Andriy Pushkar Bio: Career, Death & Net Worth

Andriy Pushkar was a famous Ukrainian arm-wrestler. He was loved and cherished by the locals for his warm personality.

The professional wrestler has won many honors and championships in his glorious career. Besides, the fans will never forget him for giving back to the community.

Further, he has had an inspiring journey to the top, dominating the entire decade in the 110 kg+ categories.

Likewise, late Pushkar had memorable wins against some of the biggest names in the scene.

In this article, you will find more information about the player. So, let’s dig deeper into Pushkar’s early life and other information.

Also, here are some quick facts about the player before we head any further into the details.

Quick Facts

Andriy Pushkar| Early Life and Background

On August 6, 1985, Andriy Pushkar was born in Kremenets, Ukraine. He was the son of Anatoliy Pushkar, a native Ukrainian.

However, there is not much information about his personal life and childhood. Yet, Pushkar recalled his background naturally pushed his interests to lift.

But his passion for picking up this sport can be traced back to his father.

Pushkar grew up in an “athletic household,” as he described it. The late athlete’s father participated in a variety of martial arts events.

Not to mention, his father was the arm-wrestling champion of the local hometown.

Hence, Pushkar was interested in sports from an early age. Similarly, he dedicated himself to athletics at the age of 11.

He had watched Arnold Schwarzenegger in the film “Commando,” which had a huge impact on him.

From father to Pushkar

Pushkar would often watch his father’s game with his family members. And he would sit on the benches, watching the games that he hoped to one day dominate.

Since his father was a champion, the duo would often spar. Thus, this hobby served as training for him indirectly.

Consequently, when he was 12, he started getting tougher to beat. Additionally, the arm wrestler discovered that he was good at it and had a good time doing it.

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Andriy Pushkar | Career

Early Steps

Pushkar’s first sport was weightlifting, also known as powerlifting. Further, his father believed it was the sport to start if one was new to arm-wrestling.

His father saw signs of a dominant arm-wrestler in Andrey Pushkar. However, he advised him to stick to lifting weights for the time.

Thus, Pushkar started participating in local competitions where he won his first-ever competition in his hometown.

He lifted the deck 52 times in the “Cossack Fun” competition. It was his father throughout his career who inspired and coached him.

Similarly, his father would confidently say that this son was the strongest. His father’s belief in him developed a burning passion for Pushkar.

Early Professional Career 

Despite starting his career lifting weights, Pushkar adapted to arm-wrestling easily. Eventually, he defeated his father at the age of 14.

By the age of 17, he was competing in European Championships. In 2003, Pushkar came second in the heavyweight division of the EAF Championship.

This win was his first-ever championship medal. But, there are no records of his participation in the 2003 World Championships.

Continuing to develop his mechanics was his main priority throughout the following year. He had high hopes for the 2004 EAF European Championship.

Consequently, he came first in the Men’s Senior Left Hand 110+ Kg category.

Also, he secured second in the 2004 World Championships in both the Men’s Right and Left 110+ KG category.

In 2005, Pushkar secured the third position in both categories of Men’s Masters 100 Kg in Europe. 

Then, he secured first in the 2006 World Championships in the right-hand category. And the arm wrestler even finished third in the Men’s 100kg+ left-hand class.

Consistent Steps 

Pushkar started the 2007 EAF European Championship with a bang. He finished first in both the hand categories in the Men’s Seniors 110 Kg. In addition, Pushkar performed impressively at the World Championship too.

He finished second in the Senior Men Left +110 Kg category. But, he secured the gold in the Senior Men Hand +110 Kg category.

Watch some of the highlights of Andrey Pushkar in his glory >>

Similarly, he dominated the World Championships too. He won both the hand categories for Men 110 kg in 2008 and 2009 consecutively.

However, he dominated the 2010 and 2011 World Championships and swept the top position. He finished first in the Left and Right Men’s 110+ kg category.

Wrap Up (2013)

Pushkar dominated the 2013 EAF European Championship securing the first position. He bagged the gold medal in both Senior Men Left +110 Kg categories.

However, there are no records of European and World Championship appearances after 2013.

The only appearances recorded were the A1 Russian Open’s Absolute class. In the finals, Pushkar defeated Denis Cyplenkov 3-0 to claim the top spot.

Similarly, Pushkar defeated his rivals of the highest class, John Brzenk and Farid Osmanli.

Likewise, the 2015 Ukrainian Championship and the Golden Tour tournament were both won by him.

Then, he was crowned World Heavyweight Champion in 2016. He even defeated Kazakhstan’s Dmitry Trubin.

Andriy Pushkar | Idols and Inspiration

Pushkar recalls his father taking him to the gym to work out. His father was 50 years old, while Pushkar was just 11. 

Pushkar dedicated all of his victories to him. Similarly, he admired John Brzenk as an arm-wrestler athlete. John was the Absolute World Champion despite only weighing 100 kg. His athletic nature was impressive.

Also, at the age of 50, he was still competing against the world’s best arm wrestlers. For more than 30 years, he has ranked at the top of the world ratings. His work rate often reminded Pushkar of his father.

Further, John is regarded as the “Greatest Arm Wrestler.” And Pushkar believes there is no debate about that.

Andriy Pushkar | Accident and Cause of Death

Andrey Pushkar was killed in a traffic accident on November 14, 2018. He drove in the Rivne region with Oleg Zhokh and Oleg’s father.

The driver of the Citroen car lost control. Then, he drove into the oncoming lane and collided with a truck, according to preliminary reports.

The van’s driver was taken to a medical facility in critical condition due to the crash. The driver’s 50-year-old father and a 33-year-old, Andrey Pushkar, were in the cabin.

Both of them died, and Oleg Zhokh went into a coma for ten days.

Andriy Pushkar | Honoring his achievements

The death of Andriy Pushkar saddened his hometown of Kremenets, Ukraine. However, everyone in the local city loved him. Despite winning multiple competitions, Pushkar always stayed humble.

Thus, Kremenets admired Andrei Pushkar, cherished him, but eventually lost him. Hence, the people of Kremenets wanted to make Pushkar’s legacy immortal.

Therefore, the locals of Kremenets wanted to rename one of the streets after him.

This movement got a lot of support. Consequently, the government representatives also proposed renaming one of the city streets. The idea was presented to the deputy of the city council of Kremenets.

As of writing this article, the petition has been posted on the city council’s website.

Accordingly, everyone from the city has supported the movement. Yet, the government body has decided to survey the locals patiently.

We hope his legacy is cemented in one way or another in honor of the great Champion.

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Is Andriy Pushkar Married? | Know About His Marital Status

Yes, the Ukrainian athlete was married to Svetlana Pushkar. He regarded his wife as the source of light throughout his life. The couple had a baby boy a few years into the marriage.

According to several sources, Svetlana was also an athlete in her prime. Similarly, he has made lots of public appearances with his wife.

Likewise, the couple posted a lot of photos together on Instagram. Regardless, Pushkar always maintained the distance between his professional and personal life. 

Yet, we do know Svetlana was active in social services. She and Pushkar led an active movement named “Pushkar Team School.”

The idea was to provide low-income refugees with free gym and self-defense training. Additionally, they motivated people with disabilities to work out for free in their gym.

Furthermore, even after the accident, she was busy raising funds for the crash survivor. Oleg Zhokh has always been grateful for her gesture.

Svetlana has always been known for her unselfish nature. She’s always thought about the people as a whole.

We can only hope she continues on this path for the betterment of humanity.

Andriy Pushkar | Age, Height, and Training

Andriy Pushkar achieved massive success in the local and international arm-wrestling scene. It is a sport that requires endurance, strength, and power.

Thus, Pushkar has the body to prove it. He has an athletic body with remarkable flexibility and strength in his hands.

According to his process, Pushkar’s training took place three times a week for 1.5-2 hours. Also, the athlete attempted to eat more vegetable protein than animal protein in his diet.

However, Pushkar passed away at the early age of 33. He was part of a fatal accident.

Similarly, the athlete is tall and stands at an astonishing height of 6’4″ (1.92 m) and weighs around 125 kg (276 lbs).

Likewise, the arm size of Pushkar is estimated to be around 45cm, and the biceps is about 50cm.

Additionally, he has learned his tall feature to an advantage. Over time, he’s gathered various techniques to make his hands stronger.

Furthermore, he needed to maintain his weight close to the 120s. Accordingly, Andriy was required to keep his weight close to the category he looked to compete.

From his pictures, it was clear that he had kept himself fit to be constantly playing. As a result, Pushkar had Biceps and Forearms measuring 19.7 inches and 17.7 inches.

Andriy Pushkar | Net Worth & Earnings

As a professional arm wrestler, Andriy Pushkar accounts for much of his net worth. However, the Ukrainian had been successful in sports and ranked among the best.

He dominated the EAF European Competitions for a decade in the 100 kgs category. Likewise, he consistently finished top at the World Championships between 2004-2012.

However, there is no exact information on his net worth and salary. Research says that the average prize pool for arm wrestling has ranged per year.

It was around 5000$ in the 2000s and raised to $100,000 in 2014. So, it is estimated that his net worth stands at $3 million. Also, his salary amount is expected to be in the millions.

Andriy Pushkar | Social Media

Pushkar was frequently seen posting on social media platforms. 

However, as of writing this article, he doesn’t have any social media except Instagram.

Nonetheless, we hope the late athlete continues to have an active social media account. So, his fans could reach out to him and show them their love and support.

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Queries on Andriy Pushkar

Who was the last person to record a win against Andriy Pushkar?

Dmitry Trubin was the last person to register a tournament win against Andriy Pushkar.

Was Andriy Pushkar a part-time coach?

Yes, he used to coach young children in his gym on the first floor.