by euronews.com —Fifteen-year-old George Bejjani became the youngest contestant to ever win the title in Lebanon’s arm-wrestling championship in the +90kgs category for men. The event crowned winners in different categories including men over 90kgs, men under 90kgs and women.

The championship also brought Lebanon’s 2018 champions head-to-head with Ukrainian champions in two super matches, one featuring male and one featuring female contestants. Ukrainian champion Marina Shulika defeated her Lebanese counterpart Serena Abou Saleh in the women’s super match, while Lebanon’s 2018 champion Maroun Ghanem defeated two-time world champion Mikhail Rudakov. Five women finalists competed for the 2019 title, with 16-year-old Jessica Bejjani crowned champion. She encouraged women to try out the sport, rather than shy away from it. Arm-wrestling in Lebanon had been just a pastime for many years but after establishing a federation and introducing nation-wide competitions, it became a professional sport in the country.