Courtenay, B.C. strongman Sean Hayes made a huge impact at the 2022 King/Queen of the Throne competition in Surrey on April 2.
Hayes completed a 560-kilogram (1,235 lb) lift in the silver dollar deadlift event.
The silver dollar deadlift is a common strongman variation of a deadlift that uses boxes at the ends of a standard barbell to hold the weight rather than putting plates on the bar. In the infancy of the event, in the 1980s, silver dollars were actually used for the weight.
Hayes’s lift set a world record in the event, breaking the previous mark by 10 kg.
“I’m now the official world record holder for this event,” said Hayes, adding that this is also the heaviest deadlift of any variation completed in any contest ever.
Hayes set the record on his second attempt. He tried to better the mark on his final attempt. “I attempted closer to 1,300 pounds on my third but she wasn’t there today,” he said in an Instagram post.
The deadlift was the only event in which Hayes competed.
“It (King/Queen of the Throne) was an amateur-level contest and I’m on the professional circuit, but the one event was a ‘record-breaker’ event, giving everyone a chance to break a record so I just jumped in on that one,” he told Black Press, adding that he had never attempted that weight before, even in practice.
“I’ve hit up to 505 kilos in practice… so going in I wasn’t 100 per cent sure whether I was going to get it or not, but I wanted to give it a try. So I was happy.”
Hayes spent most of the weekend coaching four other local athlets in the competition, including his daughter, Annalise, who is well on her way to following in her father’s footsteps.
At 12 years old, Annalise is the youngest competitor in Canada. She placed second in the Teen Women Division, highlighted with a win in the log clean and press, where she completed six reps of 90 pounds in 60 seconds.
Annalise also lifted 260 pounds in the silver dollar deadlift.
Alice Elstub and Nicole Pederson finished second and third in the Women’s Novice competition, respectively.
Elstub won the silver dollar event, with a 400-pound deadlift.
Upcoming event in Courtenay
There will be a strongman event at Simms Park in Courtenay later this spring.
“We’ll be holding a competition locally at Lewis Park on June 11, the Comox Valley Strength Fest 2022,” said Hayes. “There will be a sanctioned strongman competition hosted by BC Strongman and a CrossFit event hosted by StrongHearts School of Movement. We don’t yet have sponsors but they’ll be upcoming.”
Anyone interested in sponsoring or competing in the competition can contact Hayes at seanbryanthayes@gmail.com
