Canadian strongman star Hugo Girard said that his cast is scheduled to come off next Thursday, and rehabilitation will begin in the first week of July.


Canadian strongman star Hugo Girard is looking for a new world record in the log when he returns to competition next year. IronMind® | Barbara Brown photo.

Hugo Girard had the misfortune to first tear his Achilles tendon while competing in the Arnold Strongman contest earlier this year, and then he duplicated the injury shortly after the cast was removed.

But don't think this means that the man who is a household name in Quebec is anything but completely optimistic about his return to competition next year: "My surgeon is very happy with my progress and I am very confident that I can return at 100%," Girard told IronMind®.

Perhaps best known for his pressing power, Girard is a former world record holder in the Apollon's Axle, and he had hoped to bench press 650 pounds raw at the World Police and Fire Games that begin this weekend in Quebec.

"I'm an expert with crutches now," Girard said, "and it has been very good training for my triceps. Watch for a new world record in the log when I return to competition in 2006."