Eddie - Strongman Page #7

in planning stage for well over a year.

It's been a dream of Eddie's.

It's just amazing

that it's obviously coming off.

[upbeat, lively music]

[Eddie] And it was such a great,

proud moment when...

I actually came out,

walked out to compete...

at my own event. And I looked

to the crowd and the stand was full with,

you know, 5000 people.

You know, I'm making a difference.

You know, I'm grow--

I'm helping to grow the sport.

-[crowd cheering]

-[cheerful music]

[Eddie] Nothing's really come out of Stoke

for many years, but Robbie Williams.

So, it's pretty cool that people are sort

of backing me and getting behind me.

Well, it's been cool

and I've enjoyed myself and I've...

genuinely believe that the crowd

enjoyed themselves.

And hopefully they'll be back next year.

[door clicks open]

Hey up, f***er.

Europe's Strongest Man today.

It's a big deadlift competition

that I'm quite eager to...do well at.

F***ing nail a world record hopefully.

A bit nervous really.

I've been up all night f***ing running

the events through my head and...

bad night's sleep, but it's all good.

Means I'm on f***ing...

means I'm alert, means I'm...

means I'm f***ing like

head-on for this, really.

So, it's a good sign.

Looking at the events today,

I have to say... Well, obviously Thor,

from Iceland,

the big six foot ten f***ing freak,

you know, he's number one probably.

In my eyes, you know, If I had to f***ing

get uptight, you know, he's got it.

[rhythmic, laid-back music]

We're totally here today to see Ed Hall.

He's an absolute beast. He's a monster.

To think that somebody

has that kind of strength

at such a young age, it's crazy.

Again, we share the same haircut,

so it gives me hope one day...

that I'll pull some numbers

above 300 off the floor

Of course he's got a shot at the World.

He's really, really good and...

It'll be nice to see him

on the World stage

and be

the World's Strongest Man one day.

Another UK competitor at the top.

[commentator] Kicking it off

with the world deadlift championships.

Simple contest of who can lift

the longest off the floor.

It's a basic test of strength, deadlift.

And we're gonna start

at 400 kilograms, 880 pounds.

And then we'll go up and up

and try and break the world record.

Four fifty, 460 kilos. Who knows?

-[inspirational music]

-[crowd cheering]

-[crowd cheering very loudly]

-[commentator speaking muffled]

[crowd cheers]

[crowd cheering, groaning]

[crowd roars]

[crowd cheering]

[man] Come on, Eddie.

[crowd cheering]

[crowd cheering]

[Colin]

What was most impressive about that day,

is Eddie throwing down a double at 435,

had a chat with Caroline Pearce.

[crowd cheers]

[Colin]

Everyone assumed he would be exhausted.

[crowd cheering]

[crowd chanting "Eddie"]

F*** yeah!

[Colin] He then came out and did 450 kilos

which is a Strongman

world record, matching Bennie.

And then...four six one.

[Benedikt] Four hundred and sixty one.

The world record in deadlift.

I've never had to pull that much

in a competition before.

[crowd cheering]

[inaudible speech]

Eddie was going

for the biggest deadlift in the world.

And I think Benedikt already pulled it.

[Colin] Strongest weights, in history,

ever lifted off the ground.

-[Eddie shouting]

-[crowd cheering]

[crowd shouting]

[music intensifies]

[crowd chanting "Eddie"]

[Terry] I remember sitting there.

The whole crowd's going nuts.

And we're all screaming for him.

Everybody was. You know,

the whole place went crazy.

[crowd roars]

He lifted it. Magnus Ver Magnusson's hand

went down. It was a good lift.

And in a lot of Strongman contests,

you can drop the bar...

and he just lost his mind and dropped it.

I walked up to every athlete

before we started the deadlift...

I said:
"Don't drop it.

That I hate to take anything

away from you. I hate to red light you."

[Colin] It was clear as day,

in the athlete meeting the night before...

you had to lower it.

Yeah, I felt...

I really felt for the guy, but...

rules are rules.

Mate, in my eyes I'm f***ing number one.

-Along with f***ing Magn--

[interviewer] Yeah, yeah, Benedikt.

Benn-- Yeah, along with Benedikt.

I'm f***ing number one.

-Don't give a f*** what anyone says.

-[interviewer] Will you think about it?

Let's get you in the lockers. Come on.

Come on.

[inaudible speech]

[Eddie] I was just that psyched up

and that, you know...

over ecstatic to feel the lift,

I forgot to lower it down.

But in my eyes, you know,

I've got a world record.

I don't really care. I'm happy.

[commentator speaking muffled]

[Alex] Rules are rules, aren't they?

But Eddie tends

to not follow them anyway, so...

He's got a lesson to learn, hasn't he?

He was physically...

destroyed.

And mentally as well.

You know, he hit a low point.

[Alex] We both were just like:

"What do we do now?"

This is everything we worked for.

Uhm... And what's just happened

is something he didn't expect.

Uhm... I didn't expect.

It was the worst I've ever seen him.

It was a genuine kick in the dick.

You know, I came back from that weekend,

so distraught, so down.

Near to the point where...

I thought, you know, f*** it.

I can't be asked anymore.

I don't know. I had such mixed feelings,

you know. It's just like...

I did the lift,

but I didn't get the lift. It's like,

Can I do it? Can't I do it?

Shall I carry on?

But then you know, the wife

was right by my side and she sort of said:

"Eddie, you've just proved to yourself...

that you're the best in the world

at something. You're the best."

You know and it just clicked a switch.

It genuinely clicked a switch in my mind.

And I thought:
"You know,

you're f***ing right. This is it now."

[crowd chanting "Eddie"]

[man] Do it! Do it!

Obviously the Brits

did the World Log Lift record first.

When I locked up above my head...

sort of dug my heels to finish it off,

but as I was bringing my head through,

just sort of blacked out, lost balance.

[crowd cheering, gasping]

[Eddie]

Dropped the f***er on the back of my neck,

bent the f*** out of my back and...

threw me into the wall

like a stick insect.

Uhm, smashed me up pretty bad.

Quite lucky I didn't snap

my f***ing neck or back to be honest.

I had physio...

a few days after, you know.

We found a few bulged vertebrae

in the middle of my back.

Obviously where it bent

my f***ing spine. And I got bad bruising.

Uhm, so I'm very lucky,

really to be still standing.

I worry about Eddie when he's

in competition. Obviously it's not...

the safest...

sport in the world. It puts

a lot of pressure on the body.

He's obviously always trying

to push himself that little bit harder.

And that scares me, but I have to

let him do it, because if I don't,

he's not gonna be happy.

Injury. Obviously we're pushing ourselves

at 100 percent at a 100 miles per hour.

Uh, getting an injury always

is a huge spanner in the works.

I've had a fair few injuries

in Strongman, you know.

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