You probably didn’t know it while watching him compete, but four-time World’s Strongest Man Brian Shaw tore his hamstring on the very first event at the 2019 Arnold Strongman Classic.
During his third pull on the Rogue Elephant Bar deadlift—a 1,051-pound attempt—Shaw got the bar inches off of the floor before falling forward, clearly in pain. Following the deadlift, he still managed to complete four of the five events before finally announcing in a Youtube video on his channel that he decided to call it quits for the weekend.
Of all the possible injuries to occur, a hamstring tear is among one of the worst. The deadlift puts direct pressure on the muscle, as does the Austrian oak log lift, Hussafel stone carry, and natural stone to shoulder, as Shaw would have to deadlift each implement off the floor and then place them in his lap before executing the lift.
“I’ve gone back and analyzed where things are at,” Shaw said via YouTube. “With a torn hamstring, it just wasn’t enough to come back and get into a decent point position…It’s just not smart. I’m not fighting for a top position.”
Shaw, who has won the Arnold Strongman Classic four times and hasn’t placed below second in the last six ASC’s, ended finishing eighth overall.
Still, it seems as though he couldn’t leave Columbus, Ohio before setting a record of some sort. In a video posted on his Instagram, Shaw managed to lift half of a 150-pound York dumbbell—with one hand. According to Shaw, he’s the first to ever do this. It looks like he’s down but not out.
