SHOW OF STRENGTH
STRONGMAN COMP
THEY are the quirky Gold Coast gym junkies who have the chance to put the city on the Arnold Strongman map.
Training partners at Molendinar’s Coco’s Gym, Jean-Stephen Coraboeuf, James Davies, Lucia Delle Noci and Leigh Shaw will push their bodies to the limit at Australia’s Strongest Man and Woman in Melbourne today and tomorrow.
The invite-only event follows March’s Arnold Strongman Australia Championships in Melbourne, where Shaw (first in men’s under-90kg), Delle Noci (first in women’s under-82kg) and Davies (fifth in men’s heavyweight) underlined their potential in the amateur competition.
Competing in the pro show, Coraboeuf, who was third at the 2017 Australia’s Strongest Man and Woman, held his own but missed the men’s heavyweight podium.
Better known as Coco, he is sponsored by a donut company and formerly competed in bodybuilding and weightlifting, while Davies has gained notoriety for showing no facial expression while competing and never smiling.
With no weight classes in the Melbourne event, Shaw has spent the past three months packing on 10kg so he can match the 170kg giants, while food addict Delle Noci can press more overhead than many men.
They will now line up in eight events over two days, with an overall winner to then be crowned.
“I’m trying to get the Australian log press record, which is currently 190kg. I have done 185kg in training so the goal is to match it or break it,” Frenchman Coraboeuf, who moved to Australia 12 years ago, said.
Brisbane-based Nora Sa’Auma, who also spends time at Coco’s Gym, has joined the Coast’s awesome foursome for a shot at the national crown.
“For me, it’s just some good experience because it’s an invite-only competition,” Davies said.
“I qualified for it by placing in the top five at Arnolds in March, which is probably the best result I have had. The goal is mainly just to be consistent and aim for the middle.”