List of Famous Strongmen
Brian Shaw
Age: 42Brian Shaw (born February 26, 1982) is an American professional strongman competitor and winner of the 2011, 2013, 2015 and the 2016 World's Strongest Man competitions. Shaw is also the first man to have won the Arnold Strongman Classic and the World’s Strongest Man contest in the same calendar year, a feat he accomplished in 2011 and then replicated in 2015.- Age: 80Kenneth Wayne Patera (born November 6, 1942) is an American retired professional wrestler, Olympic weightlifter, and strongman competitor from the United States.More Ken Patera
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Jón Páll Sigmarsson
Dec. at 32 (1960-1993)Jón Páll Sigmarsson (28 April 1960 – 16 January 1993) was an Icelandic strongman, powerlifter and bodybuilder who was the first man to win the World's Strongest Man four times. He is regarded as one of the greatest strongmen of all time, and is credited with developing Iceland's national identity. He was named Icelandic Sportsperson of the Year in 1981, and was one of the best-known Icelandic athletes. In 2012, Jón Páll was inducted into the World's Strongest Man Hall of Fame.- Age: 70William Kazmaier (born December 30, 1953) is an American former world champion powerlifter, world champion strongman and professional wrestler. During the 1970s and 1980s, he set numerous powerlifting and strongman world records, and won two International Powerlifting Federation (IPF) World Championships and three World's Strongest Man titles. In the 1980s, Kazmaier became famous for his claim to be "the strongest man who ever lived" by equaling and surpassing spectacular and versatile feats of strength of famous strongmen of the 20th century. He is widely considered to be one of the all-time greatest competitors in strength competitions.
- Age: 53Nathan Jones (born 21 August 1970) is an Australian actor, powerlifting champion, strongman and retired professional wrestler. He held the WWA World Heavyweight Championship once in World Wrestling All-Stars, and aligned himself with The Undertaker in World Wrestling Entertainment.
- Age: 47Mariusz Zbigniew Pudzianowski (Polish pronunciation: [ˈmarjuʂ pudʑaˈnɔfskʲi]; born 7 February 1977), known in Poland as "Pudzian" and "Dominator" is a Polish former strongman competitor and current mixed martial artist. During his career as a strongman, Pudzianowski won five World's Strongest Man titles, more than any other athlete according to Guinness World Records. He also won two runner-up titles. In 2009, Pudzianowski debuted as a mixed martial artist.More Mariusz Pudzianowski
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- Age: 53Jouko Ahola (born December 1, 1970) is a Finnish former strongman, power-lifter and actor.
- Dec. at 104 (1905-2010)Joseph Rollino (March 19, 1905 – January 11, 2010) was a decorated World War II veteran, weightlifter, and strongman. The son of Italian immigrants, Rollino dubbed himself the world's strongest man in the 1920s, moving 3,200 pounds (1,500 kg) with his back during the prime of his career.
Magnús Ver Magnússon
Age: 61Magnús Ver Magnússon (born 22 April 1963) is an Icelandic former powerlifter and strongman competitor. He has won the title of World's Strongest Man four times (1991, 1994, 1995, and 1996).- Age: 36Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson (Icelandic: [ˈhafθour ˈjuːlijʏs ˈpjœr̥sɔːn] (listen); often transliterated as Hafthor; born November 26, 1988) is an Icelandic professional strongman and actor. He is the first person to have won the Arnold Strongman Classic, Europe's Strongest Man and World's Strongest Man in the same calendar year. He played Gregor "The Mountain" Clegane in the HBO series Game of Thrones for five seasons. He also is a former professional basketball player. Born in Reykjavík, Hafþór began his basketball career in 2004 with Division I team Breiðablik, moving to FSu in 2005. He transferred to Premier League side KR in 2006 before returning to FSu in 2007. He helped FSu to promotion from Division I to the Premier League but his career was cut short in 2008 due to a recurrent ankle injury. He subsequently began his strongman career. Hafþór won the Strongest Man in Iceland event in 2010, and won Iceland's Strongest Man in 2011. He won Europe's Strongest Man in 2014, a feat he repeated in 2015, 2017, 2018, and 2019. He won silver at the 2017 Arnold Strongman Classic, improving to gold in 2018 and 2019. He competed in his first World's Strongest Man in 2011, placing sixth. He won three bronze and three silver medals in his next six attempts before being crowned champion in 2018.
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- Age: 74Geoffrey Lewis Capes (born 23 August 1949) is a British former shot putter, strongman and professional Highland Games competitor. As an athlete he represented both England and Great Britain in field athletics, specialising in the shot put an event in which he was twice Commonwealth champion, twice European indoor champion, and three time Olympian. As a strongman, he twice won the title of World's Strongest Man, was World Muscle Power champion on two occasions, and also had numerous other titles including Europe's Strongest Man and Britain's Strongest Man.As a Highland Games competitor he was six times world champion, first winning the title in Lagos in 1981, and held world records in numerous events. Following retirement from competitive sport he continued to be involved in strength athletics as a referee, event promoter and coach. He also ran a sportswear retail shop and became renowned as a world-class breeder of birds. Capes stood 197 cm (6 ft 5 1⁄2 in) and weighed 170 kilograms (370 lb) at his peak condition.
- Age: 79Sven-Ole Thorsen (born 24 September 1944) is a Danish actor, stuntman, bodybuilder and strongman competitor. Thorsen won Denmark's Strongest Man in 1983.Using his stature he often plays imposing giants and villains in his films who are somehow beaten by smaller opponents in a David and Goliath manner, but he has also played heroic characters such as Gunnar the legendary warrior in The Viking Sagas. His autobiography Stærk mand i Hollywood (Strong Man in Hollywood) was published on 26 October 2007, and was very well reviewed. The first printing of the book reportedly sold out in 24 hours.
- Dec. at 49 (1863-1912)Louis Cyr (French pronunciation: [lwi siʁ]; born Cyprien-Noé Cyr, 10 October 1863 – 10 November 1912) was a French Canada strongman with a career spanning the late 19th and early 20th centuries. His recorded feats, including lifting 500 pounds (227 kg) with one finger and backlifting 4,337 pounds (1,967 kg), show Cyr to be, according to former International Federation of BodyBuilding & Fitness chairman Ben Weider, the strongest man ever to have lived.
- Age: 42Derek Poundstone (born September 28, 1981) is an American former professional strongman athlete from Woodbridge, Connecticut who placed runner up to at the world's strongest man 2008. Derek Poundstone is also a police Sergeant for the Naugatuck, Connecticut Police Department and is the former owner and landlord of an apartment complex and gym.
- Age: 61Jamie Reeves (born 3 May 1962) is a British former coal miner, strongman and professional wrestler. As a strongman, he won the 1989 World's Strongest Man, was World Muscle Power champion, and also had numerous other titles including Europe's Strongest Man and Britain's Strongest Man. Following retirement from competitive sport he continued to be involved in strength athletics as a referee, event promoter and coach.
Bruce Wilhelm
Age: 78Bruce Wilhelm (born July 13, 1945) is a former weightlifter and strongman from the United States. He is a two-time winner of the World's Strongest Man competition in 1977 and 1978 and the author of numerous strength-related articles and books. He was a member of the executive board of the United States Olympic Committee. He was also on the Athletes Advisory Council for 8 years as well as the Substance and Drug Abuse Committee, the Sports Medicine Committee, and the Games Preparation Committee.- Age: 54Magnus Samuelsson (born December 21, 1969), is a Swedish actor, former strongman and winner of the 1998 World's Strongest Man contest in Morocco. The son of a former Swedish arm wrestling champion, he has also been ranked among the best arm wrestlers in the world and was a European Arm Wrestling champion prior to becoming a professional strongman.
- Age: 45Andrus Murumets (born 20 July 1978) is an Estonian strongman and entrant to the World's Strongest Man contest. He reached 5th in the World Rankings according to the IFSA rankings in 2008. Andrus competed in the IFSA World Championships in 2005 finishing 4th, 5th in 2006 and 5th in 2007. Andrus has competed in the Arnold Strongman Classic 3 times, his best finish was 3rd in 2007. In 2009 he became the overall champion of the Strongman Champions League. He has been described by Svend Karlsen as having the strongest grip in the world.Murumets currently lives near Tallinn in Üksnurme, Saku Parish. Since May 2011 Murumets is working as a police officer.
- Age: 54Janne Virtanen (born 16 November 1969) is a Finnish former strongman who won the World's Strongest Man championship in 2000. He was runner-up in 1999 and finished third in 2001. His other championships include four-time Finland's Strongest Man (1998, 1999, 2000, 2001), Beauty and the Beast (2000), Helsinki Grand Prix (2000), and the Turkey Grand Prix in 2002 in Istanbul. Following his second consecutive failure to reach the final of the World's Strongest Man in 2007, he announced his retirement but entered into the third qualifying heat of the competition in 2008. He currently earns his living as a carpenter in Finland.
Eddie Hall
Age: 29Žydrūnas Savickas
Age: 48Žydrūnas Savickas (Lithuanian pronunciation: [ʑiːˈdrûːnɐs sɐˈvʲɪtskɐs]; born July 15, 1975) is a Lithuanian powerlifter and professional strongman. He is the only modern competitor to have won every major strongman competition.Terry Hollands
Age: 44Terry Hollands (born 6 June 1979) is a British strongman competitor, Britain's Strongest Man and England's Strongest Man winner, he is a competitor at the World's Strongest Man and Europe's Strongest Man competitions.Phil Pfister
Age: 52Phil Pfister (born May 15, 1971) is an American former strongman competitor, winning the 2006 Met-Rx World's Strongest Man competition and its $41,000 grand prize on September 23, 2006 in Sanya, China. He was the first American to win since Bill Kazmaier in 1982. Pfister stands 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) and weighs 375 pounds (170 kg). Prior to 2006, Pfister's previous best finishes in the World's Strongest Man were fourth place in 1998 in Tangier, and fourth place again in 2001 in Victoria Falls. He placed fourth at the 2007 and 2008 WSM contests, and seventh in 2009.While qualifying for his 4th-place finish in Victoria Falls, during an event known as the Hercules Hold, Pfister made a verbal promise that he would be the man responsible for bringing the World's Strongest Man title back to the United States. He went on to set two qualifier records in the Hercules Hold and in the Atlas Stones, but was unable to contend in the finals against the Scandinavian competitors who took the podium finishes that year, Magnus Samuelsson from Sweden, Janne Virtanen from Finland, and Svend Karlsen from Norway, respectively. Pfister has also achieved a podium finish at the Arnold Strongman Classic when he came third in 2002. Retiring after the 2009 Competition, Pfister currently comments for the World's Strongest Man competition on ESPN2 along with Bill Kazmaier and Todd Harris.Vidas Blekaitis
Age: 52Vidas Blekaitis (born 14 April 1972) is a Lithuanian strongman. As of 2007, Blekaitis was ranked World No. 4 by the International Federation of Strength Athletes. He placed 4th in the 2009 Arnold Strongman Classic. Blekaitis competed in the IFSA Strongman World Championships 3 times, finishing 7th in 2005, 4th in the 2006, and 6th in 2007.Vidas Blekaitis placed second at the Giants Live Finland event on 13 August 2011. This placing qualified him for the 2011 World's Strongest Man contest, but he failed to make it to the finals.Gary Taylor
Age: 62Gary Taylor (born 14 October 1961) is a former world's strongest man champion (1993) he is in an elite group of people to compete at a high level in bodybuilding, olympic weightlifting and strongman. a true strength athlete from Wales.- Age: 42Marshall White (born April 30, 1982) is an American professional strongman athlete.
- Dec. at 66 (1862-1928)Apollon the Mighty (February 21, 1862 – 18 October 1928), born Louis Uni, was a French strongman, especially famous for his grip strength. Louis Uni was born at eight o'clock in the morning on February 21, 1862 at no. 18 on the boulevard that today bears his name (Boulevard Louis Uni in Marsillargues) in the house his father Jean-Jacques Uni had built in 1845. He was the son of Jacques and Elisabeth (née Brémond) and was descended from a family of locally well-known giants. His grandfather Jacques Uni, born in 1772, was 2.03 m (6 feet and 8 inches) tall, while the average male height in France in 1800 was only 163.7 cm (5 feet and 4.45 inches).Born in Marsillargues, aged 14 years he ran away from his parents' house and joined the traveling Italian circus ‘Caramagne’ at Lunel near his home town. During a performance, the police seized him and returned him to his father. Eventually his parents allowed him to leave home and work with Felix Bernard and Pietro Dalmasso. He also worked with Henri Pechon and August “the Butcher”. He completed his military service aged 20. Uni took over the Café Fontaine in Paris, and after renovating it named it ‘Concert Apollon’ and began to put on theatrical programmes with athletic acts thrown in. Eventually, he had to relinquish the theatre, losing a considerable sum in the process. In 1889 Uni took part in a Greco-Roman wrestling competition at the International Athletic Arenas in Bordeaux: ‘This Tuesday evening… is the first representation of the competition of the French champions: Bernard, Crest, etc, and Apollon, the king of human strength… Finally, strength exercises will be performed by the celebrated Apollon, who has not yet met his equal, and has given himself the just title: the king of human strength. Apollon will lift his famous weight of 80 kilos to arm’s length... Apollon is truly the strongest man we have seen for a long time. In a pinch, between two fingers, he lifts a weight of 80 kilos. He is the most beautiful sample of an athlete that exists in the world. His perfect form and his face make one think of the gladiators of Roman antiquity.’ Also in 1889 Uni competed against Batta (Charles Estienne 1866-1939) in Lille using 118 kilo train-car wheels (with an enormous axle which was much too thick even for the hands of Batta). Batta could only lift it to his shoulders, resting it lightly on his chest for a minute. Apollon was reported to have lifted the weight easily. Part of Uni's stage act was called ‘Escaping Prisoner’, during which he would bend the tempered iron bars of a cage through which he would then pass. He performed this routine at the Folies Bergère, among other venues. In December 1889 he appeared at the Royal Aquarium in London. In about 1892 he married Josephine, with whom he had a daughter, but the marriage did not last, and after their divorce, she married Castanet, a famous animal trainer. On December 18, 1892 at the Théâtre des Variétésin Lille in France Uni cleaned and jerked a 155 kilo double barbell, with two weighted globes on each end of the bar. He then found the balance point and neatly slid the barbell onto one hand while lifting one leg at a right angle. Then he let the barbell fall from overhead and caught it in the bend of his arms before placing it on the ground. In 1896 he was standing at about 6'3" and weighing 265 lbs. with 18" forearms and nearly 10" wrists. Besides bending huge thick bars Uni lifted a pair of train wheels that weighed 366 lbs. over his head. In 1913 Uni met with a severe accident during a performance in Vichy in France. When attempting to hold back two motorcars with outstretched hands he cried out in pain and suddenly dropped to the ground, having torn the muscles of his arms and burst a blood vessel. By 1923 he was looking for work as a 'right hand man' and appeared in the silent film Mare Nostrum (1926) cast in the role of “Triton”. By 1928 aged 66 he was still exhibiting his strength in traveling shows.Uni was a friend and protegé of academic and champion of physical education Edmond Desbonnet. He died in Evreux in 1928 aged 66. The French Surrealist poet René Char, being a Southerner and a 1.92 m rugby player, was also an admirer of Louis Uni and addressed to him his famous poem "The Tomb of secrets" in Le Soleil des eaux (Le Tombeau des secrets).
Derek Boyer
Age: 54Derek Boyer (born 14 June 1969) is a Fijian-Australian world champion powerlifter, former professional strongman competitor and actor.René Minkwitz
Age: 54Rene Minkwitz (born 7 February 1970) was a strongman "strength athlete" from Denmark from 1995 to 2011. He won Denmark's Strongest Man 10 times, 2001-02-03-04-05-06-07-07-08-09, 2 times in 2007 because there were 2 federations in Denmark that year. He finished 10th at the World's Strongest Man final of 1999. He failed to qualify for the final in 2000-02-03-04.- Age: 57Raimonds Bergmanis (born 25 July 1966) is a Latvian politician and former Minister of Defence. He is a former Olympic weightlifter and retired strongman competitor.
