The Press Stories
Half hopes to become the new Arnold Schwarzenegger in the Highland Double Act.
Tom Stoltman of Invergarden finished second in this year’s World’s Strongest Man competition.
He is now in training to take part in Arnie’s own competition – and has set his sights on Hollywood.
The 26-year-old has just returned from Florida, where he finished second at the World Championships. But the first Scotsman on stage, as they say, “will come back.”
Michael Kovac / Stringer via Getty ImagesNext March in Ohio, he will be one of the top ten in the world, challenging the choirs at the Arnold Strongman Classic Show, named after the anatomy icon and movie star.
Tom said: “Arnold Schwarzenegger was the first strong man in the movies, whose inspiration was through strength sports, bodybuilding and what he did for strength.
“He has his own show in the United States and I’m lucky to go back to next year.
“A guy I want to meet, me too [brother and fellow strongman] Luke. Even getting a whiskey with him would be incredible, but he was a great inspiration to us. ”
‘A guy I want to meet. Even getting a whiskey with him would be incredible, but he was a great inspiration to us. ‘
Tom Stoldman
He said if he is lucky enough to meet his hero, he will look for some tips on how to get down to a movie career.
“If I get into acting, it will be so much better. I mean, you know I’m 6 feet 8 feet tall and a big guy, and I think it would be great to be the next Terminator to follow in his footsteps, so let’s see what happens after Strongman, ”said Tom.
Nicknamed ‘Albotras’, Tom found inner strength in the gym to deal with severe autism due to his huge arm gap.
He was the strongest man in Scotland for two years. His older brother, Luke, who provided his initial fitness training, held the title for the previous five years.
Luke, 35, said: “There is competition in strong men, in which I want to win every competitor, but when Tom excels in a match, as he finished, I’m very proud of him.
“I’m in tears when I see Tom competing because I’m so proud. I’m the most emotional person, the king of my sleeve type guy’s heart.”
Tom’s latest hit will air during the festive season.
Ukrainian Oleksi Novikov, a former security guard with 28 events, topped the world event. He is hopeful that next year will go better.
