Anthony Wayne Clark (born September 15, 1966 in Philippines - died May 22, 2005 in Friendswood, Texas) was an American powerlifter, holder of the world record for the bench press and member of the York Barbell Hall of Fame.
By the time Clark was 13 he was lifting 110-pound cement weights.[1] In 1986 Clark became the first teenager to bench press 600 pounds, and was notable for using a reverse grip on the bar. In 1992 he was the first lifter to bench press 700 using the reverse grip. On September 25 1993 at the U.S. Powerlifting Federation Northwest Open, Clark broke his own world record with a 735 lb. lift. In May 1993 he had pressed 725 lbs.[2]
After his record breaking lift, Clark often referred to himself as the World's Strongest Man, and toured for a time performing feats of strength. On one occasion he pushed the 6,000 lb. elephant, in a heavy-duty wheelbarrow across the floor in a strongman competition in Japan. In addition to that, Clark gave motivational speeches, seminars and one-on-one counseling to motivate kids and prison inmates to improve their lives. Clark also claimed that he stopped using steroids at the age of 22, stating that all they did was increase his blood pressure.[3]
At the Arnold Schwarzenegger Classic in 1997, he performed an 800-pound bench press. [4] This was more than 2 years before Tim Isaac would break the 800 pound mark at a sanctioned meet. [5]
Anthony Clark died on May 22, 2005 of a heart attack and subsequent kidney failure and is buried at Forest Park East Cemetery in Webster, Texas. [4][6]