‘Little Hercules’ who was once ‘world’s strongest boy’ now wants to be a quantum scientist for NASA
While many of us have baby pictures we cringe over, one kid had been given quite the accolade of being the 'world's strongest boy' at just eight-years-old.
Once named 'Little Hercules', Richard Sandrak, now looks totally unrecognisable and has since made the decision to change his life path quite a bit.
Sandrak, now 30, first rose to fame back in the early 2000s as a young child for having incredibly developed muscles and impressive body strength at such a young age.
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Before he had even reached adolescence, he was hailed as the 'world's strongest boy' after being able to lift up to three times his own body weight.
Not only was Sandrak incredibly strong for his age, but was also extremely flexible and used this in martial arts, like karate.
Unfortunately, the fame was followed by controversy, after allegations circulated that the then child had a dangerously low body fat percentage at just one per cent, the Mirror reported.
According to Men's Journal, having such a low body fat percentage can result in some pretty serious health issues; some of which include being prone to serious heart problems, getting sick a lot, and weakened muscles.
However, Sandrak has since stated that he is no longer interesting in bodybuilding.
Working as a stuntman at the Universal Studios Hollywood Waterworld show as of 2015, it's clear that Sandrak's life has taken quite a different direction since being acclaimed as the 'world's strongest boy'.
Talking to Inside Edition in 2015, he revealed: "I don't lift weights anymore.
"People tried to make seem to be some of freak of nature - there are many kids that have a similar physique."
The news outlet also reported that Sandrak's father, Pavel, went to prison for domestic violence for beating his wife when Sandrak was just 11-years-old.
"That's when (he) cut all ties with his dad and stopped bodybuilding," the news outlet said.
In the same interview, he also went on to reveal what adulthood now looks like for the grown-up 'world's strongest boy'.
"No, I don't lift weights. If anything it just got boring. I’m very proud of my past," he stated.
"It’s not something I don’t want people to know anymore, it’s just that I’m not going to be stuck living in it."
Instead, Sandrak revealed that his dream job was to be one of the further things from a bodybuilder, as he dreams of becoming 'quantum scientist, more specifically, an engineer for NASA'.
When asked if that goal could become an actual reality, he responded: "Absolutely, there's no reason it couldn't be."
Rhiannon Ingle