Forbes Cowan (born 16 October 1964) is a

Scottish Scottish usually refers to something of, from, or related to Scotland, including: *Scottish Gaelic, a Celtic Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family native to Scotland *Scottish English *Scottish national identity, the Scottish ide ...

former strongman 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 ...

and

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 ...

, 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

and was selected as the competition tester and British reserve for the

1993 World's Strongest Man The 1993 World's Strongest Man was the 16th edition of World's Strongest Man and was won by Gary Taylor from the United Kingdom. It was his first title after finishing fifth the previous year. 1991 winner Magnus Ver Magnusson from Iceland was run ...

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. 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 Magnus Ver Magnusson 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. –

** 5. –

** 4. –

* 1994 ** 6. –

** 5. –

** 4. –

* 1995 ** 1. –

** 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