Imagine that one of your big dreams is to experience a World Championship in the sport that is closest to your heart. That is your dream from childhood. You want to see all the people you admire fight for the great title as the best in the world.

   And finally, a sunny day in May you so succeed to win the Swedish Championship in the sport of your heart, which in this case is armwrestling and will then directly be qualified to the European Championship and the Worlds. You have now not only the possibility to see your idols, but you can also take part!

That summer are you are planting pine and spruce plants with a taste of blood in your mouth as never before, because you know that each plant take you closer to the goal- the armwrestling World Championship in Tokyo.

   In the town people stop you and give you some Swedish crones just to show their support for you. Even the small businessmen in the town, relatives and friends give you contribution of sponsoring, and then more planting- autumn planting!

Every little helps, we use to say, and finally you have the money to the Worldchampion-trip of your dreams to Japan. The excitement is getting stronger!

To go from a small village in Lapland called the Solitude with only 16 inhabitants to a city with millions of people, with a father who is lackingtravel experience, like yourself, is a really big and bewildered experience – the contrast is enormous.

   In the parks the pensioners have morning yoga. The autumn air is raw and the entire big city, which smells rotten fish and urinal, seems to breath expectations.Despite all the new impressions you can’t miss the big reason to that you are in this country- you are here to fight, to compete!

So comes the great day when you are going to take part in the first world championship in your life! Your body begin to prepare itself, the adrenaline begins to accumulate, and your normal mental activity stops and the reptile brain is activated. The instinct of surviving and the fighting embers take over. Now only one thing counts- to fight, use all what you have to 110 %!
 
You are the small unknown European 60kilos girl, who nobody see like a possible concurrent. In the audience you have a tense and nervous father with the video camera poised and in the breast you feel inward peace of the support and security from home.

The competition goes over all expectations and you pull to a final match. The stage lights up and a world champion will be selected. Focused you give everything, the adrenaline spurt, the heart is pounding and believe it or not, but it works! You are winning! World Champion in- 60 kilo, right arm in Tokyo! The year is 1999, you are eighteen and in high spirit! A happening that will change your life has just taken place!

I have just told you about how a squinting kid with straggly teeth and almost bald, with a patch for one eye and big glasses on end and with the trousers full of ants grew up and succeeded with fulfilling her big dream of winning the Worlds in armwrestling.

   An unyielding, tinny little girl with arms like rakes and who rather sucked on hard dog food, then ate real food, a child who in the anger bit off telephone cords and always walked around in long underpants, football socks and with dry soap in her hair.

Not many could  even in their most lively fantasies imagine that I would grow up and become an armwrestler…

Heidi Andersson