Shetland ‘lifts’ above its weight
SHETLAND looks set to dominate Scotland’s strong man competition this year with three out of 12 finalists hailing from the isles.
Last weekend 26 year old Dhanni Moar and 30 year olds Davy Cummings and Colin Arthur all qualified for the 9 June final in Dumfries coming 4th, 7th and 9th position respectively out of a field of 22 athletes.
The islands have only ever had three men in the final before – Cummings, Stuart Wadley and Neil Hamilton – and never more than one at a time.
“It’s a big achievement, I’m not sure if there’s been anywhere that’s had that number of people qualify before, so little Shetland is certainly punching above its weight,” said Cummings, who came in 8th in last year’s final.
Now Shetland’s strong men are using their negotiating muscle to persuade the competition organisers to stage next year’s final in Shetland.
“We started discussions last year and the organisers are potentially keen to make it happen,” Cummings said this week.
Previous finals have been held in Fife, Fort William and Edinburgh and this year it will be staged in Dumfries, at the opposite end of the country.
Shetland has put its weight behind the local competition, raising as much money to in support as has been raised nationally for the Scotland-wide event, all of which increases the islands’ chances.
While last year’s Shetland competition took place outside the Clickimin Leisure Complex in poor weather, the search is on for an indoor venue if the national event comes north.
Last weekend’s qualifying event was held in Dumfries’ Burns Gym and was run by former World’s Strongest Man competitor Stuart Murray.The events were:
• press medley – 120kg log, 140kg axle, 95kg steel block, 75kg DB to be pressed overhead;
• frame carry – 330kg frame to be carried 20m;
• car squat – car on a frame to be squatted as many times as possible;
• medley – 340kg yoke, 120kg sandbag to be carried 15m each, then 280kg chain and anchor to be dragged 15m;
• deadlift – five attempts to get to your heaviest possible deadlift; and
• Atlas Stones – six stones ranging from 110kg to 180kg to be lifted on to a 49” wall.
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