Larne’s Francis McCambridge makes winning debut in prestigious UK strongman event
Larne’s Francis McCambridge made a memorable debut in his first-ever strongman show in Preston, England, by walking away with an overall win.
The 21-year-old Inspire Gym personal trainer has only been training specifically for the event for the past four months, but that didn’t stop him from excelling against a field of 20 participants from across the UK at the Strongman Classic event.
The competition opened with a pressing event, followed by a heavy deadlift challenge — both of which Francis dominated, securing two event wins and an early three-point lead. He continued his impressive run with second-place finishes in both the farmer’s walk and the sandbag load to shoulder.
The final test was the sandbag throw, and despite being a complete newcomer to the sport, McCambridge kept his composure and delivered a strong finish, securing victory by leading the field throughout the day.
Event organiser and World’s Strongest Woman, Rhianon Lovelace, praised the young athlete’s performance, expressing surprise at the level of strength and skill Francis displayed so early in his strongman journey.
Retired strongman and coach Chris McNaghten, who mentored Francis in preparation for the event, commented: “I was blown away by Francis’s performance on the day. He was massively outweighed and out-aged by some of the other competitors.
"For a 21-year-old to dominate the way he did really shocked the strongman community. I’m extremely proud of him.”
With his first victory under his belt, Francis is already looking ahead with his sights now firmly set on claiming the Ireland’s Strongest Man U90kg title in the near future.