French strongman competitor Didier Rolland told IronMind, “I work very hard to make this sport a real sport, but the real idea is to make a classification of the 400 top strongman competitors in the world.”


Didier Rolland has been a leading force in French strongman in recent years and earlier this year he helped organize and then competed in the strongman contest held in Paris (Strongman Champions League/Eric Favre Strongman Records at the Salon Body Fitness Expo).  IronMind®| Randall J. Strossen photo.


Explaining that he would like to develop this new concept—classifying or ranking the world’s top strongman competitors—Didier Rolland asked “How?” and then provided the answer to his own question.

“We start with one observation: look, there are few competitions in the world, but so many strongmen are not classified, [so] who can say today, ‘I am the #352 strongman of the planet or #52?

“My goal is to create [this ability] via internet, [understanding] that everybody needs to prove the reality of the weight he lifted [and] make a big competition over the world with:

• farmer’s walk: 170 kg each hand for maximum distance
• log lift: for maximum weight
• yoke: 400 kg for maximum distance
• deadlift: maximum weight
• Atlas stones: maximum weight over 1.30 meters

“Every athlete who wants to try needs to pay every year 50 Euros [in] fees, film his performance and send it to me,” Rolland continued.  “We will put his level on a website with a classification which will change every week.

“It is the way to classify [rank] all the strongmen of the planet,” Rolland said.

For more details, or to sign up, please email Didier Rolland directly.

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