A 17-year-old Limerick athlete is a master of bending the elbow – but it has nothing to do with sinking a pint.
Set on a path not just to become an armwrestler par excellence, but to spark the sport in his hometown, Alex Kirichenko’s passion for armwrestling developed in the most unlikely of ways – a defeat.
The young Limerick teen’s interest in armwrestling was sparked after a schoolmate challenged him to a match.
“I lost and I came home and said that I need to do something,” Alex recalled.
That moment set the wheels in motion for a sport that Alex had never seriously considered before, telling the Limerick Post that after his fateful defeat: “I started training, I started researching on YouTube all these different techniques and movements you can do to beat someone.”
Alex’s father, Artem, said that: “After that, Alex started focusing on armwrestling. Watching videos on how to do proper exercises, or who were the best arm wrestlers in the world. He was watching all these Americans, Russians, Europeans, just watching everything.”
Before armwrestling, Alex had no strong interest in sports, his father explained.
During a break between secondary school and university, Alex turned his focus toward armwrestling, diving into it every single day as his passion began to take root.
Alex quickly realised there were no options in Limerick to further his armwrestling journey. Switching gears, he turned to find like-minded wrestlers from beyond Limerick.
After a little searching, Alex joined Leviathan Training in Kilkenny.
His dedication quickly paid off, his father explained, saying that the dedicated Alex competed in his first tournament in Greece, the IFA World Armwrestling Championships, and won a bronze medal in the junior category.
“He won the bronze and then he went for seniors,” says Artem proudly.
Underdog Alex entered the competition without a nation to back him, his father said.
“He had no flag, nothing. He just went, not prepared,” Artem said, adding that Alex was able to borrow an Irish flag from a fellow competitor from Armagh, who was competing for Team UK.
Alex says at first the matches were terrifying, exciting, and humbling. Slowly rising through the ranks among his fellow club members in Kilkenny, Alex says he wasn’t prepared for how strong some of his opponents were in Greece.
Now, Alex will travel to Northern Ireland for additional competitions in the junior league at the start of 2025, and says he’s excited to continue his armwrestling career.
“I think you just have to keep exploring,” Alex says, reflecting on his journey. “You can be in a sport for 10, 20 years, and you’ll always find something new.”
Now, Alex has his sights set on growing the sport in Limerick.
He wants to start an armwrestling club in the city, creating a space for others to share the same passion that transformed his life.
The ambitious young upstart envisions training with a local gym, setting up shop to host casual but regulated armwrestling right here in Limerick.
But for now, he’ll have to travel to Kilkenny to continue taking part in the sport he loves.
