Jarno Hams (born 1974) is a

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 ...

from the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

. He participated in 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 Decembe ...

in 2002 and 2003, but failed to qualify for the finals both times. Hams is a 7-time winner of Strongest Man of the Netherlands.

Early life

Hams was born in

Hengelo Hengelo (; Tweants: ) is a city in the eastern part of the Netherlands, in the province of Overijssel. The city lies along the motorways A1/E30 and A35 and it has a station for the international Amsterdam – Hannover – Berlin service. Popu ...

Overijssel Overijssel (, ; nds, Oaveriessel ; german: Oberyssel) is a Provinces of the Netherlands, province of the Netherlands located in the eastern part of the country. The province's name translates to "across the IJssel", from the perspective of the ...

to a Dutch father and Finnish mother and grew up in

Vroomshoop Vroomshoop is a town located at the center of the municipality Twenterand in the Dutch province of Overijssel and was founded around 1859. The earliest inhabitants lived from the peat that was found in the nearby area. Farmers from the Groningen ...

. One of his greatest hobbies is soccer; he played 19 years for the local soccer club VV Vroomshoopse Boys.

Strongman

The first strongman contest he competed in was the 'Sterkste man van Oost-Nederland' (Strongest Man of East Netherlands) in 1996 where he finished third. After this he followed some training lessons from Berend Veneberg, then the Strongest Man of the Netherlands. He managed his first podium finish at the Strongest Man of the Netherlands in 1999 where he finished third. In 2001 he placed second behind

Wout Zijlstra Wout Zijlstra (born 4 August 1964, Wolsum) is a former strongman and Highland Games athlete from the Netherlands. He competed in the World's Strongest Man competition on two occasions, winning the 3rd place in 1998 behind Sweden's Magnus Samue ...

. It would take him until 2004 to finally win the tournament for the first time. He was invited to the 2002 World's Strongest Man and 2003 World's Strongest Man competitions but did not manage to get past the qualifying heats. Hams competed together with

in the

World's Strongest Team World's Strongest Team is an annual strongman contest that consists of either 2 or 3 man teams from various countries all over the world. The contest was first held in 1995. In recent years it has been organised by Strongmen Eddie Hall and Glenn R ...

competition in 2001 where they finished third. In 2006 he would go on to win the contest with Edwin Hakvoort. Hams competed in the

IFSA Strongman World Championship The International Federation of Strength Athletes (IFSA or IFSA Strongman) was an international governing body for strongman competition. IFSA operated from 1995-2007 and was based in Glasgow, Scotland. History Origins In 1995, David Webster, ...

s in 2005 in the qualifying heats and 2007 where he placed 12th in the finals. Due to an injury, he could not defend his title during the Strongest Man of the Netherlands on July 12, 2009 in

. Hams would go on to win Strongest Man of the Netherlands in 2010 and 2012. Jarno's brother Eric Hams has also competed in Strongest Man of the Netherlands on several occasions. Hams competes regularly in the

Strongman Champions League The Strongman Champions League is a strength athletics, strongman competition circuit, with several Grand Prix events throughout the year and the Strongman Champions League overall champion title going to the overall winner at the end of the s ...

series, achieving a podium finish in 2011 in the

Canary Islands The Canary Islands (; es, Canarias, ), also known informally as the Canaries, are a Spanish autonomous community and archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, in Macaronesia. At their closest point to the African mainland, they are west of Morocc ...

and in the Netherlands in 2012. In the 2012 SCL Holland event, Jarno set a new Dutch record in the log lift with a lift of 182.5 kg. Jarno won his 7th Strongest Man of the Netherlands title on July 18, 2012. This win ties him with Berend Veneberg for most victories in the contest.

Personal life

Jarno worked as a truck driver and as a doorman for a

discothèque A nightclub (music club, discothèque, disco club, or simply club) is an entertainment venue during nighttime comprising a dance floor, lightshow, and a stage for live music or a disc jockey (DJ) who plays recorded music. Nightclubs gener ...

in Hengelo.

Personal records

* Squat - 340 kg *

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, ...

- 380 kg (320 x 7) *

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 ...

– 180 kg x 7 *

Military press The overhead press is an upper-body weight training exercise in which the trainee presses a weight overhead while seated or standing. It is mainly used to develop the anterior deltoid muscles of the shoulder. The standing version was once a compone ...

- 210 kg (national record) *Log Lift - 185 kg (former national record, together with Alex Moonen, November 4, 2012) *Atlas Stones - 210 kg Source

Honours

*1st place Strongest Man of the Netherlands (2004) *1st place Strongest Man of the Netherlands (2005) *1st place

, with Edwin Hakvoort (2006) *1st place Strongest Man of the Netherlands (2006) *1st place Strongest Man of the Netherlands (2007) *12th place World Championship (IFSA) (2007) *1st place Strongest Man of the Netherlands (2008) *Qualifying heat World's Strongest Man 2002 and 2003. *1st place Strongest Man of the Netherlands (2010) *1st place Strongest Man of the Netherlands (2012) *4th place Strongest Man of the Netherlands (2014) *1st place Strongest Team of the Netherlands (2015) with his younger brother Eric Hams

References

External links

Personal website

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hams, Jarno 1974 births Living people Dutch strength athletes Dutch people of Finnish descent Sportspeople from Hengelo People from Vroomshoop