A VETERAN who lost the use of his right arm after an IED blast in Afghanistan has successfully defended his World Disabled Strongman title.

Mark Tonner of Catterick dedicated his success at the competition in Iceland to Forces veterans after he triumphed on Remembrance Sunday.

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The 38-year-old lives with PTSD and a life-changing arm injury after his vehicle hit an improvised explosive device in Afghanistan in 2010.

As part of his recovery he focussed on strength competitions and is now a two-time World Disabled Strongman Champion after his success at the weekend.

Mark said that competing on Remembrance Sunday had a definite impact on his performance as he set a new World Record at the competition with a 280kg deadlift.

He said: "It felt pretty good; I wanted a few more World Records but I was probably pushing myself a little bit too much.

"I won four out of five events so it was a good day.

"The Sunday was Remembrance Sunday so it was definitely personal that day; it was more for them (veterans).

"The other competitors were saying 'you're a different person today, there's no stopping you today'."

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Mark faced fierce competition from strongmen from around the world but was always confident that he would win.

He said: "I have had an event every month since July so my body needs to recover fully then I can smash it all again next year."

Mark's next focus is on the British Disabled Strongman competition which is expected to take place in March 2022.

He also plans to compete in the renowned Arnold Classic - a competition he finished in second place in earlier this year.

He said: "Next year the competitions will be more spread out so I will probably be even stronger."

 

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