After sustaining an unfortunate injury during the 2021 World’s Strongest Man (WSM), longtime strongman Terry Hollands revealed he would retire from professional competition. Around a year and a half later, the British athlete is suspending his time away for one last hopeful hurrah.
On Nov. 27, 2022, Hollands announced he would come out of retirement to compete at the 2023 Giants Live Britain’s Strongest Man (BSM). According to the caption of Hollands’ post, his reasoning behind the temporary return is that he has “unfinished business” to take care of. Plus, he wants his 7-year-old son Zach to see his father flourish in competition. The 2023 BSM contest will take place on January 28, 2023, in Sheffield England.
As he preps for his competitive return, Hollands maintained that he’s not concerned about performing well. With only roughly two months to go before the 2023 BSM — which is also the first contest of the Giants Live 2023 calendar, per the organization’s website — it might be a challenge to be as physically prepared as possible on such a quick turnaround.
That training timeline doesn’t appear to be a concern for Hollands.
“Is it possible to be ready in time for Britain’s Strongest Man?” Hollands wrote rhetorically in his post. “I back myself every time, so I say yes.”
At the same time, Hollands disclosed he plans to be an open book about his process in the lead-up to the 2023 BSM. It seems he hopes to shine a light on what his social media followers can learn from a professional-level strongman.
“This is the most transparent I’ll ever be, everything that goes into a prep will be covered.”
Before his retirement, Hollands was one of strongman’s more active athletes. According to Strongman Archives, throughout an approximately 16-year career that began in 2005, Hollands participated in over 100 individual contests. He appeared in 15 separate WSMs, qualifying for the Finals nine times while notching two respective third-place finishes during the 2007 and 2011 iterations. Hollands’ most notable strongman accomplishments might be respective victories in the 2007 BSM and the 2009 England’s Strongest Man (ESM).
Here’s an overview of some of the more noteworthy results from Hollands’ strongman career:
Terry Hollands | Noteworthy Career Results
- 2007 BSM — First place
- 2007, 2011 WSM — Third place
- 2008, 2012 — Second place
- 2009 England’s Strongest Man — First place
- 2010 Strongman Champions League (SCL) Ireland — First place | Tied with Žydrūnas Savickas
- 2011 All-America Strongman Challenge — First place
- 2013 BSM — Third place
- 2014 Giants Live Norway — Third place
- 2017 Europe’s Strongest Man — Third place
- 2019 Força Bruta — First place
- 2019 Master’s World’s Strongest Man — First place
It’s impossible to figure out what to expect from Hollands after roughly one and a half years away from strongman. The only fair assertion in advance might be that he brings his absolute best to the table as a competitor and gets the potential closure he wants for himself and his family.
Featured image: terryhollands on Instagram
