Hartlepool Strongman star finds success after horror rugby injury

22-year-old Jaydn I'Anson talks about how the sport has helped him after being forced to give up his dreams of a pro rugby career.

Transcript

00:00So I'm here in Hartipola with Jadon Iansson who's been taking part in strongman competitions.

00:05Jadon how did you get into it? So back in 2018 I had a bad tackle in rugby and it left me

00:13temporarily paralysed. I had to go through a couple of weeks of learning how to walk again

00:19and was told that I'd have to take life easy. No strain, no contact sports and to combat that

00:28I'd started going to the gym and within a couple of weeks I'd fell into a strongman gym

00:34downstairs from my mum's dancing and from then I'd, about six months in I did my first

00:41competition and I've been competing ever since. And what do you enjoy about this?

00:49The singularity of the sport, being able to go in the gym, sort of take out stress, anxiety,

00:58any problems I've had through the day, the minute I step through the doors of the gym

01:02I'm free from it all and I can do what I want and I can train how I want and train whatever

01:08I want. And I've got no stress once I'm in there. The only thing that matters is me and

01:15what I'm training.

01:16And what's your best result been so far?

01:18I've podiumed quite a few comps. I've won two or three comps where I've come first place

01:25for a year or two ago. But definitely my best thing is competing in the international, well

01:33the strongest under 23 and placing in the top ten. For me being paralysed seven or eight

01:38years ago and then being able to compete at an international competition in general is a

01:44big step forward for me.