Man’s genetic disorder makes one arm supersized, helping him become an arm wrestling champion

Charlene Sakoda

A man’s rare genetic bone disorder resulted in his right arm being far bigger than his left. As reported by Australia’s Yahoo7 Sport, 27-year-old Matthias Schlitte used that irregularity to his advantage and became a professional arm wrestling champion. "Everyone has a challenge in life,” Schlitte said. “I'm not a religious guy or anything but this was a gift from a higher power and this was my calling in life."

Schlitte is from Haldensleben, Germany and goes by the pro nickname “Hellboy.” He told 7 Sport, "I first discovered I could use my gift when I was three years of age. We had a family oven at home in Germany and I picked up a rather large bucket of coal for the oven and carried it around for my mother, which was probably very uncommon for a three-year-old." According to the Daily Mail, Schlitte now has a right forearm that measures 46cm (18 in) around.

Schlitte began competing in arm wrestling competitions in 2004 after his mother spotted a flyer at a gas station looking for male arm wrestlers up to 90kg (198 lbs). “I was 16 and I went into this small bar in Haldensleben and I only weighed 65kg (143 lbs),” he said. “All these bigger men were laughing at me, but when I beat them all the men changed from laughing to respect and the rest is history."

7 Sport reports that “Hellboy” has earned eight German national championships,14 international championships, and even beat a specially designed arm wrestling robot. Another notable feat by Schlitte, becoming the youngest ever champion of an international tournament inspired by the arm wrestling movie, Sylvester Stallone’s “Over The Top.”

The arm wrestler has a sense of humor about his unusual arm. He’s been featured in comedic commercials for the Australian company, AEG Powertools, playing up his supersized strength.

Schlitte wouldn’t change anything about himself and is grateful for his life saying, “I have spent 10 years traveling around the world doing what I love.”

Videos and more info: Yahoo7 Sport, Daily Mail, AEG Powertools