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World's strongest men to go head-to-head in Dubai

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Worlds strongest men to go head-to-head in Dubai
Participants of the Dubai First Ultimate Strongman with officials during the Dubai First Ultimate Strongman sports festival at Dubai Sports Council in Dubai.

Dubai - Including the World's Strongest Man and Game of Thrones star, Hafthor Bjornsson.

by

Kelly Clarke
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Published: Tue 31 Jul 2018, 1:01 PM

Last updated: Wed 1 Aug 2018, 9:05 AM

Have you ever seen a man pull a 30 tonne truck with his own bare hands? What about deadlifting 500kg without hardly breaking a sweat? These are just two of the standout events that will be witnessed during the first 'World's Ultimate Strongman' competition, which will take place in Dubai on October 26, 2018.

Six main events:

Truck Pull
Athletes pulling a 30+ tonne truck with a harness and rope for a set distance as fast as possible

Arm over arm vehicle pull
Athletes pulling a vehicle towards them using a rope and their hands for a set distance

18 inch deadlift
Athletes lifting a heavy apparatus (upward of 500kg) off the floor competing for who lifts the heaviest weight

Press Medley
Athletes running through a series of pressing large dumbbells, train axles, steel logs and solid steel shields over their heads in the quickest time.
Comprising 15 of the strongest men in the world, including Hafthor Bjornsson (Game of Thrones star and the current World's Strongest Man), the event will see the world heavyweights battle head to head in six events.
In the ultimate test of strength, the festival-style event will take place from 3pm to 3am at the Bab Al Shams arena.Held under the guidance of Dubai Sports Council, entry tickets will start at Dh249.
From the arm over arm vehicle pull, where athletes will pull a vehicle towards them using a rope, to the yoke walk, where competitors will race against each other carrying structures weighing close to 600kg, the event will be held under the title, Beasts from the Middle East.
Speaking to Khaleej Times during the event announcement on Tuesday, Eddie 'The Beast' Hall, the 2017 World's Strongest Man, said he will be one of the event ambassadors for this first-of-its-kind event.
"The World's Strongest Man competition has been going on since 1977, but we have never done an arena event like this, so in my opinion this will be one of the biggest events we have seen.
"Attracting some of the biggest and strongest men in the world, all 15 competitors taking part hold international titles or World Records.
Standing at 6ft 8inches tall, 200kg American competitor Brian Shaw is one on the line up.  With previous World Strongest Man titles, he is a consistent podium placer at all top level competitions in strongman.

Ones to watch

Hafthor Bjornsson - Current World's Strongest Man

Zydrunas Savickas - Holds current log press World Record, lifting a huge 228kg in 2017.

Iron Biby - Arelatively new face in strongman. Despite his huge frame, he can perform acrobatics such as backflips and roundhouse kicks - a showboater for sure

Jean-Francois Caron - Has a record breaking 7 consecutive Canada's Strongest Man titles

Terry Hollands - A legend of strongman from the UK. Previously a podium finisher at World's Strongest Man
Jean-Francois Caron is a Canadian born powerlifter and strongman has a record breaking seven consecutive Canada's Strongest Man titles and several world records related to tyre flipping and car flipping.
Speaking to Khaleej Times, Don Idrees, owner of World's Ultimate Strongman said local strongmen from the region will also be given the chance to qualify for next year's competition.
"Because there is not a lot of strongman fans in the region, we are trying to change that. We have carved this event out every year for the next three years, with October being the debut show. Additionally, Emirates Strength, which runs the Middle East's Strongest Man competition at the Dubai Muscle Show, will now be opened up as a qualifier for the 2019 World's Ultimate Strongman. So we hope to have a local guy competing next year."
Dubbed as a fusion outdoor festival, the one-day event will have entertainment, music, with the strongman competition, kicking off at 5.30pm, as the mainline event. kelly@khaleejtimes.com

Kelly Clarke

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