On the 23 August 1949, the British former shot putter, strongman, and professional Highland Games competitor, Geoff  Capes was born in Holbeach, Lincolnshire.

The 7th of 9 children, a gifted sportsman, he became a member of Holbeach Athletic Club, and represented Lincolnshire at basketball, football, and cross-country. In addition he was a decent sprinter, running 23.7 s for the 200 m.

Growing up on the Lincolnshire fens Capes was fascinated by the natural world, and from when he was a young boy. cared for injured birds and animals. After leaving school he worked as a coal-man and a farm labourer. It is said he was capable of loading 20 tons of potatoes in 20 minutes. He joined Cambridgeshire Constabulary in 1970, and remained in the police for 10 years.

Capes stood 6 feet 5 ¹⁄₂ inches tall and weighed in at 370 lb at his peak. He represented England and Great Britain in field athletics over a period of 11 years, specialising in the shot put, an event in which he was twice Commonwealth champion, twice European indoor champion, and three time Olympian.

Capes turned fully professional in 1980, the Olympics in Moscow being his last event as an amateur athlete. His mainstay then became the Highland Games. As a Highland Games competitor he was 6 times world champion, first winning the title in Lagos in 1981, and held world records in numerous events.

As a strongman, he won the title of World’s Strongest Man twice, was World Muscle Power champion on two occasions, and numerous other titles including that of Europe’s Strongest Man and Britain’s Strongest Man.  

Following retirement from competitive sport he was involved in strength athletics as a referee, event promoter and coach. He also ran a sportswear retail shop, and became renowned as a world-class breeder of birds of budgerigars. In 2008 he became President of the Budgerigar Society.

Capes currently lives at Stoke Rochford, near Grantham, and has a daughter Emma who was English Schools’ shot put champion and Youth Olympics bronze medalist. His son Lewis played American football for the London Monarchs.

23 August, 2019