Mike Jenkins (November 3, 1982 – November 28, 2013) was an American professional

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 from

Westminster, Maryland Westminster is a city in northern Maryland, United States. It is the seat of Carroll County. The city's population was 18,590 at the 2010 census. Westminster is an outlying community within the Baltimore-Towson, MD MSA, which is part of a greate ...

.The Arnold Strongman Classic
. The Arnold Strongman Classic. Retrieved on October 3, 2013. Jenkins worked as a high school athletics director at

Milton Hershey School The Milton Hershey School, formerly the Hershey Industrial School, is a private boarding school in Hershey, Pennsylvania for K–12 students. The institution was founded in 1909 by chocolate industrialist Milton Hershey and his wife, Catherine ...

in Hershey Pa, when not competing as a strongman. He was a college and professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

player before switching over to strongman competition in 2007. He won the Maryland's Strongest Man contest in 2007 which qualified him for the North American amateur national strongman championships later that year and he placed sixth in that contest. He placed second in the North American nationals in 2009. Jenkins competed in the inaugural Arnold Amateur Strongman World Championships in 2010 and won that contest. This victory earned him his pro strongman card, as well as an invite to the 2011 Arnold Strongman Classic. He competed in the 2010 America's Strongest Man later in the year and placed second behind 3-time champion Derek Poundstone. He entered the 2011 Arnold Strongman Classic placing second overall ahead of the reigning

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 ...

, Zydrunas Savickas. and qualified for the finals of the 2011 World's Strongest Man contest, which, though winning the first 2 events, he had to withdraw from after suffering a back injury, finishing in eighth place overall. Jenkins won the 2012

Arnold Strongman Classic The Arnold Strongman Classic is an annual competition featuring strength athletes from all over the world, determining who is the Strongest Man in the World. Created by Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jim Lorimer and Terry Todd, it is an offshoot of the Ar ...

, finishing ahead of former champions Derek Poundstone, Zydrunas Savickas and

Brian Shaw Brian Keith Shaw (born March 22, 1966) is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is an assistant coach for the Los Angeles Clippers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He could play both guard positions, but wa ...

, and won the

Giants Live Giants Live was created in 2009 as the official Tour that qualifies strongmen to compete in the annual World's Strongest Man contest. At each Grand Prix, up to twelve international strongmen come together and compete over six events. The top three ...

event in

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

on March 17, 2012, which qualified him for the 2012 World's Strongest Man contest later in the year.Mike Jenkins Wins Giants Live–FitX Melbourne 2012
Ironmind.com (March 19, 2012). Retrieved on October 3, 2013. He set a joint world record in the hip lift event with

Nick Best Nick Best (born November 3, 1968) is an American professional strongman competitor and world champion powerlifter. Powerlifting Prior to competing in strongman, Best won the USAPL National Powerlifting Championships in the 125 kg class in 1 ...

with a lift of . Mike Jenkins died on November 28, 2013, aged 31, in

Dauphin County Dauphin County (; Pennsylvania Dutch: Daffin Kaundi) is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 286,401. The county seat and the largest city is Harrisburg, Pennsylvania's state capital and ninth ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

from an enlarged heart, suspected to be caused by long-term steroid use.Mike Jenkins dies age 31
. Strongman.org. Retrieved on July 11, 2017.

Personal records

*Deadlift – 400 kg (882 lbs) during 2013 World's Strongest Man *Hummer Tire Deadlift – 423 kg (933 lbs) during 2011 Arnold Strongman Classic *Log press – 210 kg (463 lbs) during 2012 World's Strongest Man *Circus Dumbbell press (for reps) – 116 kg (256 lb) x 7 reps during 2012 Arnold Strongman Classic (World Record)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jenkins, Mike 1982 births 2013 deaths People from Westminster, Maryland American strength athletes