Graham Hicks (born 15 November 1985 in

Morecambe Morecambe ( ) is a seaside town and civil parish in the City of Lancaster district in Lancashire, England. It is in Morecambe Bay on the Irish Sea. Name The first use of the name was by John Whitaker in his ''History of Manchester'' (1771), w ...

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly. The non-metropolitan county of Lancashi ...

) is an English strongman and powerlifter. He won the 2019

Britain's Strongest Man Britain's Strongest Man is an annual strongman event held in the United Kingdom. Competitors qualify for the final through regional heats and the winner is awarded the title of "Britain's Strongest Man". The competition is produced by TWI and ser ...

competition and placed second in 2014 and 2018. He is also a two time Europe's Strongest Man bronze medalist.

Personal life

Graham Hicks was born in 1985 in

, Lancashire. He was a keen sportsman in his childhood and teens although his main interest was football. He started training in the gym as a bodybuilder and at the age of 25, a friend asked him to try strongman training with him. He caught the strength bug, altered his training to accommodate this, and has since been exceedingly successful. He has a full-time job working as a design support engineer for

BAE Systems BAE Systems plc (BAE) is a British multinational arms, security, and aerospace company based in London, England. It is the largest defence contractor in Europe, and ranked the seventh-largest in the world based on applicable 2021 revenues. ...

, starting as an apprentice.

Strongman career

Hicks' career as a strongman began in 2010 as an under 105 kg competitor. He came 7th at the 2010 Northern England u105kg Qualifier and third at the 2010 England's Strongest Man u105 contests. In 2011, he dominated the u105kg scene and made his first foray into the Open weight scene beating people over 20 kg heavier than himself. In 2012, he committed himself to the Open weight category and made an impressive start to his open career, coming in 4th at the qualifier for Europe's Strongest Man. Whilst this didn't earn him a spot at Europe's, he did get an invitation to Britain's Strongest Man where he made an astonishing impact and gained 4th place. This placing gave him an invitation to the ultimate strength competition,

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 Decembe ...

, held in LA. He managed a very respectable 4th place in his group and even won his first event (loading race), his lack of top level experience being his major downfall. His key strength has been his pressing power. He was the first person in the UK to lift a 200 kg log and has since gone on to press a 211 kg log in World Log Lifting Championships in 2015 along with Eddie Hall. Hicks and Hall both held the British Log Lift record at 211 kg. Hicks also attempted 220 kg but failed. In September 2020, Hicks competed at the

2020 Europe's Strongest Man The 2020 Europe's Strongest Man was a strongman competition that took place in Harrogate, England from 5–6 September 2020 at the Allerton Castle. This event was held behind closed door due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Defending champion Hafþór J� ...

competition and achieved a new British record in the Log Lift, lifting . He placed 4th in the overall competition. In November 2020, Hicks competed at the

2020 World's Strongest Man The 2020 World's Strongest Man was the 43rd edition of the World's Strongest Man competition. It took place in Bradenton, Florida between November 11 and 15. Oleksii Novikov of Ukraine won the competition for the first time in his career, with ...

competition and qualified for his first final. However, he had to withdraw from the competition due to a bicep tear.

Personal Records

''Either done in official competition or in the gym'' *

Deadlift The deadlift is a weight training exercise in which a loaded barbell or bar is lifted off the ground to the level of the hips, torso perpendicular to the floor, before being placed back on the ground. It is one of the three powerlifting exercises, ...

(Equipped & with figure 8 straps) – 453.5 kg (1,000 lb) - 2022 World Deadlift Championships *

(Raw) – 405 kg (893 lb) - 2018 Andy Bolton Deadlift Challenge * Squat (Raw with Wraps) – 440 kg (970 lb) - 2019 Big Dogs 4 *

Bench Press The bench press, or chest press, is a weight training exercise in which the trainee presses a weight upwards while lying on a weight training bench. Although the bench press is a full-body exercise, the muscles primarily used are the pectorali ...

(Raw) – 270 kg (595 lb) - 2019 Big Dogs 4 * Log Lift – 220 kg (485 lb) - 2020 Europe's Strongest Man

References

External links

Interview on British Strongman websiteOfficial website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hicks, Graham 1985 births Living people English strength athletes British strength athletes English sportsmen Sportspeople from Morecambe