Geoff Capes: The Mighty Man of Shot and Strength Bows Out at 75’
Geoff Capes pulling a lorry in 1983.
Credit: Geoff Capes Foundation, www.thegeoffcapesfoundation.co.uk.
Geoff Capes, the legendary British shot putter and twice-crowned World’s Strongest Man, has passed away at the age of 75, leaving behind a legacy as colossal as his record-breaking throws and unmatched feats of strength.
Capes was born in 1949 in the Lincolnshire village of Holbeach, and rose to become a British sporting titan, capturing the hearts of the UK public with his raw power and larger-than-life personality. Standing at a towering 6ft 5.5in and weighing in at a hefty 170kg in his prime, this Lincolnshire lad wasn’t just brawn – he had brains and a big heart, too.
Capes first shot to fame on the athletics field, hurling the shot put further than any other Brit. His 1980 British record of 21.68 metres (that’s an amazing 71ft 2in) has remained unbroken, with Carl Myerscough’s controversial 2003 attempt being left unratified.
Capes threw his way to Commonwealth glory, claiming gold in both 1974 and 1978, and dominated the European Indoor scene with two titles. Despite a fifth-place finish at the 1980 Moscow Olympics, the politics surrounding the Games couldn’t keep Capes down. At the time, there was pressure, particularly from Margaret Thatcher’s British government, to boycott the Games in response to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. Public service workers, including police officers, were urged not to participate in the Olympics.
Geoff Capes – who was at the peak of his shot-putting career – decided to resign from the police force rather than miss out on his chance to compete. He effectively sacrificed his career, pension, and stable income. He famously declared, “I lost my badge but kept my pride.”
But it wasn’t just shot put where Capes channelled his energy. He soon found fame as a strongman, becoming the face of strength for an entire generation. In 1983, the ‘big man’ pulled his way to victory in the World’s Strongest Man contest in Christchurch, New Zealand, and did it all again in 1985 in Portugal. His titanic tussles with Iceland’s Jón Páll Sigmarsson were the stuff of legend, with Capes famously quipping, “The King has not lost his crown!” after reclaiming his title.
Off the field, Geoff Capes even had a stint as the star of a video game during the height of his fame. In 1985, a game called Geoff Capes Strongman was released for home computers like the Amstrad CPC, ZX Spectrum, and Commodore 64.
Capes also had a softer side – one that loved budgies as much as barbell lifts. A keen bird breeder, he even served as the president of the Budgerigar Society in 2008. Who would have thought that a man known for bending steel bars and pulling lorries could be just as proud of his prized budgies?
In later years, Capes swapped the arena for quieter pursuits, settling in Stoke Rochford, Lincolnshire. He passed on his knowledge to the next generation of strongmen, mentoring athletes and coaching rising stars, while remaining a towering presence in the strength community. His efforts earned him a place in both The World’s Strongest Man Hall of Fame and the England Athletics Hall of Fame.
Tributes have poured in from the world of sport. Eddie Hall, 2017’s World’s Strongest Man, called Capes “a true legend of strength,” adding, “Geoff paved the way for athletes like me. He showed that British grit and determination could conquer the world.” Olympic javelin thrower Tessa Sanderson reminisced about her old teammate, saying, “great person and a giant of an athlete.”
British bodybuilder Terry Hollands described one of his oldest memories of sitting on the sofa with his family watching Geoff Capes win World’s Strongest Man; “It’s safe to say that without Geoff there would have been no Terry Hollands the strongman and the sport would not be what it is today.”
Team GB and British Athletics have expressed their sorrow at Capes’ passing, while the athletics community remembers him as the man who “put shot put on the map.”
Geoff Capes leaves behind two children, themselves champions in the shot put, and four grandchildren, alongside a legacy that – just like his records – won’t be shifting anytime soon.
In the words of Eddie Hall; “Rest easy, big man”.
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