Sport Ryan proud to be one of Britain’s strongest men
RYAN England, from Yate, has spoken of his pride at competing at the annual competition to find Britain’s strongest man.
England, 33, has been a strongman since he was 28, following a car accident in which the Bristolborn powerlifter’s road to recovery led him down the route of a new career. Formerly a scaffolder, England joined a local strongman gym in an attempt to recover from his accident and began to make significant strides within his field early on, finishing second in the national strongman championships in 2017.
He qualified for this year’s British final in Sheffield, and speaking about his local roots, he said: “Bristol means a lot to me and has made me the person who I am today.
“Being a local lad, I know that when I go out there and compete I am representing not just my family but my city as well.
“It is a historic city that provides me with great motivation and every time I go out there I want to make all my friends and family and my city proud.”
Making his debut at Britain’s strongest man event, England was fearless at the prospect of the competition, claiming he was one of the underdogs going into the event.
He was unable to pull off the underdog story and win the championship, as the Bristolian finished 12th out of 13 places, a valiant effort for a debutant who was late to the strongman game.
Englishman Adam Bishop won the event with 56 points, while Scottish brothers Tom and Luke Stoltman finished second and third, respectively.
England says the mental strength is just as important as physical strength in strongman competitions, and the father-of-three spoke of the motivation that keeps him ticking over during the gruelling physical tests.
He said: “Going into these events sometimes, it is just as important you are mentally prepared as well as physically, because you can have all the strength in the world but if go out there with the wrong mentality then it can put you in trouble. It is all about staying focused, confident and motivated.
“My kids are my motivation, I love them and would do anything for them. When I feel like I’m reaching breaking point, they are the thing that keeps me going, just the thought of them gives me that extra bit of adrenaline, that second wind, if you like.”
The local strongman has earmarked the strongman Champions League tournament as his next goal, with the 33-year-old back in training already.
Due to the invite-only structure, England is not guaranteed a place at next year’s event, but remains confident in his career ambitions.
He said: “The world is my oyster, I have a lot of self-confidence so I feel I can achieve anything I set my heart on. In this industry you need that self-belief and that drive because when you are struggling the only person that is going to get you through it is yourself, so hopefully I can come back stronger and carry on making my family, my friends, my fans and my city proud.”