Great Antonio

Antonio Barichievich, born Anton Barichevich and better known as The Great Antonio, was a Croatian-Canadian strongman, professional wrestler, and a Montreal eccentric artist. Barichievich was born in Zagreb, Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes. Nothing is known about his early life and family aside that according to biographers, he started to do menial work by the age of six and could uproot trees by age 12. During World War II, he spent time at a concentration camp in the Independent State of Croatia. There is mention of Bagnoli displaced persons camp. He arrived as a refugee in Canada in 1945 and established himself in Montreal, Quebec. In the late 1940s, Barichievich made a name for himself with demonstrations of strength, and in 1952, he pulled a 433-tonne train 19.8 meters, a feat featured in the Guinness Book of World Records.