Phil Jack lifts £1000 top prize in John O'Groats Strongest Man contest
Aberdeenshire's Phil Jack saw off challengers from Caithness and Orkney to lift the title of John O'Groats Strongest Man 2022.
The popular annual event attracted a good turnout of spectators and raised money for two good causes.
Categories were Keg-Loading Medley, Farmer's Walk, World's Strongest Man Squat, Monster Dumbbell Press, Apollon's Axle Deadlift, Fingal's Finger and Power Stairs.
Jack ended up with the £1000 top prize and engraved glass trophy, with Orkney's Calum Elder taking the runner-up prize of £400. They finished ahead of Caithness competitors Jason Anderson and Kris Hamilton.
Anderson was awarded the newly introduced trophy for best newcomer, designed and donated by Robbie Anderson, as well as £200 for third place.
Organiser Kevin Macgregor, a previous winner, has had to take a year off from strongman action as he gets back to fitness after an arm injury.
He refereed three of the events and Tom McGee refereed the others.
The competition ran for just over three hours on Sunday, with the end-of-the-road roundabout near John O'Groats harbour cordoned off to form a circular arena.
Kevin said: “Given the time of year, I would say there were probably more locals than last year. You could tell because there were no tourists at all to make the bulk of the crowd.
“It was cold, obviously, but luckily the rain stayed off.”
Tom added: "It was a fantastic event with several athletes hitting their personal bests. It came down to the wire in the last event with Phil Jack and Calum Elder pushing each other to the limit for the win."
The event raised £100 for John O'Groats Development Trust's playpark project and £101 for Macmillan Cancer Support.
Kevin intends to run the competition again in 2023, probably earlier in the year.
Placings after all seven events: 1 Phil Jack (28 points); 2 Calum Elder (23); 3 Jason Anderson (14); 4 Kris Hamilton (5).