Longford crowds flock to inaugural Midlands Strongest

Sixteen athletes, comprising nine men and seven women, flexed their muscles in front of a large crowd of interested spectators at Longford’s Sports and Leisure Centre last Saturday.

It was an occasion which attracted entrants from right across the country, all of whom battled it out to be crowned the midlands strongest man and woman respectively.

“The event was extremely successful,” said a jubilant sounding organiser David Harrington.

“It went exactly as we planned it.

Despite the occasional shower of rain, the hearts and minds of those watching on failed to dampen as enthusiasts were treated to a spectacle of incredible power, skill and dexterity in equal measure.

A respected strongman in his own right, David paid tribute to the huge outpouring of support that arrived for the event from local firms.

“I am actually lost a little for words because of how many businesses that got involved.”

Among the main sponsors for the event were VDA Coffee, Loughrey’s CarePlus Pharmacy and Crossan Electrical with David also highlighting three other undisclosed companies who rowed in behind the day.

“It went so smoothly, we were actually finished ahead of time,” he said, as thoughts now turn towards making the event an annual affair.