Jimmy Laureys (born 7 July 1981) is a Belgian

powerlifter Powerlifting is a competitive strength sport that consists of three attempts at maximal weight on three lifts: squat, bench press, and deadlift. As in the sport of Olympic weightlifting, it involves the athlete attempting a maximal weight singl ...

and

strongman Strongman is a competitive strength sport which tests athletes' physical strength and endurance through a variety of heavy lifts and events. Strongman competitions are known for their intensity, pushing athletes to their physical and mental limit ...

competitor.

Biography

Jimmy was known as ‘King Kong’ at school due to his size. He started training at the age of 15 and by the age of 17, he took up powerlifting. When he was 23 he turned his attention to

strength athletics Strength athletics is the collection of strength sports which measure physical strength, based on both: non-standard and historical implements as seen in Strongman and Highland games, and standardized and calibrated equipment as seen in Powerlifti ...

. Although podium showings in 2001 and 2002 in the Strongest Man in Flanders contests showed Jimmy's potential as a strongman, he concentrated on powerlifting until 2005. From that point forward he began to compete in the Benelux strongman circuit consistently being in the top four in almost every contest he entered, winning 3 of the 8 contests he entered in 2005, predominantly in the

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

, with similar success in 2006. His competitive nature led to his nickname in Belgium and Holland becoming 'the Belgian Beast'. By 2008 he had become Belgian's Strongest Man and he repeated this feat in 2009. 2008 also saw his career graduate to the full international status, with an invitation to compete in the

Strongman Champions League The Strongman Champions League is a Strongman competition circuit, with several Grand Prix events throughout the year and the Strongman Champions League overall champion title going to the overall winner at the end of the season. Competitors in ...

. He impressed enough to be invited back in 2009 where he was more consistent, and his improvement was such that he achieved a third-place finish in the Spanish leg of the League in October behind

Ervin Katona Ervin Katona (Serbian Cyrillic alphabet, Serbian Cyrillic: Ервин Катона; born 5 January 1977) is a Serbian-born Hungarians, Hungarian strongman (strength athlete), strongman competitor and regular entrant to the World's Strongest M ...

and eventual League Champion

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. In 2009, in what was described as the strongest field for many years, Laureys was invited to the

World's Strongest Man The World's Strongest Man is an international strongman competition held every year. Organized by American event management company IMG, a subsidiary of Endeavor, it is broadcast in the US during summers and in the UK around the end of Decemb ...

, being the first Belgian to have the honour. He was drawn in the same group as two previous title holders,

Phil Pfister Phil Pfister ( ; born May 15, 1971) is an American former strongman competitor and winner of the 2006 World's Strongest Man competition held in Sanya, China. He was the first American to win since Bill Kazmaier in 1982. Prior to 2006, Pfister' ...

and five times winner

Mariusz Pudzianowski Mariusz Zbigniew Pudzianowski (; born 7 February 1977), also known as "Pudzian" and "Dominator", is a Polish people, Polish mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist and former Strongman (strength athlete), strongman competitor. With Strongman#In ...

. They finished in the top two spots and Laureys failed to qualify for the final. In 2010 he once again was the strongest man of Belgium. Jimmy has been dominating Belgium's Strongest Man since its inauguration in 2008, and holds the record for most wins with six.

General stats

*Deadlift – 400 kg *Squat – 345 kg *Bench press – 230 kg *Log press – 180 kg *Leg press – 800 kg

Competition Record

* 2001 ** 2. - Flander's Strongest Man * 2002 ** 2. - Flander's Strongest Man * 2008 ** 11. Strongman Champions League Varsseveld ** 9. Strongman Champions League Wilno ** 1. - Belgium's Strongest Man * 2009 ** 1. - Belgium's Strongest Man ** Q. -

2009 World's Strongest Man The World's Strongest Man 2009 was the 32nd edition of World's Strongest Man and took place in Valletta, Malta from 26 September to 3 October 2009. It was sponsored by PartyPoker.com. It was anticipated by the strength athletics world as promisi ...

** 3. Strongman Champions League Spain ** 6. Strongman Champions League Overall * 2010 ** 1. - Belgium's Strongest Man * 2011 ** 1. - Belgium's Strongest Man * 2012 ** 1. - Belgium's Strongest Man

References

External links

Jimmy Laureys - official site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Laureys, Jimmy Belgian strength athletes 1981 births Living people Sportspeople from Sint-Niklaas