When he began his strongman journey, Jon Jordan could not have imagined just how far it would take him.
Now the winner of Guernsey’s Strongest in 2023 is preparing to step out into international competition and wave the flag in the US.
Preparations are well advanced for the Arnold Master’s Strongman Championship in Columbus Ohio on 2 March. The event forms part of the high profile Arnold (Schwarzenegger) Sports Festival taking place over that weekend that will be attended by hundreds of thousands of people.
It was in 2017 that Gail Girard from Guernsey’s Strongest Club contacted Jordan to see if he would be interested.
“I have always been a fan of the sport so thought I would have a go and just jumped in with no training,” he said.
“During the competition I was inspired by Gail’s husband Casey, who went on to win the Guernsey’s Strongest Man title that year.
“Around the same time, I had a conversation with my son about the importance of hard work and commitment in achieving your goals. That really stuck with me and I decided to take my own advice, dedicated myself to training and I haven’t looked back since.”
As he begun with the sport he never imagined winning the local title.
“But as the years went by, I saw that with the right focus and training, it was something I could achieve,” he said.
“That pushed me to take my training more seriously and shift my focus away from other sports and fully commit to strongman. Winning Guernsey’s Strongest Man in 2023 was a huge milestone and after talking with my coaches at the Stoltman Strength Academy, we decided it was time to challenge myself by signing up for some UK competitions.”
That in itself has been a learning curve.
His first UK event, Fareham’s Strongest, was a great introduction last year.
“Gail, Casey and I all travelled over to compete and Gail and I both won our categories, which gave me the confidence to take on more competitions in the UK.
“England’s Strongest Master was my first national-level comp but I picked up an injury on the first event, which made things tough. I pushed through and finished 13th place, which I was proud of under the circumstances.
“Britain’s Strongest Master in November was another massive learning opportunity.
“The competition didn’t go as planned but competing at that level was an invaluable experience and made me realise just how much mindset plays a role in success, no matter how ready you are physically. I took a lot away from it and I’m already looking ahead to Britain’s Strongest Master 2025—watch this space!”
Jordan is currently training five days a week in the build up to the Arnold Master’s Strongman Championship – and consuming more food than ever before.
“My coach has designed a push/pull program specifically for this competition, focusing on deadlifts, log pressing, and competition-specific events twice a week.
“After training at competition weights for the past month, I’m feeling confident in my ability to perform across all events at the Arnold Master’s and represent Guernsey on the world stage. One event I’m especially looking forward to is the 362.9kg (800lb) deadlift for reps.
“The hardest challenge we are facing now is getting there, so any support, whether through sponsorship, donations, or simply spreading the word—would mean the world as I look to take on this next challenge.”
His wife Kerry has set up a Justgiving page where people can help out. You can access that here.
Strongman as a sport has been growing and transforming locally.
“Since I started, the sport has grown significantly in Guernsey, thanks to the hard work and dedication of Gail and Casey, and the Guernsey’s Strongest club.
“It has been amazing to see more female athletes getting involved, transforming what was a fairly male dominated sport on the island when I started.
“One of the best things about the sport is the sense of community.
“The support and encouragement that all athletes give each other, especially during competitions, is incredible. Watching and helping others improve is just as rewarding as making progress myself.”