Laurence Shahlaei
| Laurence Shahlaei | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born |
Laurence Shahlaei 25 December 1982 Cheltenham, England[1] |
| Residence | Swindon, England |
| Other names | "Loz" |
| Occupation | Strongman |
| Height | 6 ft 2.5 in (1.89 m) |
| Weight | 309 lb (140 kg)[2] |
Laurence Shahlaei (born 25 December 1982) is a strongman competitor, winner of England's Strongest Man, Britain's Strongest Man and regular competitor at the World's Strongest Man.
Early life
Laurence Shahlaei is of Iranian descent, he was born on 25 December 1982 in Cheltenham and attended Balcarras School. He later moved to Stroud.[1] According to his biography, his mother is from Newcastle and his father is from Kermanshah, Iran.
Strongman career
Shahlaei started strongman training in 2005 and entered his first novice competition that year, where he finished 8th. Within two years, he entered his first Britain's Strongest Man ("BSM"), having won the Midlands qualifier. In that competition, he made a huge impact, making it to the final, only to tear his biceps in the tyre flip, which forced him to withdraw. He won the Midlands qualifier again in 2008, and once again made the final, this time finishing 4th behind Jimmy Marku, Terry Hollands and Mark Felix, all respected athletes on the world stage. This placing landed him an invite to the World's Strongest Man in 2008. Despite his impressive win in the squat, he did not make the final. In 2009, just four years after beginning strongman, he became the UKSC Midlands Strongest Man and also won the UKSC England's Strongest Man, citing this, alongside his WSM 2008 squat win, as the greatest moment of his career (the WSM qualifier titled "England's Strongest Man", which replaced the Britain's Strongest Man contest in 2009, was won by Terry Hollands and Shahlaei did not compete in that). His favourite strongman event is the farmer's walk because it is a good test of natural strength, whereas his least favourite strongman event is the Atlas stones. Shahlaei has said that he admires Bill Kazmaier and Vasyl Virastyuk for their intensity and belief in themselves, qualities he seeks to emulate, and that he believes the greatest strength athlete of all time is Zydrunas Savickas.
Outside of Strength Athletics
Shahlaei has worked as a builder, but concentrates much of his time on his training. He has said that he would like to set up a sports related business in the future, but his dream is to become an actor. In pursuit of this, he has already appeared in the adaption of the Golden Compass in 2007.
On 19 August 2011, he competed on Deal or no Deal, where he won £20,000, and also successfully lifted presenter Noel Edmonds up above his head.
In August 2012, Laurence launched www.laurenceshahlaei.co.uk to support his Personal Training business in Swindon.
General stats
- Bench press max weight: 210 kg
- Squat max: 380 kg
- Dead lift max: 435 kg
Official done at World Deadlift Championship 2014
Personal life
Shahlaei has a daughter named Ava, whom he once described as his greatest achievement. He is currently living in Swindon, Wiltshire with his girlfriend, Liz.[4]
References
External links
| Preceded by Jimmy Marku (in 2008) |
Britain's Strongest Man 2012-2013 |
Succeeded by Eddy Hall |
| Preceded by Jimmy Marku |
England's Strongest Man (Elite/UKSC) 2009 |
Succeeded by Eddy Hall (Elite) Dean Slater (UKSC) |