A selection of stories and heros from days gone by..
Combie Cryan - Creator of WPUC
Former model, rocket scientist curer of blind, crippled and mute orphans and all round 'great guy', Combie Cryan is the creator of the World Push Up Championships and lifetime president of the the World Push Ups Federation. He is consulted on Push Ups and winning techniques by CEOs, presidents, popes and death row inmates. He is a friend to all who meet him incl all the birds in the sky and all the fishes in the sea. Combie is Push Ups.
Seamus Brophy - 1895, 1897, 1901,
Fellow opposite is Seamus Brophy who took the world title in a rigged event in Amsterdam against NZ's own Michael 'The Machine' Campbell in 1895. The Irish have dominated the event ever since and despite rumors of rigging and substance (well alcohol really) abuse, its been difficult to take it off 'em ever since.
Brophy's life ended tragically when he used the millions earned in push ups winnings to buy tulip farms, ostrich farms and dot coms start ups in 1928. By 1931 he was forced to return to the push ups world but by then the Germans had begun breeding uber-push up wunder kinder and Brophy never regained the title. He finished his life in obscurity, living in Alice Springs running the Australasian Branch of the Gaelic Athletic Association.
Tom McKay - 1936-38, 1946 - 55 and 1962
The title didn't return to NZ until Lower Hutt born Tom McKay took out the title as a 29 year old in 1936 when he beat the German machine Manfred Von Pressoff in a nailbiter in Berlin. It is believed that Jessie Owens based his Olympic 100m winning training regime on some tips Tom had provided him in Berlin that year.
Tom regained the title each year thereafter until 1938 when he took a a break to set up an electrical business in Dargaville, Northland. When the war ended Tom went back to push ups (but kept the electrical business going) and held the title for 10 more years from 1946 to 1955.
With 13 titles under his belt, Tom retired a legend in the sport in 1955. Tom was tempted out of retirement only once, in a triumphant return to the sport in 1962 when he beat the Russian man mountain Yuri Pressupovic in a tense stand off in Havana, Cuba. McKay was granted the freedom of Miami by JFK for his services to nuclear disarmament. McKay's famed quote of 'there was only one set of guns in Havana while I was there' had JFK smirking in admiration
Tom IS push ups, he still bangs em out at a rate of 24 every morning and he is the patron of the 2009 event.
Tom - we salute you.
Brian 'The Kid' Dunne - 1976
Brian 'the Kid' Dunne is the youngest ever push ups champion. He took out the title at the tender age of 16 years and 42 days on 11 July 1976. The Kid comes from a long line of Push Up greats from the roughest part of inner city Dublin - Donnybrook. In fact his grandfather Phil 'the Duke' Dunne was champion in 1931. The Kid's father Paddy 'The Prince' Dunne was a four time runner up and some said the worst day of the Prince's life when the Kid took out that title at the first attempt. The Kid proved unable to deal with the pressure of holding the title. He took to the drink and the women and weighed in at a legendary 25 stone when losing his title to Sean 'Marion' Lake in a walkover in 1977. The Kid spiraled out of control form most of the 70s and 80s and was said to be writing a book about his life. The book was never published. Today the Kid lives in relative obscurity in Johnsonville, New Zealand but he still has mixed memories of that day
