Bill Lyndon
Encyclopedia
Bill Lyndon (born January 30, 1964) is a former Australian strongman
competitor. Lyndon is a 5 time winner of Australia's Strongest Man
, and a 4 time entrant to the World's Strongest Man
competition.
. A keen sportsman, he played a variety of sports including Australian Rules Football
, American Football
, Rugby League
, cycling
and from the age of 23, powerlifting
. His rugby league led him to spend two seasons in Perth
and as a powerlifter he won four national powerlifting titles.
for the 1993 World Muscle Power Classic
. Some of Bill's competitors in this contest included: Gary Taylor
, Manfred Hoeberl
, Wayne Price, Magnus Ver Magnusson
(referred to as "Maggie" by Lyndon) and Forbes Cowan
. Although Lyndon did not feature among the contenders he found the experience of being around such renowned strongmen a rewarding one. The 1993 World's Strongest Man
competition was held in Orange, France and Lyndon was considered for the last spot but Harold "Iron Bear" Collins
was chosen that year. The following year, another triumph in Australia's Strongest Man
secured Lyndon a spot at the 1994 World's Strongest Man
contest, but failed to make the finals. Nathan Jones
won the Australian title in 1995 and got the place at 1995 World's Strongest Man
contest, where his arm was broken in an armwrestling match in the heats with 1998 World's Strongest Man
champion Magnus Samuelsson
. Lyndon went on to compete at the 1996 World's Strongest Man
, 1997 World's Strongest Man
and 1998 World's Strongest Man
qualifying heats, but he was never able to qualify for the finals. In 1999, when the IFSA
was still running WSM, Manfred Hoeberl
set up a rival AFSA organization. Lyndon joined this and as such was banned by IFSA. Lyndon's decision was swayed by the fact that he was not getting enough competitions via IFSA. In 1998 he had only competed in Hungary
and Morocco
, whereas the AFSA offered five competitions in the first year.
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. Lyndon is a 5 time winner of Australia's Strongest Man
Australia's Strongest Man
Australia's Strongest Man is an annual strongman competition held in the Australia and featuring predominantly Australian athletes, although notably 12 time winner Derek Boyer is originally from Fiji. The contest was established in 1993, with Bill Lyndon winning the inaugural contest.-Official...
, and a 4 time entrant 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...
competition.
Early years
Bill Lyndon was born in Melbourne, Australia. He was one of seven children having five sisters and a brother. He was educated at high school in Melbourne and went on to business college, afterwards becoming a structural engineerStructural engineer
Structural engineers analyze, design, plan, and research structural components and structural systems to achieve design goals and ensure the safety and comfort of users or occupants...
. A keen sportsman, he played a variety of sports including Australian Rules Football
Australian rules football
Australian rules football, officially known as Australian football, also called football, Aussie rules or footy is a sport played between two teams of 22 players on either...
, American Football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
, Rugby League
Rugby league
Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
, cycling
Cycling
Cycling, also called bicycling or biking, is the use of bicycles for transport, recreation, or for sport. Persons engaged in cycling are cyclists or bicyclists...
and from the age of 23, powerlifting
Powerlifting
Powerlifting is a strength sport. It resembles the sport of Olympic weightlifting, as both disciplines involve lifting weights in three attempts. Powerlifting evolved from a sport known as 'odd lifts' which followed the same three attempt format but used a wide variety of events akin to Strongman...
. His rugby league led him to spend two seasons in Perth
Perth, Western Australia
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
and as a powerlifter he won four national powerlifting titles.
Strongman career
In terms of strongman competition his international career began after he was invited to ScotlandScotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
for the 1993 World Muscle Power Classic
World Muscle Power Classic
The World Muscle Power Classic was one of the most enduring annual strongmen competitions, running for twenty years and in that time attaining the position of the second most prestigious strongman contest in the world, after the World's Strongest Man...
. Some of Bill's competitors in this contest included: Gary Taylor
Gary Taylor (strongman)
Gary Taylor is a former strongman competitor, Olympic Weightlifter, powerlifter and bodybuilder from Wales.-Strength sports:...
, Manfred Hoeberl
Manfred Hoeberl
Manfred Hoeberl is a former strongman and Powerlifter who was known as having the largest arms in the world during the early-mid 1990's...
, Wayne Price, Magnus Ver Magnusson
Magnús Ver Magnússon
Magnús Ver Magnússon is a former powerlifter and strongman competitor from Egilsstaðir, Iceland. Magnus won the title of World's Strongest Man four times ....
(referred to as "Maggie" by Lyndon) and Forbes Cowan
Forbes Cowan
Forbes Cowan is a former leading Scottish strongman competitor and multiple entrant to the World's Strongest Man...
. Although Lyndon did not feature among the contenders he found the experience of being around such renowned strongmen a rewarding one. The 1993 World's Strongest Man
1993 World's Strongest Man
The 1993 World's Strongest Man was the 16th edition of World's Strongest Man and was won by Gary Taylor from United Kingdom. It was his first title after finishing fifth the previous year. 1991 winner Magnus Ver Magnusson from Iceland was runner up for the second year in a row, and Riku Kiri from...
competition was held in Orange, France and Lyndon was considered for the last spot but Harold "Iron Bear" Collins
Harold Collins
Harold "Iron Bear" Collins is a former strongman, Powerlifter and also a Philanthropist. Harold is a full-blooded American Indian and calls himself the "World's Strongest Native American". He is a member of the Lumbee-Cheraw tribe in North Carolina...
was chosen that year. The following year, another triumph in Australia's Strongest Man
Australia's Strongest Man
Australia's Strongest Man is an annual strongman competition held in the Australia and featuring predominantly Australian athletes, although notably 12 time winner Derek Boyer is originally from Fiji. The contest was established in 1993, with Bill Lyndon winning the inaugural contest.-Official...
secured Lyndon a spot at the 1994 World's Strongest Man
1994 World's Strongest Man
The 1994 World's Strongest Man was the 17th edition of World's Strongest Man and was won by Magnus Ver Magnusson from Iceland. It was his second title after finishing second the previous 2 years in a row. Manfred Hoeberl from Austria finished second after finishing fourth the previous year, and...
contest, but failed to make the finals. Nathan Jones
Nathan Jones (wrestler)
Nathan Boyce Jones is an Australian actor, powerlifting champion, strongman, and retired professional wrestler...
won the Australian title in 1995 and got the place at 1995 World's Strongest Man
1995 World's Strongest Man
The 1995 World's Strongest Man was the 18th edition of World's Strongest Man and was won by Magnus Ver Magnusson from Iceland. It was his third title. Gerrit Badenhorst from South Africa finished second after finishing fourth the previous year, and Marko Varalahti from Finland finished third...
contest, where his arm was broken in an armwrestling match in the heats with 1998 World's Strongest Man
1998 World's Strongest Man
The 1998 World's Strongest Man was the 21st edition of World's Strongest Man and was won by Magnus Samuelsson from Sweden. It was his first title after finishing third the previous year. 1997 champion Jouko Ahola from Finland finished second, and Wout Zijlstra from the Netherlands finished third....
champion Magnus Samuelsson
Magnus Samuelsson
Magnus Samuelsson , is a Swedish strongman and winner of the 1998 World's Strongest Man contest in Morocco...
. Lyndon went on to compete at the 1996 World's Strongest Man
1996 World's Strongest Man
The 1996 World's Strongest Man was the 19th edition of World's Strongest Man and was won by Magnus Ver Magnusson from Iceland. This was Magnus' fourth WSM title, tying the record of fellow Icelander Jon Pall Sigmarsson. Riku Kiri from Finland finished second, and Gerrit Badenhorst from South Africa...
, 1997 World's Strongest Man
1997 World's Strongest Man
The 1997 World's Strongest Man was the 20th edition of World's Strongest Man and was won by Jouko Ahola from Finland. It was his first title. Flemming Rasmussen from Denmark finished second after finishing fourth the previous year, and Magnus Samuelsson from Sweden finished third...
and 1998 World's Strongest Man
1998 World's Strongest Man
The 1998 World's Strongest Man was the 21st edition of World's Strongest Man and was won by Magnus Samuelsson from Sweden. It was his first title after finishing third the previous year. 1997 champion Jouko Ahola from Finland finished second, and Wout Zijlstra from the Netherlands finished third....
qualifying heats, but he was never able to qualify for the finals. In 1999, when the IFSA
International Federation of Strength Athletes
The International Federation of Strength Athletes was an international governing body for strongman competition...
was still running WSM, Manfred Hoeberl
Manfred Hoeberl
Manfred Hoeberl is a former strongman and Powerlifter who was known as having the largest arms in the world during the early-mid 1990's...
set up a rival AFSA organization. Lyndon joined this and as such was banned by IFSA. Lyndon's decision was swayed by the fact that he was not getting enough competitions via IFSA. In 1998 he had only competed in Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
and Morocco
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
, whereas the AFSA offered five competitions in the first year.
Retirement
In the late 1990s Bill looked towards his own Australian based sports promotion company. He formed 'Spartan Warriors Australia' and began advertising extensively in magazines and at public events, He later started a website called Aussie Power designed to cover and feature many diverse athletes from strongman, powerlifters, olympic lifters, throwers covering Australia and the Asia Pacific region.Personal Records
- SquatSquat (exercise)In strength training, the squat is a compound, full body exercise that trains primarily the muscles of the thighs, hips and buttocks, quads , hamstrings, as well as strengthening the bones, ligaments and insertion of the tendons throughout the lower body...
- 265 kg (583 lbs.) - Bench pressBench pressThe bench press is an exercise of the upper body. For bodybuilding purposes, it is used to stimulate the pectorals, deltoids, and triceps. While on his or her back, the person performing the bench press lowers a weight to the level of the chest, then pushes it back up until the arm is straight...
- 212 kg (466.4 lbs.) - DeadliftDeadliftThe deadlift is a weight training exercise where a loaded barbell is lifted off the ground from a stabilized, bent over position. It is one of the three canonical powerlifting exercises, along with the squat and bench press.-Overview:...
- 310 kg (682 lbs.) - Military pressMilitary pressThe military press is a variation of the overhead press weight training exercise using very strict form.The military press targets the deltoid muscles in the shoulders as well as the triceps...
- 145 kg (319 lbs.)