Some of the strongest men on the planet will battle it out for the title of Britain’s Strongest Man this Saturday at Sheffield’s Utilita Arena. Strength fans will watch in awe as the likes of Tom ‘The Albatross’ Stoltman (currently World’s Strongest Man), Luke ‘The Highland Oak’ Stoltman (currently Europe’s Strongest Man) and Adam ‘Bish’ Bishop (currently Britain’s Strongest Man) go head-to-head carrying, loading, lifting and pressing weight which the average Joe could only dream of emulating.
Bishop has reigned over Britain’s strongest for 18 months since the last competition was held, making him the longest holder of the title since Jimmy Marku won in 2008, as the next competition was not held again until 2012. Meanwhile, the Stoltman brothers from Invergordon, a small coastal town in the Scottish Highlands, have dominated the World and Europe in what has been their best season yet.
Since winning WSM, Tom has struggled with a hamstring injury but is now back to full fitness and goes into Britain’s a strong favourite alongside Luke who has also faced niggles in his bicep and shoulder but still came out on top at Europe’s strongest man by beating his brother and USA’s Evan Singleton.
Also in the field is the seemingly indestructible Mark Felix. It feels like the 55-year-old has been competing since before time began; he has six Britain Strongest Man podium finishes to his name, his first came all the way back in 2006 when he finished second. Another three second place finishes followed along with two third place finishes in what has been a long and illustrious career both in Britain and on the world stage.
Two men who will be looking to cause an upset are Andy Black and Graham Hicks. Scotsman Black has burst onto the strength scene in the last couple of years and has quickly established himself among the best in the UK. Meanwhile, Hicks will be aiming to bounce back from over a year hampered with injuries which has curtailed his chances at World’s Strongest Man competitions the last two years.
