Laurence Shahlaei
Encyclopedia
Laurence Shahlaei (born December 25, 1982) is a British
strongman
competitor, winner of the England's Strongest Man title at 2009 and repeat competitor at the World's Strongest Man
.
and attended Balcarras School
. He later moved to Stroud
. According to his biography, his mother is from Newcastle
and his father is from Kermanshah
, Iran.
("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 of BSM 2008, 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 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 Mariusz Pudzianowski
.
On 19 August 2011, he competed on Deal or no Deal
, where he won £20,000
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
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...
competitor, winner of the England's Strongest Man title at 2009 and repeat competitor at the World's Strongest Man
World'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...
.
Early life
Laurence Shahlaei was born December 25, 1982 in CheltenhamCheltenham
Cheltenham , also known as Cheltenham Spa, is a large spa town and borough in Gloucestershire, on the edge of the Cotswolds in the South-West region of England. It is the home of the flagship race of British steeplechase horse racing, the Gold Cup, the main event of the Cheltenham Festival held...
and attended Balcarras School
Balcarras School
Balcarras School is a comprehensive school for 11 to 18 year olds, located in Charlton Kings, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England.-History:Balcarras School was opened to pupils on 2 September 1986 replacing Charlton Kings County Secondary School, which was closed as part of a secondary education...
. He later moved to Stroud
Stroud
Stroud a town and civil parish in the county of Gloucestershire, England.Stroud may also refer to:*Stroud, New South Wales, Australia*Stroud, Ontario, Canada*Stroud , Gloucestershire, UK*Stroud...
. According to his biography, his mother is from Newcastle
Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne is a city and metropolitan borough of Tyne and Wear, in North East England. Historically a part of Northumberland, it is situated on the north bank of the River Tyne...
and his father is from Kermanshah
Kermanshah
Kermanshah is a city in and the capital of Kermanshah Province, Iran. At the 2006 census, its population was 784,602, in 198,117 families.The overwhelming majority of Kermanshahi people are Shi'a Muslims...
, Iran.
Strongman career
Shahlaei started strongman training in 2005 entering his first novice competition that year where he finished 8th. Within two years he entered his first Britain's Strongest ManBritain'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"...
("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 of BSM 2008, this time finishing 4th behind Jimmy Marku
Jimmy Marku
Jimmy Marku is an Albanian-born British strongman competitor.-Early life:Jimmy Marku was born 27 August 1974 in Albania...
, Terry Hollands
Terry Hollands
Terry Hollands , is one of the world's leading strongman competitors and was Britain's Strongest Man .-Early life:...
and Mark Felix
Mark Felix
Mark Felix is a strongman competitor and regular entrant to the World's Strongest Man competition...
, all respected athletes on the world stage. This placing landed him an invite to the World's Strongest Man
World'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...
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
Terry Hollands
Terry Hollands , is one of the world's leading strongman competitors and was Britain's Strongest Man .-Early life:...
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 admires Bill Kazmaier
Bill Kazmaier
Bill Kazmaier is a former powerlifter, strongman and professional wrestler from the United States. He is widely considered to be one of the all-time greatest competitors in strength competitions...
and Vasyl Virastyuk
Vasyl Virastyuk
Vasyl Virastyuk , is a strongman competitor from Ukraine.Vasyl Virastyuk competed in the finals of the World's Strongest Man contest in 2003 and 2004. He finished third in 2003 behind then-defending champion Mariusz Pudzianowski and runner-up Zydrunas Savickas...
for their intensity and belief in themselves, qualities he seeks to emulate, and that he believes the greatest strength athlete of all time is Mariusz Pudzianowski
Mariusz Pudzianowski
Mariusz Zbigniew Pudzianowski is a Polish former strongman and current mixed martial artist...
.
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
Deal or No Deal
Deal or No Deal is the name of several closely related television game shows, the first of which was the Dutch Miljoenenjacht produced by Dutch producer Endemol. It is played with up to 26 cases with certain sums of money...
, where he won £20,000
General stats
- Bench press max weight: 210 kg
- Squat max: 380 kg
- Dead lift max: 430 kg