Richard Sandrak became famous at the turn of the century with big muscles. Photo: LR/Inside Edition composition
At the age of eight, Ricardus Sandrak, known for his defined musculature and enormous strength, was crowned ‘unfortunate Hercules’ or ‘the strongest boy in the world’. In 2005, the Ukrainian boy became a regular celebrity in media outlets around the world, boasting of having about 1% body fat and being able to lift up to a third of his weight.
Sandrak was born in Ukraine but grew up in Pennsylvania, USA. He was smiling on TV, showing off his abs and biceps, and spreading his legs like Jackie Chan, but according to the documentary “Inside Edition” it wasn’t all happiness.
With a strict diet and an abusive father who ate pizza in front of Richard
His father, Pavel Sandrak, a former MMA champion in Ukraine, forced him to eat vegetables, legumes, cooked fish and all kinds of vegetables. As explained by Frank Giardina, the manager and educator of the minor: “Richard) was never allowed to eat food that other people made, since his parents put him on a strict diet.”
“He was allowed to eat a head of lettuce if he was hungry between meals (…). Unfortunately, Pavel never kept a consistent diet and often ate pizza before his son,” he said in the British media.
Although Sandrak says that the decision to train is completely his: “I was never forced to train or do something against my will (…). My parents used to train all the time and I wanted to join. This was mostly mine. It’s a choice because it’s just me growing up. I was never forced. It was never a question.”
The father was finally caught by the police and finally imprisoned for insulting his wife and mother Richard Lena, who competed in aerobics. He was also almost deported to Ukraine.
What happened to Ricardo Sandrak after he became famous?
Now 30 years old, Richard plays his stuntman role in an action movie. “I’m very proud of my past. It’s not that you don’t want people to know, it’s true that I don’t get stuck in it,” he said.
Sandrak said that for years he was “obsessed” with lifting weights; but he continues physically, although not in the same way as a child. “Now it’s true that I don’t care at all about my body fat index,” he explained.
