Geoff Capes, former World's Strongest Man winner and shot putter, dies
Geoff Capes, who was once crowned the World's Strongest Man and held the British record in shot put, has passed away.
Capes, who was 75 years old, represented Great Britain in the shot put at three different Olympic Games. He also secured two Commonwealth titles and claimed victory in the World's Strongest Man competition twice.
Tessa Sanderson expressed her sorrow, saying, "Oh my goodness, I just found out the heartbreaking news about Geoff Capes' passing. Geoff was an incredible contributor to British athletics and brought so much joy to our team."
"My heartfelt sympathies go out to his family. Geoff Capes was an incredible individual and an outstanding athlete. Rest in peace."
British Athletics expressed their sorrow on X upon hearing the news of his passing, while a statement from his family noted: "We regret to inform you that Geoffrey Capes has sadly passed away today, October 23rd."
"Britain's top shot put athlete and two-time champion of the World's Strongest Man competition."
The official account of Team GB expressed that the organization was "greatly distressed" by his passing.
The reason for his death has not been determined.
Hailing from Lincolnshire, Capes stood just over 6 feet 5 inches tall and weighed 170 kilograms at the height of his fitness, as stated on the Geoff Capes website.
He claimed the title of World's Strongest Man in both 1983 and 1985.
He was honored with induction into both The World's Strongest Man Hall of Fame and the England Athletics Hall of Fame.
After retiring from professional sports, Capes remained active in the strength athletics community as a referee, event organizer, and coach.
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In addition to his athletic achievements, he found great success in breeding budgerigars and took on the role of president of the Budgerigar Society in 2008.
The Capes family resided in Stoke Rochford, close to Grantham, and had two kids who were both national shot put champions, along with four grandchildren.
