Ken McClelland claims Ultimate Strongman Masters world title

Over the bank holiday weekend, 14 of the world’s strongest men assembled in Belfast for 2019’s Ultimate Strongman Masters World Championship. A sold-out crowd featuring spectators of all ages filled the capital’s Crumlin Road Gaol to witness the USA’s Ken McClelland take the crown in a hard-earned victory.

McClelland’s previous best result was his 3rd place finish in 2018’s competition, and he needed to be at his very best to fight off a fiercely competitive field of contenders. Despite getting off to a great start by winning the 4 Lane Truck Push with a time of 21.5 seconds, by the time the 3rd event was over, McClelland had already been overtaken by Ukrainian Constantine Illin.

The lead changed hands once again when Germany’s Reinhard Maeier won the Truck Pull event to take control. That left the contest poised on a knife edge going into the final event, the Stones of Strength. Here McClelland showed his class when it mattered by lifting four stones in 49.05 seconds, thereby clinching the title with a combined total of 47.5 points. Maeier finished in second, while Illin had to be satisfied with the final place on the podium.

In what had been billed as the event’s biggest showdown yet, spectators got to see a surprise big name compete in the form of ex-Gladiator ‘Hunter’, aka James Crossley. Despite being the lightest contender in the competition, Crossley performed admirably, but ultimately finished in last place.

“It’s a dream come true for me,” said McClelland. “After last year I knew I had a great chance, and to come here and beat the likes of Mark Felix and Vidas Blekaitis is unbelievable. I love coming to Belfast; the fans are great and to perform in front of such a big crowd really helps spur us on.”

The event’s organiser, former strongman Glenn Ross, said: “This has been the biggest and best Masters to date. As the event gets bigger each year, the task to deliver gets greater, and none of it would be possible without the help of all the unsung heroes, from the backstage staff to the medics. It’s hard work, but when we hear from athletes and fans alike that we put on the greatest strongman events on the planet, it’s all worth it!”

Final Standings:

1st          Ken McClelland (USA)

2nd         Reinhard Maeier (GER)

3rd          Constantin Ilin (Ukraine)

4th          Salwomir Toczek (POL)

5th          Mark Felix (GRENADA)

6th          Mika Torro (FIN)

7th          Gary Gardiner (ENG)

8th          Vidas Blekaitis (LTU)

9th          Tarmo Mitt (EST)

10th        Phil Morgan (NI)

11th        Jamie Gorrian (SCO)

12th      James Crossley (ENG)

• High res images available to download from: https://spaces.hightail.com/space/kMyozizSn6

• Interviews with Glenn Ross, Founder of Ultimate Strongman and 5-time UK’s Strongest Man himself, are available upon request. Please register your interest with the media contact below.