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{{Short description|British strongman competition}} | |||
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2015}} | {{Use dmy dates|date=February 2015}} | ||
{{Use British English|date=February 2015}} | {{Use British English|date=February 2015}} | ||
{{Infobox sport tournament | |||
{{more footnotes|date=March 2008}} | |||
|image = | |||
|caption = | |||
|location = United Kingdom | |||
|establishment = {{Start date and age|1979}} | |||
|number = 41 | |||
|format = Multi-event competition | |||
|website = | |||
|current = | |||
|current_champion = {{Flagicon|Scotland}} ] | |||
⚫ | }} | ||
'''Britain's Strongest Man''' is an annual strongman event held in the ]. Competitors qualify for the final through regional heats and the winner is awarded the title of "Britain's Strongest Man".<ref></ref> The competition is produced by ] and serves as a qualifying event for the ] ("WSM") competition, also a TWI production. | '''Britain's Strongest Man''' is an annual strongman event held in the ]. Competitors qualify for the final through regional heats and the winner is awarded the title of "Britain's Strongest Man".<ref></ref> The competition is produced by ] and serves as a qualifying event for the ] ("WSM") competition, also a TWI production. | ||
==History== | ==History and broadcast== | ||
{{See also|Strength |
{{See also|Strength athletics in the United Kingdom and Ireland}} | ||
In a history that has close parallels with that of the ] competition, the BSM competition has had a number of sponsors and, at different times, has had to vie with rival competitions that also claim to produce the strongest man in Britain as their champion. The inaugural competition was in 1979<ref>David Webster, Sons of Samson Volume 2 Profiles, page 78 (Ironmind Enterprises), {{ISBN|0-926888-06-4}}</ref> and was organised by TWI. It was |
In a history that has close parallels with that of the ] competition, the BSM competition has had a number of sponsors and, at different times, has had to vie with rival competitions that also claim to produce the strongest man in Britain as their champion. The inaugural competition was held in 1979<ref>David Webster, Sons of Samson Volume 2 Profiles, page 78 (Ironmind Enterprises), {{ISBN|0-926888-06-4}}</ref> and was organised by TWI. It was broadcast by ] for the ] network that year, however coverage moved to ] in September 1982 until 1984 but returned in August 1999.<ref name="Broadcast">{{Cite web|url=http://www.ukgameshows.com/ukgs/Britain's_Strongest_Man|title=Britain's Strongest Man - UKGameshows|website=www.ukgameshows.com}}</ref> The final contest involved the ] ] and ], weightlifter ], powerlifter ], Highland Games specialists ] and ], wrestler ], and ]; it was won by ].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://ftvdb.bfi.org.uk/sift/title/156049|title=BFI | Film & TV Database | BRITAIN'S STRONGEST MAN (1979)|date=12 February 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090212045257/http://ftvdb.bfi.org.uk/sift/title/156049 |archive-date=12 February 2009 }}</ref> The contestants were there by invitation and the format continued until 1984. There was then a break of three years, from 1985 through 1988, before the competition returned in 1989. | ||
In 1986, there was a ''"]"'' and, in 1988, a competition was organised by ] and ] to find a successor to Geoff Capes, called the John Smith's Trial of Strength. The results of these competitions are often deemed to be equivalent to Britain's Strongest Man given the lack of a competition in those years. The ], after its creation in the mid-nineties, managed the event but parted company with TWI and the BBC after the completion of the 2004 event. Despite this TWI have managed to have continued coverage of the event televised, with ] and ] covering it in 2005 before it moved to ] the following year until 2009. Digital channel ] covered the event in 2009 and 2010 before its closure; free-to-air channel ] took over coverage until it returned to ] in 2014.<ref name="Broadcast"/> The competition is currently sponsored by ]. As of 2017, Channel 5 currently broadcasts an episode devoted to the Britain's Strongest Man contest, as part of its annual World's Strongest Man coverage, in late December.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.my5.tv/worlds-strongest-man-2017/season-38/episode-2|title = My5}}</ref> | |||
==Events== | ==Events== | ||
Events for the competition include tyre flips, chain drags, Atlas stones and keg tossing.<ref> |
Events for the competition include tyre flips, chain drags, Atlas stones and keg tossing.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.theworldsstrongestman.com/wsm/bsm/index.html|title=The World's Strongest Man|date=26 July 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080726061307/http://www.theworldsstrongestman.com/wsm/bsm/index.html |archive-date=26 July 2008 }}</ref> | ||
==Rival and parallel competitions== | ==Rival and parallel competitions== | ||
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{| class="wikitable" | {| class="wikitable" | ||
!Year | |||
!style="background: #e3e3e3;"|Year | |||
! |
!Champion | ||
! |
!Runner-up | ||
! |
!3rd place | ||
! |
!Location | ||
|- | |- | ||
|1979 || {{flagicon|ENG}} ] || {{flagicon|SCO}} ] || {{flagicon|ENG}} ] ||Woking Leisure Centre, ] | |1979 || {{flagicon|ENG}} ] || {{flagicon|SCO}} ] || {{flagicon|ENG}} ] ||Woking Leisure Centre, ] | ||
Line 35: | Line 48: | ||
|1981 || {{flagicon|ENG}} ] || {{flagicon|SCO}} ] || {{flagicon|ENG}} ] ||London | |1981 || {{flagicon|ENG}} ] || {{flagicon|SCO}} ] || {{flagicon|ENG}} ] ||London | ||
|- | |- | ||
|1982 || {{flagicon|ENG}} ] || {{flagicon|SCO}} ] ||{{flagicon|ENG}} ] |
|1982 || {{flagicon|ENG}} ] || {{flagicon|SCO}} ] ||{{ubl|{{flagicon|ENG}} ]| {{flagicon|ENG}} ]|{{flagicon|ENG}} ]}} ||], ] | ||
|- | |- | ||
|1983 || {{flagicon|ENG}} ] || {{flagicon|SCO}} ] ||{{flagicon|WAL}} ] ||] | |1983 || {{flagicon|ENG}} ] || {{flagicon|SCO}} ] ||{{flagicon|WAL}} ] ||] | ||
Line 41: | Line 54: | ||
|1984 || {{flagicon|NIR}} ] ||colspan="2"| {{flagicon|ENG}} ] & {{flagicon|ENG}} ] ||]. ] | |1984 || {{flagicon|NIR}} ] ||colspan="2"| {{flagicon|ENG}} ] & {{flagicon|ENG}} ] ||]. ] | ||
|- | |- | ||
|1985 ||colspan="4" |
|1985 ||colspan="4" {{N/A|Not held}} | ||
|- | |- | ||
|1986 |
|1986{{efn|''"Britain's Most Powerful Man"'' was the name of the competition in 1986}} || {{flagicon|ENG}} ] || ] ||] ||Epping Forest Country Club | ||
|- | |- | ||
|1987 ||colspan="4" |
|1987 ||colspan="4" {{N/A|Not Held}} | ||
|- | |- | ||
|1988 |
|1988{{efn|Titled ''John Smith's Trial of Strength''}} || {{flagicon|ENG}} ] || {{flagicon|ENG}} ] ||{{flagicon|JEY}} ] ||] | ||
|- | |- | ||
|1989 || {{flagicon|ENG}} ] || TBC ||TBC ||TBC | |1989 || {{flagicon|ENG}} ] || TBC ||TBC ||TBC | ||
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|1990 || {{flagicon|ENG}} ] || {{flagicon|WAL}} ] ||TBC ||TBC | |1990 || {{flagicon|ENG}} ] || {{flagicon|WAL}} ] ||TBC ||TBC | ||
|- | |- | ||
|1991 || {{flagicon|WAL}} ] || Christopher Miles ||TBC ||TBC | |1991 || {{flagicon|WAL}} ] || {{flagicon|ENG}} Christopher Miles ||TBC ||TBC | ||
|- | |- | ||
|1992 || {{flagicon|ENG}} ] || TBC ||TBC ||TBC | |1992 || {{flagicon|ENG}} ] || TBC ||TBC ||TBC | ||
Line 75: | Line 88: | ||
|2001 || {{flagicon|NIR}} ] || {{flagicon|ENG}} ] || {{flagicon|ENG}} ] ||] | |2001 || {{flagicon|NIR}} ] || {{flagicon|ENG}} ] || {{flagicon|ENG}} ] ||] | ||
|- | |- | ||
|2002 || {{flagicon|ENG}} ] || {{flagicon|SCO}} ] || {{flagicon|ENG}} ] || |
|2002 || {{flagicon|ENG}} ] || {{flagicon|SCO}} ] || {{flagicon|ENG}} ] ||] | ||
|- | |- | ||
|2003 || {{flagicon|ENG}} ] || {{flagicon|SCO}} ] || {{flagicon|NIR}} ] ||] | |2003 || {{flagicon|ENG}} ] || {{flagicon|SCO}} ] || {{flagicon|NIR}} ] ||] | ||
Line 83: | Line 96: | ||
|2005 || {{flagicon|ENG}} ] || {{flagicon|IRE}} ] ||{{flagicon|ENG}} ] ||] | |2005 || {{flagicon|ENG}} ] || {{flagicon|IRE}} ] ||{{flagicon|ENG}} ] ||] | ||
|- | |- | ||
|2006 || {{flagicon|ENG}} ] || {{flagicon|ENG}} ] |
|2006 || {{flagicon|ENG}} ] || {{flagicon|ENG}} ]{{efn|name="Felix"|Mark Felix was formerly of {{flag|Grenada}}.}} ||{{flagicon|ENG}} ] ||] | ||
|- | |- | ||
|2007 || {{flagicon|ENG}} ] || {{flagicon|ENG}} ] |
|2007 || {{flagicon|ENG}} ] || {{flagicon|ENG}} ]{{efn|name="Felix"}} || {{flagicon|ENG}} ] ||] | ||
|- | |- | ||
|2008 || {{flagicon|ENG}} ] |
|2008 || {{flagicon|ENG}} ]{{efn|Jimmy Marku was formerly of {{flag|Albania}}.}} || {{flagicon|ENG}} ] ||{{flagicon|ENG}} ]{{efn|name="Felix"}} ||] | ||
|- | |- | ||
|2009 ||colspan="4" |
|2009 ||colspan="4" {{N/A|Not held}} | ||
|- | |- | ||
|2010 ||colspan="4" |
|2010 ||colspan="4" {{N/A|Not held}} | ||
|- | |- | ||
|2011 ||colspan="4" align=center |
|2011 ||colspan="4" align=center| See ] below | ||
|- | |- | ||
|2012 || {{flagicon|ENG}} ] || {{flagicon|ENG}} ] ||{{flagicon|ENG}} ] ||], ] | |2012 || {{flagicon|ENG}} ] || {{flagicon|ENG}} ] ||{{flagicon|ENG}} ] ||], ] | ||
|- | |- | ||
|2013 || {{flagicon|ENG}} ] || {{flagicon|USA}} ] ||{{flagicon|ENG}} ] ||], ] | |2013 || {{flagicon|ENG}} ] || {{flagicon|USA}} ] ||{{flagicon|ENG}} ] ||], ] | ||
|- | |- | ||
|2014 ||{{flagicon|ENG}} ] || {{flagicon|ENG}} ]||{{flagicon|ENG}} ]||], ] | |2014 ||{{flagicon|ENG}} ] || {{flagicon|ENG}} ]||{{flagicon|ENG}} ]||], ] | ||
|- | |- | ||
|2015 ||{{flagicon|ENG}} ] || {{flagicon|ENG}} ]||{{flagicon|POL}} ] |
|2015{{efn|Several competitors from other European countries took part.}} ||{{flagicon|ENG}} ] || {{flagicon|ENG}} ]||{{flagicon|POL}} ] ||], ] | ||
|- | |- | ||
|2016 ||{{flagicon|ENG}} ] || {{flagicon|ENG}} ]||{{flagicon|ENG}} ]||], ] | |2016 ||{{flagicon|ENG}} ] || {{flagicon|ENG}} ]||{{flagicon|ENG}} ]||], ] | ||
Line 113: | Line 126: | ||
|2020 ||{{flagicon|ENG}} ]||{{flagicon|SCO}} ]|| {{flagicon|SCO}} ] ||], ] | |2020 ||{{flagicon|ENG}} ]||{{flagicon|SCO}} ]|| {{flagicon|SCO}} ] ||], ] | ||
|- | |- | ||
|2021 ||{{flagicon|SCO}} ]||{{flagicon|ENG |
|2021 ||{{flagicon|SCO}} ]||{{flagicon|ENG}} ]|| {{flagicon|ENG}} ] ||], ] | ||
|- | |- | ||
|2022 ||{{flagicon|SCO}} ]||{{flagicon|IRL |
|2022 ||{{flagicon|SCO}} ]||{{flagicon|IRL}} Pa O'Dwyer||{{flagicon|ENG}} ]||], ] | ||
|- | |- | ||
|2023 ||{{flagicon|ENG}} ]||{{flagicon|WAL |
|2023 ||{{flagicon|ENG}} ]||{{flagicon|WAL}} ]||{{flagicon|ENG}} ]||], ] | ||
⚫ | |- | ||
|2024 ||{{flagicon|SCO}} ]||{{flagicon|WAL}} ]||{{flagicon|SCO}} ]|| ], ] | |||
|} | |} | ||
;Notes | |||
{{Noteslist}} | |||
{{smalldiv|1= | |||
# Jimmy Marku was formerly of {{flag|Albania}}. | |||
# Mark Felix was formerly of {{flag|Grenada}}. | |||
# ''"Britain's Most Powerful Man "'' was the name of the competition in 1986 | |||
# Several competitors from other European countries took part. | |||
⚫ | }} | ||
⚫ | ==Clash of the Giants== | ||
⚫ | In 2011, an event was organised in ] advertised to allow spectators to see "top British strongmen compete to take a step closer towards a place at World's Strongest Man". The event was organised by multiple World's Strongest Man entrant ] and the top two places, won by ] and ], received invitations to North Carolina to compete at the 32nd World's Strongest Man. Clash of the Giants was designed to fill the void left by the absence of the Britain's Strongest Man competition last held in 2008, much as the 1988 John Smith's Trial of Strength had been created following the discontinuation of the BSM in 1984. Unlike the BSM, which is the final stage of a knockout competition comprising a number of regional and national rounds, the Clash of the Giants was a singular event. Because there was no regional tiered competition preceding, it there was no prerequisite that the Clash of the Giants have a field of athletes representing each area of Britain and notably all the athletes competing were English. In addition, the three most successful British strength athletes actively competing at the time, namely ], ] and ], had qualified for the WSM via international grand prix events and did not compete. | ||
== |
=== By country === | ||
{| class="wikitable" | {| class="wikitable" | ||
! |
!Country | ||
!Titles | |||
!style="background: #e3e3e3;"|Titles | |||
|- | |- | ||
|{{ENG}} || |
|{{ENG}} || 31 | ||
|- | |- | ||
| {{ |
| {{SCO}} || 5 | ||
|- | |- | ||
|{{ |
|{{NIR}} || 4 | ||
|- | |- | ||
|{{WAL}} || |
|{{WAL}} || 1 | ||
|- | |- | ||
|} | |} | ||
== Repeat champions == | === Repeat champions === | ||
{| class="wikitable" | {| class="wikitable" | ||
! |
!Champion | ||
!Times | |||
!style="background: #e3e3e3;"|Times | |||
|- | |- | ||
|{{flagicon|ENG}} ] || 5 | |{{flagicon|ENG}} ] || 5 | ||
Line 158: | Line 165: | ||
|- | |- | ||
|{{flagicon|NIR}} ] || 3 | |{{flagicon|NIR}} ] || 3 | ||
|- | |||
|{{flagicon|SCO}} ] || 3 | |||
|- | |- | ||
|{{flagicon|ENG}} ] || 2 | |{{flagicon|ENG}} ] || 2 | ||
⚫ | |- | ||
|{{flagicon|WAL}} ] || 2 | |||
|- | |- | ||
|{{flagicon|SCO}} ] || 2 | |{{flagicon|SCO}} ] || 2 | ||
Line 169: | Line 176: | ||
|{{flagicon|ENG}} ] || 2 | |{{flagicon|ENG}} ] || 2 | ||
|- | |- | ||
|{{flagicon| |
|{{flagicon|ENG}} ] || 2 | ||
|} | |} | ||
⚫ | ==Clash of the Giants== | ||
⚫ | In 2011, an event was organised in ] advertised to allow spectators to see "top British strongmen compete to take a step closer towards a place at World's Strongest Man". The event was organised by multiple World's Strongest Man entrant ] and the top two places, won by ] and ], received invitations to North Carolina to compete at the 32nd World's Strongest Man. Clash of the Giants was designed to fill the void left by the absence of the Britain's Strongest Man competition last held in 2008, much as the 1988 John Smith's Trial of Strength had been created following the discontinuation of the BSM in 1984. Unlike the BSM, which is the final stage of a knockout competition comprising a number of regional and national rounds, the Clash of the Giants was a singular event. Because there was no regional tiered competition preceding, it there was no prerequisite that the Clash of the Giants have a field of athletes representing each area of Britain and notably all the athletes competing were English. In addition, the three most successful British strength athletes actively competing at the time, namely ], ] and ], had qualified for the WSM via international grand prix events and did not compete. | ||
==See also== | ==See also== | ||
*] | *] | ||
==References== | ==References== | ||
⚫ | * is the source of the names and placings of the above finalists and champions. | ||
==Notes== | |||
{{reflist}} | {{reflist}} | ||
==External links== | |||
⚫ | * is the source of the names and placings of the above finalists and champions. | ||
] | ] |
Latest revision as of 23:42, 27 November 2024
British strongman competition
Tournament information | |
---|---|
Location | United Kingdom |
Established | 1979; 45 years ago (1979) |
Number of tournaments | 41 |
Format | Multi-event competition |
Current champion | |
Tom Stoltman |
Britain's Strongest Man is an annual strongman event held in the United Kingdom. Competitors qualify for the final through regional heats and the winner is awarded the title of "Britain's Strongest Man". The competition is produced by TWI and serves as a qualifying event for the World's Strongest Man ("WSM") competition, also a TWI production.
History and broadcast
See also: Strength athletics in the United Kingdom and IrelandIn a history that has close parallels with that of the World's Strongest Man competition, the BSM competition has had a number of sponsors and, at different times, has had to vie with rival competitions that also claim to produce the strongest man in Britain as their champion. The inaugural competition was held in 1979 and was organised by TWI. It was broadcast by Thames Television for the ITV network that year, however coverage moved to BBC One in September 1982 until 1984 but returned in August 1999. The final contest involved the field athletes Geoff Capes and Jim Whitehead, weightlifter Andy Drzewiecki, powerlifter Ray Nobile, Highland Games specialists Bill Anderson and Grant Anderson, wrestler Big Pat Roach, and Tosher Killingback; it was won by Geoff Capes. The contestants were there by invitation and the format continued until 1984. There was then a break of three years, from 1985 through 1988, before the competition returned in 1989.
In 1986, there was a "Britain's Most Powerful Man" and, in 1988, a competition was organised by Geoff Capes and David Webster to find a successor to Geoff Capes, called the John Smith's Trial of Strength. The results of these competitions are often deemed to be equivalent to Britain's Strongest Man given the lack of a competition in those years. The IFSA, after its creation in the mid-nineties, managed the event but parted company with TWI and the BBC after the completion of the 2004 event. Despite this TWI have managed to have continued coverage of the event televised, with Sky One and Sky Sports covering it in 2005 before it moved to Five the following year until 2009. Digital channel Bravo covered the event in 2009 and 2010 before its closure; free-to-air channel Challenge took over coverage until it returned to Channel 5 in 2014. The competition is currently sponsored by Met-Rx. As of 2017, Channel 5 currently broadcasts an episode devoted to the Britain's Strongest Man contest, as part of its annual World's Strongest Man coverage, in late December.
Events
Events for the competition include tyre flips, chain drags, Atlas stones and keg tossing.
Rival and parallel competitions
- In 2005 the 'IFSA Strongman British Championship' (or "British Championships (IFSA)") was held in direct competition with the BSM. However, this was short lived, lasting just one year, with the more established BSM gaining better sponsorship (from Met-Rx) and television coverage (Sky One) largely due to its longevity, its qualifying status for World's Strongest Man and also its perception amongst the strongman community as the chief competition. The winner of this breakaway competition, Mark Felix, has since put his energies into competing in the BSM.
- A more enduring rival competition is the UK Strongest Man 'Ultimate Strength Challenge', which began in 1992 and still continues today. However, competing in the BSM and the UKSC is not mutually exclusive and competitors are free to compete in both. This event is run by the UKSC - the UK Strength Council, and focuses more on pure strength rather than strength and speed.
- Other rival or parallel competitions that should not be confused with the BSM are:
- "UK Championship (IFSA)", which only ran for one year in 1997
- "Britain's Most Powerful Man", which, although a "rival" in 2007, was last run in 1986, when there was no BSM and its winners are counted in the same list as the winners of the BSM
- "British Muscle Power Championship" - this ran from 1986 to 1998 and included some of the biggest names of British strength athletics, including Geoff Capes, Jamie Reeves, Mark Higgins, Forbes Cowan, Gary Taylor and Russ Bradley. However, it was not so much a rival of BSM as an extra competition.
List of champions
- Notes
- "Britain's Most Powerful Man" was the name of the competition in 1986
- Titled John Smith's Trial of Strength
- ^ Mark Felix was formerly of Grenada.
- Jimmy Marku was formerly of Albania.
- Several competitors from other European countries took part.
By country
Country | Titles |
---|---|
England | 31 |
Scotland | 5 |
Northern Ireland | 4 |
Wales | 1 |
Repeat champions
Champion | Times |
---|---|
Eddie Hall | 5 |
Jamie Reeves | 4 |
Geoff Capes | 3 |
Glenn Ross | 3 |
Tom Stoltman | 3 |
Richard Slaney | 2 |
Forbes Cowan | 2 |
Rich Gosling | 2 |
Laurence Shahlaei | 2 |
Adam Bishop | 2 |
Clash of the Giants
In 2011, an event was organised in Boroughbridge advertised to allow spectators to see "top British strongmen compete to take a step closer towards a place at World's Strongest Man". The event was organised by multiple World's Strongest Man entrant Darren Sadler and the top two places, won by Rob Frampton and Jack McIntosh, received invitations to North Carolina to compete at the 32nd World's Strongest Man. Clash of the Giants was designed to fill the void left by the absence of the Britain's Strongest Man competition last held in 2008, much as the 1988 John Smith's Trial of Strength had been created following the discontinuation of the BSM in 1984. Unlike the BSM, which is the final stage of a knockout competition comprising a number of regional and national rounds, the Clash of the Giants was a singular event. Because there was no regional tiered competition preceding, it there was no prerequisite that the Clash of the Giants have a field of athletes representing each area of Britain and notably all the athletes competing were English. In addition, the three most successful British strength athletes actively competing at the time, namely Hollands, Felix and Shahlaei, had qualified for the WSM via international grand prix events and did not compete.
See also
References
- Retrieved from archive.org showing qualifiers
- David Webster, Sons of Samson Volume 2 Profiles, page 78 (Ironmind Enterprises), ISBN 0-926888-06-4
- ^ "Britain's Strongest Man - UKGameshows". www.ukgameshows.com.
- "BFI | Film & TV Database | BRITAIN'S STRONGEST MAN (1979)". 12 February 2009. Archived from the original on 12 February 2009.
- "My5".
- "The World's Strongest Man". 26 July 2008. Archived from the original on 26 July 2008.
External links
- David Horne's World of Grip is the source of the names and placings of the above finalists and champions.