ICYMI: Easter Ross siblings 'strongest brothers in the world'; Invergordon strongmen dazzle on world stage
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SIBLINGS from Invergordon have been given the undisputed title of World's Strongest Brothers.
Luke (34) and Tom (25) Stoltman were placed second and third in the World Ultimate Strongman competition last week. The competition, held in Dubai, is an invitational event for the 15 strongest men on the planet.
It is the first time two brothers have attended the event and both been placed, leading to the claim to the title.
Luke, who still works full time as well as competing all over the globe, said he was delighted that he and his "wee" brother were doing so well.
He said: "We made the claim for the title of the world's strongest brothers, and it now can't be disputed.
"Other brothers have taken part in competitions, and competed in major events and have even been placed. But no two brothers have been in a competition with 15 of the strongest men on the planet and taken second and third place.
"It is great to be from Scotland and in this position. It really is something special to think that two boys from Invergordon are topping strongman events across the world. If we were playing tennis there would be much more coverage of our events.
"Although I took second place in Dubai, my brother did amazingly well in the Atlas Stones competition by taking 12 seconds off the world record. He did the run in 40 seconds, when the previous record was 62 seconds. It was quite remarkable."
The Atlas Stones are five heavy stones which increase in weight from 100 to 160kg. They need to be placed on top of five high platforms that span a 16–33ft long course.
Younger brother Tom, who has only been competing since he was 18, said the secret of success was hard work, determination and good old fashioned sibling rivalry.
Tom, who is concentrating full time on competitions, said: "It is good to have someone to bounce off of. For me, Luke has been my inspiration. As he is almost 10 years older than me he has been competing for longer.
"So I want to beat him."
Tom says that part of the brother's success is genetics, he said: "My dad is German and Polish and most of the top strongmen in the world come with that sort of heritage. My dad did a lot of labour and farm work, and I think that strong work ethic has been part of our upbringing."
The next competition for the brothers in in January at the British Strongman competition in Sheffield.
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