Forbes Cowan (born 16 October 1964) is a Scottish former

strongman In the 19th century, the term strongman referred to an exhibitor of strength or similar circus performers who performed feats of strength. More recently, strength athletics, also known as strongman competitions, have grown in popularity. Thes ...

competitor and multiple entrant to the

World's Strongest Man The World's Strongest Man is an international Strongman competition held every year. Organized by American event management company IMG, a subsidiary of Endeavor, it is broadcast in the US during summers and in the UK around the end of Decem ...

. Although he never captured the World's Strongest Man title, during the 1990s he was the

World Muscle Power The World Muscle Power Classic (WMPC) (sometimes known as the World Muscle Power Championships) was one of the most enduring annual strongmen competitions, running for twenty years and in that time attaining the position of the second most prestig ...

champion,

Europe's Strongest Man Europe's Strongest Man is an annual strength athletics competition which began in 1980. The event is held in various locations throughout Europe, and features exclusively European strongman competitors. Mariusz Pudzianowski holds the record for m ...

and Britain's Strongest Man, as well as being consistently in the top five in major international competitions.

Biography

Forbes Cowan began his strongman career in 1990 with a win in his inaugural competition as Cunninghame's Strongest Man in May 1990. Having repeated this feat in 1991 he quickly moved into the professional circuit and won Scotland's Strongest Man, the first of six such titles. In 1991, the meteoric career led him to become

, a title he held with

winner Gary Taylor. In 1993 he won the British Muscle Power Championship and Britain's Strongest Man and was selected as the competition tester and British reserve for the 1993 World's Strongest Man competition in Orange, France. Forbes Cowan came fourth in the

championship of 1993 and 1994, and in 1995 progressed to second spot, winning this prestigious title in 1996. He took the European Muscle Power title in 1995 in a field that included the great

Magnus Ver Magnusson Magnus, meaning "Great" in Latin, was used as cognomen of Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus in the first century BC. The best-known use of the name during the Roman Empire is for the fourth-century Western Roman Emperor Magnus Maximus. The name gained w ...

. Four years into his professional career he was invited to his first

in 1994 in South Africa where he created a sensation when he won his heat against tough opposition, including the then current title holder Gary Taylor. In the final, he beat the eventual champion

in the pole push but sustained a rib injury. He continued through the pain to finish fifth overall. He repeated this finish in 1995, again after sustaining an injury, this time to his back. His career peaked in 1996, when he won the

title. His career was put on hold in 1997 when he was imprisoned for his involvement in a plot to smuggle cannabis into the UK. Following his release in 2001, he continued to compete but not at the very top international flight. In addition to

strength athletics Strength athletics, also known as Strongman competitions, is a sport which tests competitors' strength in a variety of non-traditional ways. Some of the disciplines are similar to those in powerlifting and some powerlifters have also successfully ...

he was also a renowned Highland Games competitor excelling in caber tossing and throwing 56 lb in weight for height. His throws of 16' 6" in the latter assured his place in the world rankings.

Acting career

In 2000, Forbes worked on the film

Gladiator A gladiator ( la, gladiator, "swordsman", from , "sword") was an armed combatant who entertained audiences in the Roman Republic and Roman Empire in violent confrontations with other gladiators, wild animals, and condemned criminals. Some gla ...

as a stuntman.Workout & Diet Forbes Cowan
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Statistics

*Height: 6' 4½" *Weight: 287 lbs *Chest: 56" *Biceps: 20"

Competition record

* 1991 ** 1. –

* 1993 ** 1. – Britain's Strongest Man ** 5. –

** 4. –

* 1994 ** 6. –

** 5. –

** 4. –

* 1995 ** 1. – Britain's Strongest Man ** 11. –

** 1. – European Muscle Power ** 2. –

* 1996 ** 1. –

** 12. –

(injured) ** 5. –

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cowan, Forbes Scottish strength athletes British strength athletes Living people 1964 births People from Kilwinning