Strength royalty muscles in at Sheffield FlyDSA Arena

BUY TICKETS: Seats for the Giants Live Britain's Strongest Man event at Sheffield FlyDSA Area on Saturday, January 18 are £28.13 to £196.88, with VIP tickets available including the chance to meet the strongmen. Visit www.flydsaarena.co.uk, call 0114 256 565 or visit www.giants-live.com.

Five times winner and 2017 World’s Strongest Man, Eddie Hall, will be presenting the evening’s action alongside the legendary Bill Kazmaier, himself a three times winner of the world title.

Head referee this year will be yet another iconic figure of strength: four times World’s Strongest Man winner, Magnus Ver Magnusson.

Hall, aka “The Beast”, has stepped away from competition to concentrate on television projects such as “Eddie Eats America” and “the Strongest Man in History” but still casts a sizeable shadow over the sport, with no British athlete, as yet, producing the kind of form that could see them replicate Hall’s achievements.

But all that could change this weekend as three of the 2019 World’s Strongest Man finalists will be straining every nerve and sinew to capture the title in front of an expected crowd of 7000.

Scottish brothers Luke and Tom Stoltman finished 7th and 5th at the World Finals last year and many tip younger brother Tom, 25, the “Invergordon Goliath” to be a future World’s Strongest Man.

He’ll be hoping to add the British title to his Scottish one and hold off big brother Luke, “The Highland Oak”, himself five times Scotland’s Strongest Man.

England’s Adam Bishop, a former professional rugby player was 8th at the World’s Strongest Man final and runner-up here last year. “Bish” has improved steadily over the last few seasons and with his all-round ability, will be many people’s favourite to take Graham Hicks’ title.

Hard on the heels of the top men will be Wales’ Ben Brunning who shocked the world in September of last year when he finished 2nd in a stellar line-up at the Giants Live World Tour Finals in Manchester.

The Badger, as he is affectionately known, looks certain to eclipse his modest 10th place finish from last year. Yorkshire’s Luke Richardson is perhaps the competition’s dark horse.

Powerlifting aficionados have long been aware of his exploits – he set an U21’s world record in 2018 – but the world of strongman is now waking up to his potential, especially after he defeated Brunning to take the Giants Live Official Strongman Games title in Florida last year.

Fan favourites and veterans of Britain’s Strongest Man, Terry Hollands and Mark Felix will also be in attendance and putting their vast experience to good use. Hollands is the only former champ competing here and Felix, four times a runner-up at Britain’s Strongest Man, will be hoping to take the title at a staggering 53 years of age!

Felix broke the Hercules Hold world record no less than three times last year and became an internet sensation when his performance went viral on social media.

Organisers and Giants Live owners Darren Sadler and Colin Bryce have radically overhauled Strongman in the last decade; taking the sport from town car parks to the UK’s best indoor arenas.

Crowds of over 10,000 have been treated to mind-boggling world records, from the world’s biggest stars of strength.

“This year’s event is the hardest ever to call,” says Bryce.

“The strength in depth in Britain right now is phenomenal.”

The man who can emerge from such a highly competitive field on January 18 may well have the credentials to emulate Eddie Hall and go all the way to the top.