Scotland's Tom Stoltman is celebrating this week after beating off competitors from 29 different athletes to be named the World's Strongest Man (WSM). The 27-year-old Highlander, who hails from the port city of Invergordon, grew to become one of many few strongman to win back-to-back titles on Sunday (Could 29).
Held in Sacramento, California, for the second yr working, the competitors is by far the largest within the energy sports activities calendar. Regardless of profitable solely one of many weekend finale's occasions, Stoltman completed within the prime three in every process having sailed by means of final week's qualifying rounds.
Regardless of sitting in third place behind chief Oleksiy Novikov, the Ukrainian energy home and 2020 title winner, with two occasions to go, his rival foundered within the energy stairs. It gave the Scotsman a 1.5 level lead heading into the ultimate occasion, and his favorite, the Atlas stones.
READ MORE:Scot Tom Stoltman scoops World's Strongest Man crown for second yr in a row
Final yr, Stoltman grew to become the primary Scot to win the coveted title and is the primary strongman to win back-to-back WSM titles since American Brian Shaw received his fourth in 2016. He joins England's Geoff Capes as the one two Brits to retain their WSM titles. and one in all solely 10 to take action within the competitors's 45-year historical past.
Standing at 6ft 8in tall and weighing in at 397lb (180kg), he was already a two-time Scotland's Strongest Man champion. He's additionally the youthful brother of five-time Scotland's Strongest Man and 2021 European champion, Luke Stoltman, 37, who completed a creditable seventh on this yr's contest.
Tom Stoltman's private information
As you'd think about, Tom Stoltman has a fairly spectacular resume with regards to his private information throughout a wide range of energy occasions. Within the health club he has deadlifted 420 kg (930 lb), with a 215 kg (474lb) finest within the log press. His private finest squat elevate within the health club is 345 kg (761 lb), and he's the present world file holder for the Atlas stones - the place athletes need to elevate small boulders onto a platform - with a 286 kg (631 lb) finest.
In terms of powerlifting, he's additionally no slouch. Within the squat he has a file of 325 kg (717 lb), a 220kg (490lb) within the bench press and a deadlift better of 360 kg (790 lb).
Elsewhere in WSM competitors, his deadlift (with straps and deadlift go well with) file is 430 kg (950 lb), with an 18-inch deadlift better of 478 kg (1,054 lb). Stoltman additionally has a private better of 190 kg (420 lb) within the axle press, and a keg toss file of seven.50m (24.6 ft).
What has Tom Stolman mentioned about his autism prognosis?
Stoltman has been married to his spouse Sinead since 2015 and is reported to be an enormous fan of Rangers FC. He was identified with autism when he was simply 5 years previous.
He took to his YouTube channel in February this yr to share his expertise with the situation. He describes being bullied at college and the way his academics "did not perceive it". "Lots of people did not perceive it," he added.
"Childhood for me was very laborious, I obtained bullied at school, I simply wished to cover away to myself," he mentioned. He mentioned an change with a trainer, somebody he had trusted, who informed him he would by no means quantity to something in his life was a very crushing blow
Stoltman sadi that his expertise at college made him so sad that, at one level, that he even contemplated suicide. These days, nevertheless, he considers autism his "superpower".
"I feel, with the autism, the health club saved my life," he mentioned, though he hated it at first "with all of the mirrors and folks" when brother Tom first obtained him concerned. "Every thing is quiet, and not using a thought in my head," he It will likely be simply tunnel imaginative and prescient and I might actually tear the bar aside till I am both lifeless or get informed to cease."
Stoltman mentioned it was chatting with a medical psychologist that helped him take care of his psychological "fragility" and construct up his confidence till it matched his bodily energy. "Earlier than then I used to be bodily sturdy however mentally weak, however then I went to being a champion inside a year-and-a-half - simply by having anyone speak to me on a display screen," he mentioned.
Though nonetheless a younger man with a lot of his profession nonetheless forward of him, Stoltman mentioned he desires to go away behind a legacy, notably for different younger individuals with autism, and present them the way it's potential to be successful. "There's Tom Stoltman, he has autism," he mentioned. "He’s received World’s Strongest Man…let's do it."
The WSM contest highlights can be found to look at on-line through YouTube. It's unclear when or the place the competitors might be broadcast on TV within the UK. Final yr, Channel 5 carried delayed protection in December.