Gregor Edmunds
Encyclopedia
Gregor Edmunds (born 1977) is a Scottish
Highland Games
competitor and strongman
. Gregor is a winner of the World Highland Games Championships
, Highlander Challenge, and Scotland's Strongest Man.
. Strength runs through the male line. His paternal grandfather, John Morris from Fife
is said to have been part of a gang of fervent Scottish nationalists, that included the poet Hugh MacDiarmid
, which planned to steal the Stone of Destiny
from Westminster Abbey
. Such was John Morris' strength that he was to be responsible for carrying the stone, and trained for this task by lifting a heavy steel ingot at his work at the Beardmore forge in Glasgow
. The family changed the name from Morris to Edmunds because John was convicted of bigamy and desertion. Gregor Edmunds' great-grandfather, also called John Morris, fought for money in boxing booths. Gregor's father, Douglas was the World Caber Tossing Champion in the 1970’s and wrote an autobiography titled "The World's Greatest Tosser". Douglas was also a founder of The World's Strongest Man competition. Despite being immersed in strength sports Edmunds initially asked for a skateboard for his tenth birthday but was given a shot putt. Following in his father's footsteps, he began training for Highland Games events and at the age of 17 he was Junior Highland Games World Champion. Additionally, he studied and completed an HND
in Sports Therapy and in October 2008 began a Degree in Strength and Conditioning Science at St Mary’s University College, Twickenham.
. He was also second in Britain's Strongest Man
in 2002 and 2003.
Gregor set an SHGA Highland Games world record in the 28 lb. weight for distance at the 2011 Markinch Highland Games on June 5, 2011. His world record throw was 95'10", a full 3'5" further than the previous world record. This throw also broke the American record by 1'4".
Gregor won the 2011 Highlander Challenge on June 18, 2011.
.
competitor whom he met at the Killin Highland Games.
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
Highland Games
Highland games
Highland games are events held throughout the &Highland games are events held throughout the &Highland games are events held throughout the &(-è_çà in Scotland and other countries as a way of celebrating Scottish and Celtic culture and heritage, especially that of the Scottish Highlands. Certain...
competitor and strongman
Strongman (strength athlete)
In the 19th century, the term strongman referred to an exhibitor of strength or circus performers of similar ilk who displayed feats of strength such as the bent press , supporting large amounts of...
. Gregor is a winner of the World Highland Games Championships
World Highland Games Championships
The World Highland Games Championships is a well recognised event in both strength athletics and Highland Games. The championships are also known as the IHGF Official World Heavy Events Championships, being organised by the International Highland Games Federation...
, Highlander Challenge, and Scotland's Strongest Man.
Background
Edmunds was born in 1977 to Moira and Douglas Edmunds and grew up in the south of GlasgowGlasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
. Strength runs through the male line. His paternal grandfather, John Morris from Fife
Fife
Fife is a council area and former county of Scotland. It is situated between the Firth of Tay and the Firth of Forth, with inland boundaries to Perth and Kinross and Clackmannanshire...
is said to have been part of a gang of fervent Scottish nationalists, that included the poet Hugh MacDiarmid
Hugh MacDiarmid
Hugh MacDiarmid is the pen name of Christopher Murray Grieve , a significant Scottish poet of the 20th century. He was instrumental in creating a Scottish version of modernism and was a leading light in the Scottish Renaissance of the 20th century...
, which planned to steal the Stone of Destiny
Stone of Scone
The Stone of Scone , also known as the Stone of Destiny and often referred to in England as The Coronation Stone, is an oblong block of red sandstone, used for centuries in the coronation of the monarchs of Scotland and later the monarchs of England, Great Britain and the United Kingdom...
from Westminster Abbey
Westminster Abbey
The Collegiate Church of St Peter at Westminster, popularly known as Westminster Abbey, is a large, mainly Gothic church, in the City of Westminster, London, United Kingdom, located just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is the traditional place of coronation and burial site for English,...
. Such was John Morris' strength that he was to be responsible for carrying the stone, and trained for this task by lifting a heavy steel ingot at his work at the Beardmore forge in Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
. The family changed the name from Morris to Edmunds because John was convicted of bigamy and desertion. Gregor Edmunds' great-grandfather, also called John Morris, fought for money in boxing booths. Gregor's father, Douglas was the World Caber Tossing Champion in the 1970’s and wrote an autobiography titled "The World's Greatest Tosser". Douglas was also a founder of The World's Strongest Man competition. Despite being immersed in strength sports Edmunds initially asked for a skateboard for his tenth birthday but was given a shot putt. Following in his father's footsteps, he began training for Highland Games events and at the age of 17 he was Junior Highland Games World Champion. Additionally, he studied and completed an HND
HND
HND may refer to:* Higher National Diploma, a higher education qualification in the United Kingdom* Hexanitrodiphenylamine, a World War II explosive with the chemical formula C12H5N7O12* HND, the ISO 3166-1 three-letter code for Honduras...
in Sports Therapy and in October 2008 began a Degree in Strength and Conditioning Science at St Mary’s University College, Twickenham.
Career
After winning the Junior Highland Games World Champion he went on to compete in Highland Games events around the world. Along with his father he competed in the Braemar Tossing the Caber event, and they remain the only father and son combination to have done this. In 2007 he became World Highland Games Champion, ending a five-year American hold on that title. Edmunds also competed successfully in strongman competitions, winning the title of Scotland's Strongest Man in 2002 and going on to compete at the World's Strongest ManWorld's Strongest Man
The World's Strongest Man is a well recognised event in strength athletics and has been described by a number of highly respected authorities in the sport as the premier event in strongman. Organized by TWI, an IMG Media company, it is broadcast around the end of December each year...
. He was also second in Britain's Strongest Man
Britain's Strongest Man
Britain's Strongest Man is an annual strongman event held in the United Kingdom. Competitors qualify for the final through regional heats and the winner is awarded the title of "Britain's Strongest Man"...
in 2002 and 2003.
Gregor set an SHGA Highland Games world record in the 28 lb. weight for distance at the 2011 Markinch Highland Games on June 5, 2011. His world record throw was 95'10", a full 3'5" further than the previous world record. This throw also broke the American record by 1'4".
Gregor won the 2011 Highlander Challenge on June 18, 2011.
The Highlander Challenge
The lack of young Scottish Highland Games competitors led Edmunds and his father to organise the Highlander Challenge. He is quoted as saying: "When I go over to America, I'm up against ex-Olympians, really good sportsmen, and here I might be competing against some guy standing about and smoking a cigarette who then has a throw against me. That's not pushing me and it's not going to bring people into the sport. If we can create something spectacular, though, the younger ones will aspire to that. It's like great footballers – everyone wants to wear their shirt. That's what we want to do with the Highlander Challenge. I'd love to be someone's hero." In 2007 the Challenge was successful enough to spawn a larger, televised event in 2008 at Scone PalaceScone Palace
Scone Palace is a Category A listed historic house at Scone, Perthshire, Scotland. It was constructed in 1808 for the Earls of Mansfield by William Atkinson...
.
Future
A lack of money in the sport has led to him studying strength and conditioning science in the hope of creating a future career as an equestrian massage expert. "You can make a lot of money because it's very difficult to do. You need big strong hands to massage a horse." "And," Gregor says with a laugh, "horses can't complain if you do a crap job."Personal life
Until his studies took him south, Edmunds lived in Glasgow. For three years he lived in Finland with Heini Koivuniemi, a World's Strongest WomanWorld's Strongest Woman
World's Strongest Woman was an annual strongwoman contest organized by the International Federation of Strength Athletes . The format was similar to the World's Strongest Man contest, but with lighter weights. The contest was first held in 2001....
competitor whom he met at the Killin Highland Games.