Eddie Hall pays touching tribute to ‘inspiration’ Geoff Capes.

Strongman Eddie Hall has paid tribute to ‘true legend’ Geoff Capes. The two-time World’s Strongest Man passed away at the age of 75 triggering tributes from across the sporting world.

Now Clayton star Eddie has taken to social media to share his own memories of Geoff ‘whose achievements left a lasting mark on the strength community’

In a statement issued yesterday the Capes’ family said: “The family of Geoffrey Capes would like to announce his sad passing today, 23rd October. Britain’s finest shot putter and twice world’s strongest man.”

He had enjoyed an illustrious career where he twice won gold in the shot at both the Commonwealth Games and the European Indoor Championships. The three-time Olympian set the record for the longest shot put by a British man with a staggering distance of 21.68m in 1980.

The Lincolnshire-born icon was twice named World’s Strongest Man and he became a household name.

 

Now Eddie, who landed the same title in 2017, has shared a photograph of the pair on his Facebook page to accompany a touching tribute.

Eddie, who has became a star of television and film following his incredible shows of strength, wrote yesterday evening: “One of the true legends of strength, Geoff Capes, has sadly passed away today. Not only was Geoff a two-time World’s Strongest Man and a record-breaking shot putter, but he was also a giant in heart and spirit. He paved the way for athletes like me, showing that British grit and determination could conquer the world. Geoff was an inspiration to so many of us growing up, a man whose incredible achievements and character left a lasting mark on the strength community.

His legacy will continue to inspire the next generation of strongmen and athletes around the world. Rest easy, big man. You’ll always be remembered as one of the greatest.”

 

Born in Holbeach back in 1949 Geoff was the seventh of nine children, and as a youngster became a member of Holbeach Athletic Club, where he was coached by Olympic hurdler Stuart Storey, and represented his county in basketball, football and cross-country.

He worked as a coalman and an agricultural labourer after school, his official biography on the Geoff Capes Foundation saying he earned a reputation for “being able to load 20 tons of potatoes in 20 minutes” before joining Cambridgeshire Constabulary in 1970, where he served for a decade. Capes’ first Commonwealth title came at Christchurch in 1974, a gold medal he defended four years later in Edmonton.

 

He also enjoyed great success at the European Indoor Championships throughout the 1970s, claiming two shot put golds, three silvers and a bronze to go with an outdoor bronze in 1974. He represented Great Britain at the 1972, 1976 and 1980 Summer Olympics, achieving his best result of fifth at his final Games in Moscow, where he ended his career as an amateur athlete and turned professional.

That May he set the British record with a 21.68m throw in Wales, which remains the best ratified effort from a British man, and seven years later placed first in the World Strongman Challenge. Capes went on to become a coach for many young athletes and for a time mentored the England Athletics shot put team.

 

His legacy continues through his children Lewis and Emma, both national shot put champions, and his grandchildren, Donovan and Lawson, who carry on the family tradition in athletics.