Rory Brown has entered a tough sport where few other Pembrokians have dared to tread because he has taken up 'Strong man' competition and is ready for the lung-testing efforts of the dreaded Atlas Stones, the Farmer's Walk, the Monster Dumbbell and sundry other tortures.

He would readily admit that he hasn't been closely involved in other sports but when he watched 'The World's Strongest Man' on television he was immediately interested because it appealed to his willingness to work at lifting heavy weights after his time spent on a farm and the physical endeavor involved.

So Rory looked up details of the sport on Face Book and came across the name of Mark Jeanes, the winner of the ‘Wales Strongest Man’ competition, and when he contacted Mark he received every encouragement.

At that time Mark was advertising an event for novices in Bridgend and after reading the rules and regulations of the contest Rory decided to enter in the knowledge that he had 11 weeks to prepare for the five events that made up his introduction to his new-found interest.

Rory would say that his major problem was the fact that although he was naturally strong he lacked technique but was really pleased by the warmth of his welcome when he popped along to Strength Academy Wales at STP School.

"Simon Roach, Justin Head and the lifters there were very interested in what I was attempting and were very supportive - and provided vital advice on what I needed to polish in terms of technique.

"So I went along to Bridgend and had about 20 noisy supporters, including my wife, son and friends, which was a real boost in helping me to overcame my inevitable nerves.

"The first stage was the 'Axle Cleans' where all nine of us had to lift a straightforward axle with extra weight added each time - and I was pleased with third place.

"Then we had to try 'The Farmer's Walk,' where you carry a solid weight of 105kgs by the handles in each hand and see how far you can walk before the lactose acid builds up and your arms feel like jelly - and second place was brilliant for me!

'The Yoke' involved having a sort of harness draped around my neck with 260kgs loaded on it and the challenge was to see who could carry it for 20 metres in the quickest time - and I was pleased again with third place.

"If that hadn't been tough enough we moved onto the 'Monster Dumbbell', which had to be lifted one-handed from waist up to shoulder as many times as possible in a minute - a real toughie where I ended up in fourth spot.

"We ended up doing a 'Dead Lift' of a 200kgs weight from floor to being upright with knees locked and after gaining another fourth place I was delighted when it was announced that I had ended up in third place overall in my very first contest!"

Rory's next challenge is another novice class down in deepest Devon where the standard is sure to be raised since it includes 14 competitors and new disciplines designed to test the competitors - and will run all day from 11am to 5.30 pm.

"One of them is the 'Atlas Stones', which are five huge concrete balls of various diameters and weight which we have to try to grasp and place on top of a raised platform before moving on to the next one, with the fastest to finish, or having lifted the most balls, declared the winner.

"This is one of the iconic events in 'Strong Man'," admitted Rory, "and I've managed to acquire on Atlas Stone which I keep at the SAW Gym in readiness for training."

One only has to see him perform this task in training to realise how taxing of his strength it is but he handles it with aplomb!

Rory has also made up some equipment for other sections of his sport after his work on the farm, using the welding equipment there and devising suitably heavy and fiendish challenges.

Another iconic event which Rory is already anticipating taking on is the 'Lorry Pull', where contestants have to use a rope to pull an articulated lorry along a set track; a daunting test if ever there was one.

He hasn't come across this particular tester in competition but with typical foresight already has plans to utilise what is on offer in  his work-place by pulling the odd large tractor or two!

There is no doubt that Rory is very focussed on his new sport and has Eddie Hall and Thor Bjornson has his heroes.

At the moment the world's top five includes third-placed British man Hall (known as 'The Beast' ; is 6'3" tall and weighs in at 29 stone 1 lb) behind Brian Shaw (USA) and Bjornson, whilst Konstantine Janeshia (Georgia) and Jen-Francois Caron (Canada) are respectively fourth and fifth.

"I would love to watch them all compete in the 'World's Strongest Man' and perhaps receive a few tips from them," Rory told us!

At the moment Rory is working hard on his building his strength and it certainly seems to be paying off because when he recently entered his second competition, in Devon, he took on more experienced opposition and came a really creditable second after a string of terrific performances which are recorded on Instagram for all to see.

In the combined event of Lifting a Block, Axle Squats and the dreaded Log Lift he achieved respective weights of 75kgs, 85kgs and 90kgs to achieve first place, followed by first place again as he lifted the five Atlas Stones in the fastest time and then had respectable finishes in The Yoke (carrying 230kgs) and Loadable Cross Carry (85kgs for 35 metres.

Then he ended in style with joint first in the Axle Squats (17 at 170kgs in only 75 seconds and was thrilled with his overall second place – and was only narrowly shaded out of the gold medal!

“The crowd was absolutely brilliant,” Rory told us, “and it made all the hard work worthwhile.”

There is no doubt that it provided positive proof of the rapid strides Rory Brown has made in this challenging sport and we wish this unassuming gentleman much continued success because he is already inspiring others with his dedication at the SAW Gym – and is carrying the Pembrokeshire Flag with some distinction.