Many of you may remember seeing pictures of these really buff kids on the Internet during the golden age of content — the 2000s. Chances are you thought it was photoshop, and guess what? At least one of them was a real boy!
American bodybuilder of Ukrainian origin, Richard Sandrak, nicknamed “little Hercules,” was named the strongest boy in the world almost two decades ago. And today, you would not be able to recognize him on the street. The little strongman stopped training almost immediately after receiving world recognition.
He is proud of his past, but instead of being a bodybuilder, Richard decided to go for science. Let’s see what the boy, who blew up the Internet with his abs and pecs at 11, looks like today.
Back in 2001, the world was shocked to see a unique 8-year-old bodybuilder whose body fat percentage was under 1%. The schoolboy was eager to show off his bulky muscles and incredible achievements in sports.
Even at that young age, “little Hercules” could easily do hundreds of push-ups and squats. His personal daily routine was 600 push-ups and 300 squats. Aside from that, the boy was strong enough to deadlift 95 kg, which was three times his body weight.
Thanks to his ruthless father, who forced him to follow a strict diet and train almost all day for years, Richard, at the age of 11, received the title of the strongest boy in the world. In the same year, he experienced a family tragedy, witnessing domestic violence against his mother. The boy called the police, and soon after that, his father, Pavel, was put in jail for four years.
In one of his interviews, “little Hercules” admitted that his dad was a real tyrant who deprived him of his childhood, so after his arrest, Richard lost all interest in sports.
In 2015, he said that he is proud of his past but does not want to get stuck in it. Now the Ukrainian-American dreams of becoming a scientist and working at the NASA space station. We are more than certain his big dream will eventually come true, but at the moment, being a badass stuntman will have to suffice. You heard that right, “little Hercules” is done with lifting weights, but he still has the body of a Greek god, so it’s only natural that Hollywood would love to get its hands on the Strongest Boy in the World.
