The celebrated British shot-putter and twice winner of the World’s Strongest Man, Geoff Capes, has passed away at the age of 75.
A family statement read: “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.”
Capes’ sporting legacy is significant; he secured gold medals at both the European Indoor Championships and the Commonwealth Games. Not just limited to athletics, Capes also left his mark on the Highland Games in Scotland, becoming the victor of the World Heavy Events title in Lagos in 1981.
Following an illustrious career, he transitioned into coaching, mentoring up-and-coming athletes such as Adrian Smith, who took fifth in the World’s Strongest Man competition in 1990. One of nine children, Capes became a household name in Britain throughout the 70s and 80s, holding a longstanding national shot put record of 21.68m set in 1980.
Despite being a top contender, an Olympic medal eluded him. Capes also excelled in the strongman sphere, with two championship victories in 1983 and 1985 among his achievements.
His children, Lewis and Emma Capes, have upheld the family tradition, both clinching national shot put titles. The athletic prowess continues with his grandchildren Donovan and Lawson carrying the torch.
Last year, Capes revealed to the Telegraph: “There were stronger people out there – I met a lot of them in the fens of Lincolnshire. But it was about the application of strength. Can you apply it at speed? Can you run with 400 pounds? I basically did that on a farm when I was a kid with sacks of potatoes.
“And I worked things out technically. They would call me ‘numbers’. If I went first, you’d see everyone copying. No matter what it was, I wanted to win.”
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