A B.C. firefighter is now unofficially one of the strongest firefighters in the country as he is one of only two Canadians to make it to the finals of the 2023 World’s Strongest Firefighter Contest in Columbus, Ohio.
Cameron St. Amand, who has been competitively powerlifting for years and still holds multiple Canadian Powerlifting Union national records, put his muscles to the ultimate test as he competed against several other firefighters from multiple countries in a series of unique strength-testing challenges.
After putting on a dominating performance in the 2023 World’s Strongest Firefighter Preliminaries, St. Amand was named one of the competitors to advance to the final round on March 4.
The 2023 World’s Strongest Firefighter Finals saw St. Amand having to compete in a few different events, including a weighted axe hold, sandbag carry, and fire hydrant deadlifts.
There was an added layer of difficulty in each of these challenges for St. Amand, who had suffered a pulled hamstring injury earlier and chose to continue competing anyways.
In the sandbag carry, St. Amand became the first competitor to successfully transport all three weighted bags across the finish line, with the final bag weighing 300 lbs.
As he went into the final challenge, St. Amand found himself tied for third place, despite his injuries.
Ending with the fire hydrant lifts, St. Amand was able to successfully pick up the four hydrants, weighing 175 lbs, 200 lbs, 225 lbs, and 250 lbs, and stand them up on a raised shelf.
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Unfortunately, he was not able to finish in the top three spots of the 2023 World’s Strongest Firefighter Contest, but event host Arnold Schwarzenegger still handed out consolation prizes to each of the competitors and shared some kind words.
“There’s always someone that wins, but I want to make sure that everyone else understands that they are not losers,” said Schwarzenegger.
“They are all winners. They are all great great heroes. So I am proud of all of you here today. Every single one of you that competed. I love you all.”
St. Amand will now return back to Canada and resume his role as a member of the Maple Ridge Fire Department.
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Cameron St. Amand competed as a finalist in the 2023 World’s Strongest Firefighter Contest. (Special to The News)
