Jimmy Laureys(born 7 July 1981, Sint-Niklaas

Sint-Niklaas

Sint-Niklaas is a Belgian city and municipality located in the Flemish province of East Flanders. The municipality comprises the city of Sint-Niklaas proper and the towns of Belsele, Nieuwkerken-Waas, and Sinaai....

, Belgium

Belgium

Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...

) is a Belgian powerlifter and strongman

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.

Biography

Jimmy was known as king kong at school due to his size. He began training seriously at the age of 15 and by 17 was powerlifting. When he was 23 he turned his attention to strength athletics

Strength athletics

Strength athletics, more generally known as strongman competitions, is a sport which tests competitors' strength in a variety of different ways. Some of the disciplines are similar to those in powerlifting and some powerlifters have also successfully competed in strongman competitions...

.

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

Netherlands

The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...

, 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

Strongman Champions League

The Strongman Champions League is a strongman competition circuit, bestowing the Champions League Winner title to the overall winner, and is competed for by a pool of strength athletes containing some of the most notable in the sport, including Žydrūnas Savickas, Travis Ortmayer, Mikhail Koklyaev,...

. 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

Ervin Katona, is a leading Serbian strongman competitor and regular entrant to the World's Strongest Man competition.- Biography :...

 and eventual League Champion Andrus Murumets

Andrus Murumets

Andrus Murumets is an Estonian strongman and entrant to the World's Strongest Man contest. He reached 5th in the World Rankings according to the IFSA rankings in 2008. Andrus competed in the IFSA World Championships in 2005 finishing 4th, 5th in 2006 and 5th in 2007...

.

In 2009, in what was described as the strongest field for many years, Laureys was invited to the World's Strongest Man

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 the 26th September to 3rd October 2009. It was sponsored by PartyPoker.com...

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

Phil Pfister

Phil Pfister , is a leading American strongman competitor, winning the 2006 Met-Rx World's Strongest Man competition and its $41,000 grand prize on September 23, 2006 in Sanya, China. He is the first American to win since Bill Kazmaier in 1982...

 and five times winner Mariusz Pudzianowski

Mariusz Pudzianowski

Mariusz Zbigniew Pudzianowski is a Polish former strongman and current mixed martial artist...

. 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.

General stats

• Leg press max weight: 800 kg
• Bench press max weight: 230 kg
• Squat max: 345 kg
• Dead lift max: 370 kg
• Log lift max weight: 180 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
    Belgium's Strongest Man
    Belgium's Strongest Man is an annual strongman competition held in Belgium and featuring exclusively Belgian athletes. The contest was established in 2008. Jimmy Laureys holds the record for most wins with 3 wins.-Top 3 placings:...
    
    
• 2009
  • 1. - Belgium's Strongest Man
    Belgium's Strongest Man
    Belgium's Strongest Man is an annual strongman competition held in Belgium and featuring exclusively Belgian athletes. The contest was established in 2008. Jimmy Laureys holds the record for most wins with 3 wins.-Top 3 placings:...
    
    
  • Q. - 2009 World's Strongest Man
    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 the 26th September to 3rd October 2009. It was sponsored by PartyPoker.com...
    
    
  • 3. Strongman Champions League Spain
  • 6. Strongman Champions League Overall
• 2010
  • 1. - Belgium's Strongest Man
    Belgium's Strongest Man
    Belgium's Strongest Man is an annual strongman competition held in Belgium and featuring exclusively Belgian athletes. The contest was established in 2008. Jimmy Laureys holds the record for most wins with 3 wins.-Top 3 placings:...