Hugo Girard
Personal information
Born (1971-12-20) December 20, 1971
Sainte-Anne-de-Portneuf, Quebec, Canada
OccupationStrongman
Height6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Medal record
Strongman
Representing  Canada
World's Strongest Man
10th 1998 World's Strongest Man
4th 1999 World's Strongest Man
9th 2000 World's Strongest Man
6th 2001 World's Strongest Man
7th 2002 World's Strongest Man
7th 2003 World's Strongest Man
Qualified 2004 World's Strongest Man
World Strongman Challenge
1st 2002
Arnold Strongman Classic
9th 2005 Arnold Strongman Classic
Canada's Strongest Man
1st 1999
1st 2000
1st 2001
1st 2002
1st 2003
1st 2004
3rd 2007
North America's Strongest Man
1st 2001
1st 2002
Strongman Super Series
1st 2001 Czech Grand Prix
2nd 2001 Stockholm Grand Prix
2nd 2001 Overall
2nd 2002 Aberdeen Grand Prix
1st 2002 Sweden Grand Prix
1st 2002 Hawaii Grand Prix
1st 2002 Overall Champion
1st 2003 Canada Grand Prix
1st 2003 Finland Grand Prix
World Muscle Power Championships
1st 1999
1st 2001
2nd 2002
1st 2003
1st 2004
Quebec's Strongest Man
1st 2008

Hugo Girard (born December 20, 1971) is a Canadian former strongman. He is a Strongman Super Series world Champion, a four-time World Muscle Power champion and a six-time Canada's Strongest Man. With 15 international competition wins, he's the eighth most decorated strongman in history.[1]

Strength career

Prior to his career as a strongman competitor, Girard worked as a bouncer in a popular Quebec City nightclub on weekends while attending community college. In the early 1990s, he went to Los Angeles in order to either pursue a career as a professional bodybuilder or as an actor. After a few months, Girard came back to the province of Quebec where he was later hired as a police officer for the city of Gatineau.

Girard focused on Strongman competition, and became a 6-time consecutive finalist in the World's Strongest Man competition from 1998-2004. Girard's highest placing was 4th place at the 1999 World's Strongest Man contest.[2]

In 2002 Girard reached the high point of his career to date, winning the 2002 Strongman Super Series overall title. Girard has also won the World Muscle Power Championships 4 times, in 1999, 2001, 2003, and 2004.

Girard dominated strongman competition in Canada for several years. He was the Canada's Strongest Man champion from 1999 to 2004. He was also the North America's Strongest Man champion in 2001 and 2002.

Beginning in 2004, injuries began to plague his career including back to back injuries to his achilles tendon in 2005, the first of which took place at the 2005 Arnold Strongman Classic forcing him to retire from the contest.[3] These injuries required a long period of rehabilitation, and nearly a year and a half to fully recover. At one point Girard was in a cast up to his waist.[4] Girard's comeback took place at the 2006 Mohegan Sun Super Series event. After winning the first event, he tore his patellar tendon in the second event, the Conan's Wheel and was forced to retire from the contest.[5] He attempted to compete in the North America's Strongest Man Competition in 2007, but withdrew due to injury. Girard was able to bounce back in 2008, winning Quebec's Strongest Man.[6] This win qualified Girard for the 2008 Canada's Strongest Man contest. Girard was leading the contest after the first day, but suffered yet another injury on the second day of competition and tearfully announced his retirement from strongman competition.[7]

Girard broke several records during his career, some of which are still standing today. He has held records in events such as the log press, apollon's axle press, crucifix hold, farmer's walk Atlas stones, bench press, truck pull and squat. He has also pulled an 80-ton Boeing 737 for a short distance.

Due to his strength, Girard is often compared to fellow Quebec native Louis Cyr, a dominant nineteenth-century strongman who was considered the strongest man in history at the turn of the century. Girard has trained several other strongmen in the Ottawa and Gatineau regions, including Travis Lyndon and Jessen Paulin, who has participated in the World's Strongest Man competition and succeeded Girard as Canada's Strongest Man in 2005 and 2006.

Girard is currently a member of the organization of the Gatineau Hot Air Balloon Festival that takes place every Labour Day weekend. He is also the current president of the Canadian Federation of Strength Athletes. In addition to his career as a strongman, Girard served as a police officer for 12 years.

Girard was the subject of a documentary film called "Strongman: Hugo Girard" in 2002. The film shows Girard's training for the 2002 North America's Strongest Man competition, which he eventually won. The film also features his training partners Jessen Paulin and Travis Lyndon. The film was directed by Alan Black and released by Top of the World Films.[8]

Profile

References

  1. ↑ "Strongman Archives - Athletes". Strongman Archives. 5 April 2022. Retrieved 6 April 2022.
  2. ↑ "Hugo Girard". Strongestman.billhenderson.org. Retrieved 13 November 2014.
  3. ↑ "Hugo Girard: In a Cast Up To His Waist". Ironmind.com. Retrieved 13 November 2014.
  4. ↑ "Hugo Girard: In a Cast Up To His Waist". Ironmind.com. Retrieved 13 November 2014.
  5. ↑ "Hugo Girard Update". Ironmind.com. Retrieved 13 November 2014.
  6. ↑ "Hugo Girard Wins Quebec's Strongest Man". Ironmind.com. Retrieved 13 November 2014.
  7. ↑ "Louis-Philippe Jean Wins Canada's Strongest Man . . . Hugo Girard Injured . . . Retires". Ironmind.com. Retrieved 13 November 2014.
  8. ↑ Archived January 2, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
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