age of 20! She won gold medals with both arms in the senior division five years in a row between 2003 and 2007 - more senior division WAF world titles than any other woman during the decade.
#3 - Egle Vaitkute
Lithuania’s Egle Vaitkute won her first senior division WAF world title at the age of 16 in 2001, and by the end of the decade she was arguably the best left-handed female armwrestler on the planet. She racked up five senior division WAF world titles and eight European titles along the way. In 2008 she won European and World titles in the 80 kg class with both arms! She repeated this feat in 2009 and that year she also won titles with both arms at the World Challenge tournament.
#2 - Vika Gabakova
Vika Gabakova was the top puller of the 1990s and her success continued into the 2000s. She won WAF world titles with both arms in the super heavyweight class in 2000, 2001, and 2002, at which point she decided to retire from the sport. By this point she had won WAF world titles with both arms 9 years in a row and had nothing left to prove!
#1 - Irina Makeeva
Russia’s Irina Makeeva’s performances between 2000 and 2009 were simply astonishing. During the first half of the decade, she competed in the European Championships where she won junior division titles with both arms four years in a row (between the ages of 15 and 18). In 2004 she started competing in the senior division and proceeded to win an additional 11 European titles by the end of the decade! By the time she started attending the WAF World Championships in 2007, she was more than ready: she won with both arms that year, as well as in 2008 and 2009. In 2009 she also competed in the World Challenge, where she won her weight class with both arms, and also won the right hand overall title, despite only weighing 70 kg. For this accomplishment she was bestowed the title of “The Best Female Armwrestler in the World”.
Written by Eric Roussin