Gary Taylor (strongman)
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| Born | 14 October 1961 Cardiff, Wales | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Occupation(s) | Strongman, Olympic Weightlifting, Bodybuilding, Powerlifting | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 183 cm (6 ft 0 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Children | Evan Taylor | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Gary Taylor (born 14 October 1961) is a Welsh former world's strongest man champion (1993). Competing in bodybuilding, Olympic weightlifting, and strongman.
Strength sports
[edit]A former weightlifter, powerlifter, and bodybuilder, Taylor competed at 6 ft (183 cm) and approximately 295 lbs (134 kg) during his strongman career.[1] He competed in weightlifting at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, taking second in the snatch in the 110 kg class.[2]
Gary is best known for winning the 1993 World's Strongest Man contest in Orange, France.[1] He also finished 3rd in 1991, 5th in 1992, and 6th in 1995.[1]
Taylor was really strong on the Behind-The-Neck push press. At Brian Batcheldor's Strength Seminar in Birmingham in 1995, he performed an incredible Behind-The-Neck push press of 272.5 kg (600.75 lb) (judged by David Webster, the organizer of the World's Strongest Man competitions).[citation needed]
Gary suffered a career-ending knee injury during the tire flip event at the 1997 Europe's Strongest Man contest. The injury was so severe that it forced Gary to retire from strongman competition permanently.[citation needed]
Personal records
[edit]Powerlifting
- Squat – 385 kg (849 lb) raw
- Bench Press – 235 kg (518 lb) raw
- Deadlift – 355 kg (783 lb) raw
Strongman
- Flintstone barbell push press (behind the neck) – 225 kg (496 lb) (1995 World Muscle Power Classic)[3]
- → It is often claimed that Taylor has behind the neck push pressed weights such as 270 kg (595 lb) and 272 kg (600 lb).[4][5] However, his 1995 World Muscle Power Classic lift remains the heaviest weight he has behind the neck push pressed with irrefutable evidence.
- Log press – 160 kg (353 lb) (1993 World's Strongest Man, group 1)
- Atlas stones – 5 stones weighing 90–136 kg (198–300 lb) (no tacky) in 17.19 seconds (1993 World's Strongest Man) (World Record)[6]
- Samson's barrow carry – 10 humans (25m course) in 12.55 seconds (1993 World's Strongest Man) (World Record)[7]
Retirement/later years
[edit]Taylor, now retired from competition, worked within the PE department (he was a senior officer) at Aylesbury Young Offenders Institute, a prison for Category A (highest and most considered dangerous), as well as being the Senior Gym Officer and rugby coach for Ampthill youth rugby team. He moved to Littlehey Prison Cat-C/YOI as a Security Governor. Gary currently does commentating and event organizing for the annual UK's Strongest Man contest.[citation needed]
World's Strongest Man results
[edit]- 1991 World's Strongest Man – 3rd
- 1992 World's Strongest Man – 5th
- 1993 World's Strongest Man – Winner
- 1994 World's Strongest Man – Qualified
- 1995 World's Strongest Man – 6th
References
[edit]- ^ a b c "Gary Taylor". strongestman.billhenderson.org.
- ^ Olympic results Archived 14 September 2011 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "World Muscle Power Classic 1995.08.05, Mintlaw, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, United Kingdom". www.strengthresults.com. Retrieved 10 April 2025.
- ^ Amrina, Soweetha (8 February 2015). "Gary Taylor WAL Strongman". Irish Strength Association.
- ^ Chaos, Jamie (21 July 2021). "Lifter Snapshot: Gary "The Welsh Dragon" Taylor". Plague of Strength.
- ^ "STRENGTH RECORD, Section 07 - Stonelifting (Regular & Semi-Regular stones)". www.strengthrecord.com. Retrieved 10 April 2025.
- ^ "STRENGTH RECORD, Section 10 - Arm carries". www.strengthrecord.com. Retrieved 11 April 2025.
