Nicknamed Small Hercules , Richard Sandrak 33, was known as the strongest boy in the world in the 1990s. At 5, he was exercising for eight hours every day. At 8, he had defined abdomen, sculpted pectorals and could lift his own body weight in the bench press.
However, the Ukrainian revealed that it was forced to maintain intense routine To reach an unnatural physique and, as a result, had “dangerously low levels of body fat.” Deprived of having a natural childhood, he decided to expose Violence and Abuse who suffered and then disappeared from the spotlight.
“When people talk about a childhood memory, it’s usually positive. I can’t identify with it. For me, it was something daily – I suffered my father’s physical and emotional abuse,” he told in an interview with the British newspaper Metro.
“My father often had anger access, and what started as a normal workout ended up with me making a triple kick for 12 hours in a row. I will never forget that, because it was extremely exhaustive and emotionally heavy. There was more often than I can tell you a simple training session turned into an intense kidnapping situation,” he compared.
Richard competed in bodybuilding contests and quickly became a global phenomenon. Despite the intense routine, he explained that at the time I didn’t know something was wrong. “That’s how I was raised. I had nothing to compare. I didn’t have a friend to tell me, ‘This is not normal, we don’t live that way.’
“My father was very abusive. I learned early in not asking to stop. You crack your teeth and keep doing what they send,” he added. The only positive point, according to Richard, is that when he traveling or appearing on television, his father Pavel Sandrak had to “treat him right.”
In 2003, the Richard’s father was arrested After assaulting his wife, Lena, and deported to Ukraine. “Us [ele e a irmã mais nova, Anastasia] We didn’t grow up knowing that we could call the police. I was very afraid to take this drastic step. But the abuse was getting worse and I just remember sitting next to the phone, trying to make that decision. I called, I asked them not to call the sirens, and they came and took it. Since then, it has been like breathing fresh air, ”he said.
At 11, his life began to get a little more normal. Without his father around, he could try different types of food, go to school and have friends. Even though he had left his bodybuilding at age 16, the former athlete still feels significant joint pain as a result of his abusive childhood.
In adulthood, Richard suffered from alcoholism And drank at least one bottle of tequila a day, as the newspaper said. However, the former physiculturist has been sober for over a year. Today, he lives in Los Angeles with his girlfriend and cats Miko and Mushu. He is a retail manager and has had professions such as stingers and chef.
“Quiet on Show”: Drake Bell reports abuse in a new documentary
This content was originally published in “Little Hercules”: Former Mirim Physiculture describes abuse and new life on CNN Brazil.
Source: CNN Brasil
I am an experienced journalist and writer with a career in the news industry. My focus is on covering Top News stories for World Stock Market, where I provide comprehensive analysis and commentary on markets around the world. I have expertise in writing both long-form articles and shorter pieces that deliver timely, relevant updates to readers.
