Kelowna’s Strongest Competition pushes the limit for B.C. athletes

Eighty competitors lined up to lift a vehicle in front of an audience.

Kelowna’s Strongest Competition brought people from across B.C. together to compete in the third annual strength competition.

“The Toyota Tacoma athletes are lifting right now is about 5,000 pounds and the Toyota Corolla that the ladies are lifting right now is about 3,000 pounds,” said Hans Fuhrmann, the organizer of the competition.

Fuhrmann says that every year the competition is held, more and more people sign up to push their bodies to the limit. This year 80 people signed up.

The email you need for the day's top news stories from Canada and around the world.

“There are five tests of strength here today. The first one is the car deadlift, the second one is the bag toss — athletes will be tossing bags over a 15-foot bar. The third event is the log ladder; that is a test of overhead pressing strength, you press four logs overhead,” said Fuhrmann.

“The fourth event is the frame carry. We have two timber frames that athletes will carry; it is a test of grip. And the fifth event is the sandbag load.”

What sets this sport apart from the rest isn’t just the incredible tests of strength, it is the camaraderie between the competitors.

“The people here are so encouraging to each other and beyond every individual here wanting to lift heavy weight everybody here wants to see everybody else just lift as much as possible,” said Liam McCabe, who is one of the competitors.

Jayme Young is throwing her weight around in her first-ever competition.

“For me, it’s just being able to push myself as far as I can, like [maximum] amount of effort. It’s just really cool seeing what you think your expectations are and what your body and mind can actually do, that’s really cool,” said Young.

Young says this won’t be her last. She’s hitting the competition circuit this year which culminates on Sept. 7 right back in Kelowna at the Provincial Championships.