Ukrainian Vitaliy Ponomarenko Dead At 33

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Create: 02/05/2008 - 15:35
Author: admin
(updated 2/6) Ukrainian bench competitor Vitaliy Ponomarenko, 220, has died at the age of 33. Ponomarenko holds the second highest bench press at 220 with a 782 pound press. The reported cause of death is sepsis.

Comments

Submitted by mastermonster on
No excuses! Just lift it! I'm very sorry to hear that. He was a very talented bencher. Rest in peace Vitaliy. My prayers go out to his family and friends. Much to young!

Submitted by Richard Ligier (not verified) on
All my condolences to his family... We lose a very great champion !! FWT

Submitted by viktorn (not verified) on
Terrible news. So young guy. He was going to "Ural Prestige" meet on March 1... :(

Submitted by Putt Houston on
thats horrible news... rest in peace Putt Houston.... now with more Bom Chicka Wahwahhhhhh

The Putt Houston

Submitted by Michael (not verified) on
My deepest condolences to his friends and family. Rest in peace, iron brother.

Submitted by Sean Katterle, ... (not verified) on
It's pretty much always a sad day when someone we know passes away. And it's all the more depressing when they're young. I'm only 2 years older than Vitaliy and when I spent 3 months in the hospital this winter with heart problems it really shocked me because we never think that it will be us or our friends who don't make it to the golden years. What really had an effect on me was looking out the hospital window across the street to the Shriner's Children's Hospital and realizing that there were dozens of children who were fighting life threatening conditions and who didn't get any time to enjoy their youth and that woke me up and I ceased my pity party. I hope that Vitaliy's lifting in the big gym in the sky now and that he's at peace. Sean Moderator, House Of Pain.com forums

Submitted by Frank Caminita on
You are so right Sean. By the way, how are you doing now? I work in Critical Care medicine and I teach the ventilator (life support) in both the Neonatal, Pediatric and Adult Intensive Care. It always troubles me to go into the Pediatric hospitals as parents are heart broken. The sad thing is the majority of patients that require my help have little chance of survival. But I have seen some true miracles but it isn't often. My wife told me on gometal site (written in Finnish) he died of blood posioning. Keep in mind due to the translation the meaning could be different then what we define as blood poisioning. For note, blood poisoning in the United States is usually refering to some type of dishemaglobin (Unable to transport oxygen like cynide poisoning).

Submitted by viktorn (not verified) on
[quote=Frank Caminita]You are so right Sean. By the way, how are you doing now? I work in Critical Care medicine and I teach the ventilator (life support) in both the Neonatal, Pediatric and Adult Intensive Care. It always troubles me to go into the Pediatric hospitals as parents are heart broken. The sad thing is the majority of patients that require my help have little chance of survival. But I have seen some true miracles but it isn't often. My wife told me on gometal site (written in Finnish) he died of blood posioning. Keep in mind due to the translation the meaning could be different then what we define as blood poisioning. For note, blood poisoning in the United States is usually refering to some type of dishemaglobin (Unable to transport oxygen like cynide poisoning). [/quote] Blood poisoning in his case means sepsis. Viktor

Submitted by Sean Katterle, ... (not verified) on
[quote=Frank Caminita]You are so right Sean. By the way, how are you doing now?[/quote] I'm doing better all things considered, thanks. Haven't been able to lift in over 4 months but this week I should get cleared to at least start some moderate cardio at the gym (precor elliptical and incline treadmill.) Been outta the hospital for over 3 weeks and my bodyweight's staying steady at 210 pounds and my heart rate's around 90-100 and my blood pressure's 90-110 over 60 something so that's not too bad. Dunno what my heart's ejection fraction is though and I hope that it's getting closer to 30 something percent instead of the 15% it plummeted to in October. What is sepsis blood poisoning? I feel really sorry for Vitaliy's family and close friends. This kind of unexpected death's very rough on the survivors who were close to the deceased. If I recall, he seemed like a nice guy.

Submitted by docjim on
Sepsis is the result of an infection that is not locally contained but instead spreads though the body carried by the blood stream. The body reacts drastically and vital organs can shut down/fail. It obviously can be fatal.

Submitted by Brian (not verified) on
[quote=docjim]Sepsis is the result of an infection that is not locally contained but instead spreads though the body carried by the blood stream. The body reacts drastically and vital organs can shut down/fail. It obviously can be fatal.[/quote] What causes Sepsis and where can a person get it from?

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on
[quote] What causes Sepsis and where can a person get it from? [/quote] it is just a general term for when bacteria gets into the blood stream and all hell breaks loose. the thing is, you just don't get sepsis right off the bat. it is usually the final stage of any sort of bacteria... he would have had tons of other signs before it got into his blood stream. what causes it.... tons of different bacteria can eventually cause it. there isn't one super bug that does it. its more common in hospitals because those people are already immunocompromised and the bugs in the hospital are super bugs. i really don't wanna say this, but it is very very odd someone so young would be instantly killed like that. there HAD to be other signs and maybe that will come out later. i can only see one possibility have someone can get straight into the blood stream like that.

Submitted by SteveGreene (not verified) on
Incredible bencher and he was so young, plenty of records ahead of him. Thoughts and prayers to his wife and kids.

Submitted by Bobby Fields (not verified) on
Rest in peace my friend...I can remember competing against Vitaliy at the Arnold Classic, an awesome lifter and fierce competitor...My prayers go to his family and team mates...Godspeed brother...bobby

Submitted by zane geeting on
could it happen from something like an advanced staph infection such as MRSA?

Submitted by Reality (not verified) on
Now I am not pointing the finger at anyone, I couldnt care less who uses and who doesnt. In many sports you get to a point where you have to decide how competitive you want to be, that is the drug decision. If people want to believe their are clean people amongst the strongest, thats ok, its just a pipe dream, doesnt make them bad, as long as they compete on a level playing field. The easiest way to get sepsis would be for instance from an infectious injection or dirty drugs that becomes an abscess and if ignored, spreads through the body, becoming the state known as sepsis, It can most certainly kill you, you can believe that. I went through this myself and know several others, call us old school, who figured we could tough it out, well, theres no toughing it out with this condition, you HAVE to get to a hospital. I have an eight inch scar to prove it, others I know also sport pretty good scars from their own bad experiences with this. I really hope that is not the case here, with all the info available now, I just cant see this being a case of ignoring a potentially fatal condition. Yes, this is very much like MRSA, same result.

Submitted by Paul Key (not verified) on
WOW! Sad to hear this...so young. Hope he rests in peace. My condolences to his family...

Submitted by Frank Caminita on
I don't know where I read it but somewhere it was posted he had just undergone some surgery. I would have to speculate it was from that but who knows.. Sad thing, he was so talented.

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on
[quote=Frank Caminita]I don't know where I read it but somewhere it was posted he had just undergone some surgery. [/quote] Yes, he got to the hospital with diagnose "thigh abscess" and he died at 5am. Viktor

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on
Vitaliy Ponomarenko was a awesome lifter who had many good lifting years that we will not see. It is just sad when someone so young passes away and is no longer here.

Submitted by Carl on
I feel sorry for any family he may have left behind BUT, if his infection came from "using"..too bad, so sad ! This is what you get. I'm not saying he did use something illegal but, if he did, this should serve as a warning. No matter the excuse, there's going to be speculation. If you use steroids, illegally, you deserve WHATEVER the worst possible side effects can be...period !

Submitted by Luyando (not verified) on
[quote=Carl]I feel sorry for any family he may have left behind BUT, if his infection came from "using"..too bad, so sad ! This is what you get. I'm not saying he did use something illegal but, if he did, this should serve as a warning. No matter the excuse, there's going to be speculation. If you use steroids, illegally, you deserve WHATEVER the worst possible side effects can be...period ![/quote] First off Carl you are a jack ass! None of Vitaliy's close friends or family members have confirmed the cause of death and the reason for him being hospitalized in the first place. The statement you made just shows what a low life piece of shit you truly are! I had the honor to compete against Vitaliy on more than one occasion. He was a warrior and a classy person with great sportsmanship. He should be remembered for his accomplishments not for some b/s rumor that was posted on the internet! This past July I was honored with the chance to spend some time with him in the Ukraine. He was soft spoken and very respectable. The guy had a smile that could brighten a room. Very humble person to be around. My heart and prayers go out to his wife and two children that are now with out a husband/father. Rest in Peace my friend!

Submitted by Carl on
[quote=Luyando][quote=Carl]I feel sorry for any family he may have left behind BUT, if his infection came from "using"..too bad, so sad ! This is what you get. I'm not saying he did use something illegal but, if he did, this should serve as a warning. No matter the excuse, there's going to be speculation. If you use steroids, illegally, you deserve WHATEVER the worst possible side effects can be...period ![/quote] First off Carl you are a jack ass! None of Vitaliy's close friends or family members have confirmed the cause of death and the reason for him being hospitalized in the first place. The statement you made just shows what a low life piece of shit you truly are! I had the honor to compete against Vitaliy on more than one occasion. He was a warrior and a classy person with great sportsmanship. He should be remembered for his accomplishments not for some b/s rumor that was posted on the internet! This past July I was honored with the chance to spend some time with him in the Ukraine. He was soft spoken and very respectable. The guy had a smile that could brighten a room. Very humble person to be around. My heart and prayers go out to his wife and two children that are now with out a husband/father. Rest in Peace my friend![/quote] Don't really give a flying fuck what you think or think of me. I merely said, if he did do them illegally, then that's what HE gets. I never, not once said that it was an actual confirmation. Is that "rage" of yours, taking over again ? I'm not the one that put his family through it, he did. What ? Is this hitting a bit close to home ? Go back and really wrap the last 2 brain cells you have and re-read the post. Look and see if I said it was the actual cause of death. If I did, I'll never post in here again and Jon can verify it. Until then, get over yourself.

Submitted by Reality (not verified) on
Carl, thats an awfully spiteful and pathetic answer you have there. Anyone who expresses happiness that someone dies from side effects (from anything or victimless action) should be killed. Jaywalking is illegal, if I jaywalk, and get hit by a dump truck and am killed, I deserved it, because of the legality? Are you some spiteful cop or something? The issue with steroids isnt the legality. Do you believe they are illegal because the Govt. cares about your health? They are illegal because no one pays taxes when they are sold without regulation, Nothing else. The guys infection was most likely from a shot, but that doesnt mean he deserved it, or deserved to die. I dont know what kind of weak SOB would say such a thing. Steroids potentially hurt one person and one person only,,the user. Nobody else.I do not know why he would wait that long to go to the hospital, the effects would have been very clear way before that. After all, I mean, what can a person do to victimize others like take steroids, right? You should run for office, you would fit right in with the bulls----ters there, who want to use steroids as a mask for all the damage they really do behind the scenes. Want to find a crook, look there.

Submitted by Carl on
[quote=Reality] Carl, thats an awfully spiteful and pathetic answer you have there. Anyone who expresses happiness that someone dies from side effects (from anything or victimless action) should be killed. Jaywalking is illegal, if I jaywalk, and get hit by a dump truck and am killed, I deserved it, because of the legality? Are you some spiteful cop or something? The issue with steroids isnt the legality. Do you believe they are illegal because the Govt. cares about your health? They are illegal because no one pays taxes when they are sold without regulation, Nothing else. The guys infection was most likely from a shot, but that doesnt mean he deserved it, or deserved to die. I dont know what kind of weak SOB would say such a thing. Steroids potentially hurt one person and one person only,,the user. Nobody else.I do not know why he would wait that long to go to the hospital, the effects would have been very clear way before that. After all, I mean, what can a person do to victimize others like take steroids, right? You should run for office, you would fit right in with the bulls----ters there, who want to use steroids as a mask for all the damage they really do behind the scenes. Want to find a crook, look there. [/quote] Ok, you make some almost interesting points. First off. LIke you said..jaywalking is illegal. if you do it and get to see the bumper of mack truck up close, who's fault is it ? Could it be yours, for doing it ? All I said was that it would be his fault if it was to be found out as the cause. I never, even closely expressed happiness that someone died. At least get it right. I said, he deserved the worse possible side effects if he did do them illegally. Another thing is this, if he did do them and got an infection, who's fault is it that he got an infection from doing something illegal in the first place ? I never said that his family should suffer along with him but, I'm not the one that created this situation, HE did. Sure, I feel sorry for the family he left behind, we all have had our losses. Noone should have to go through that. I just said, if the cause comes out to be steroids, guess what ? It's his fault for putting his family through it along with him ! After all, who else but a complete sociopath takes a situation like this and gets all happy inside ? Next !!

Submitted by Reality (not verified) on
Actually Carl, you get it right,,,your post is just above this one, and you clearly wrote, he DESERVED it, thats a lot different than one thing being the outcome of another. Your spite is very evident.

Submitted by Carl on
[quote=Reality] Actually Carl, you get it right,,,your post is just above this one, and you clearly wrote, he DESERVED it, thats a lot different than one thing being the outcome of another. Your spite is very evident. [/quote] Wrong again. I wrote...you deserve whatever the worse possible side effects can be. I did not write that Ponomarenko deserved it. It's a technicality but, at least if you're gonna TRY to get me, get it right. Also, my spite may be VERY evident, even more than you could possibly know but, it's notfor Ponomarenko personally. It's for those that choose to do illegal drugs and set themselves up as role models for junoir high, high school and college aged kids to emulate and admire. Hey, these kids also leave behind other kids, brothers,sisters, wives, boyfriends/girlfriends and whatever. Who's jumping on the bandwagon to mourn them ? Next !

Submitted by Putt Houston on
ok, that's enough rhetoric about the subject. let's get back to the sympathy for a widow and the children who are left fatherless, the parents without a son, siblings without a brother and friends who will mourn a life taken before it's time. rest in peace. Putt Houston.... now with more Bom Chicka Wahwahhhhhh

The Putt Houston

Submitted by Ignorance Hater (not verified) on
Keeping in mind, Im willing to bet, there is not one person on this board, who has NEVER done anything illegal. So, i guess we should all deserve death ? That aside, lets even entertain the theory that juice may have caused his illness. Are you well versed in Ukrainian laws? Do you have his medical records ? Do you know what he was prescribed legally if even neccessary ? This "sepsis" was more than likely caused by a seperate surgery, knee I believe, that included an infection as a result. He was already in the hospital, and told the nurses he didnt feel well after his surgery. They atributed it to the anesthesia. He died shortly thereafter.

Submitted by ZEE (not verified) on
HEY GUYS TO ALL OF YOU THAT HAVE EXPRESSED YOUR SADNESS TO VITALY YOUR PRAYERS ARE WITH HIM AND HIS FAMILY AS SAD AS IT IS BUT THATS THE TRUTH VITALY HAS PASSED ON AT 33 VERY YOUNG. LEAVING BEHIND A VERY YOUNG WIFE AND A TODLER AND A BABY. FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO GOT A CHANCE TO MEET THIS MAN YOU HAVE BEEN TOUCHED BY A VERY TALANTED MAN. VITALY WAS A GREAT TRAINER TO MY HUSBAND BACK IN UKRAINE THANX TO VITALY WE ARE HAPPILY MARRIED IF IT WASNT FOR HIS TALANT IN TRAINING HIS STUDENTS MY HUSBABD WOULDNT SEE USA. I MET VITALY TWICE IN 06 AT THE WORLDS IN LAKE GEORGE NY AND AT THE ARNOLD IN 07. GREAT LIFTER GREAT MAN JUST LAST MARCH HE WAS IN THE BACK OF MY CAR SMOKING A CIGARRETE AND LAUGHING WITH US. AND LESS THEN A YEAR LATER HE IS SMILING DOWN ON US. LET THIS BE A LESSON IF YOU NOT FEELING WELL YOU FIGHT TILL YOU GET WELL AND MAKE SURE YOU GET THE ATTENTION YOU NEED FROM THOS WHO NEED TO GIVE IT.

Submitted by Reality (not verified) on
The post was about Ponomarenko wasnt it? About a guy many people here liked and that he is no longer with us, and you write, in a thread concerning him, that "If you use drugs, you deserve the worst possible side effects that you can get," Any questions?? its not a technicality, apparently you have failed to realize your own mistake. Thats how you wrote it, thats how people reading your stupid posts perceive it, except you. Next??

Submitted by Carl on
[quote=Reality] The post was about Ponomarenko wasnt it? About a guy many people here liked and that he is no longer with us, and you write, in a thread concerning him, that "If you use drugs, you deserve the worst possible side effects that you can get," Any questions?? its not a technicality, apparently you have failed to realize your own mistake. Thats how you wrote it, thats how people reading your stupid posts perceive it, except you. Next?? [/quote] Can't be too stupid, your ass keeps coming back for more, Forrest Gump.