“The relatives of Geoffrey Capes wish to announce his sad passing these days, twenty third Oct,” his relatives advised the BBC. “Britain’s best shot putter and twice environment’s strongest male,” they additional.
Noticing the man experienced a lot of budgies in his house, The 2 began to debate the maintenance and treatment of birds above a cup of tea. “It appeared a disgrace when, after the discussion ended, I quickly remembered what I had to do,” Capes reported.
Apart from sport and television appearances, Capes was famed for breeding budgerigars and had good results (a previous environment winner[9]) around the display bench together with his Recessive Pieds. He participated in budgerigar displays throughout Europe and gained a entire world championship in 1995. In 2008, he was appointed president of your Budgerigar Society and sometimes served like a decide in competitions. "There’s a thing about their colour and wonder that fascinates me", Capes informed the Sunday Folks.
As my father was 6ft four" tall and big boned in addition to a former Unique Constable with Peterborough police The 2 got on effectively. Anytime I discovered Geoff, he would say "I am aware you from someplace" but it absolutely was my father that he must have already been considering.”
And he turned the president of your Budgerigar Society and was in no way happier than when he received the world budgie championship and travelled the globe judging chicken displays.
During tea breaks on the haulier's yard, he designed his arm strength by lifting two 4-stone weights overhead. He also created a makeshift gymnasium with two good friends.[8] During this time, he joined an area athletics club, the place he fulfilled Stuart Storey, a hurdler who later on competed during the selot188 1968 Olympics. Capes said that Storey aided him flip his lifestyle around and guided him through his early days in athletics. Storey inspired him to try shot place and participate in competitions. Missing the usually means to order proper outfits, Capes attended events donning clothes still left powering by his mom's sufferers after they died.[six] His to start with try at competitive shot-Placing ended with him putting second-to-previous in the finals in the 1964 All England Educational facilities Athletics Championships.[8]
Capes would hitch-hike to athletics competitions and was explained to by Storey that he would attain excellent factors if he could just direct his Vitality.
“Geoff was perfectly linked to the Holbeach Weight Teaching Club which continues to prosper and in latter several years utilized the Holbeach Hub for throws schooling for aspiring Worldwide athletes of the longer term.
Just right before his very last Olympics, Moscow 1980, he received Britain’s very first strongest guy competition and have become a house name. Checks of energy including bending metal bars, lifting a System of bunny girls, pulling lorries, arm wrestles and tug of war gave the display cult status.
Capes, who would raise a hundred and twenty tons in training each week, did sponsorship bargains that aided him to bypass the Olympics’ rigorous newbie policies.
'It's these types of an honour,' he instructed the Day-to-day Mail that yr. 'I do think the customers voted for me due to the fact I believe in determination, exertions and commitment. And I do not just take any nonsense.'
“He was an inspiration to many and not simply the best shot-putter of our time and Planet’s Strongest Person but an excellent mentor too. We final observed him at the Holbeach Foodstuff Competition and couple of several years back when he was judging the Strongest Man Levels of competition.
1 said on X: “I watched him to be a youthful gentleman — my sincerest condolences to his family and friends, we’ll miss you Geoff.”
He explained: “I've regarded Geoff for many years and while he may very well be outspoken he was a gentle huge with an excellent perception of humour. His is genuinely a legend in Holbeach and immortalised to the Holbeach Mosaic within the city Centre, along with his commentator Pal Stuart Storey and Paralympian Sally Reddin who all set Holbeach well and definitely on the Global phase.
Exactly the same may very well be assumed of your leaders Group GB's delegation on the 1972 Olympics, soon after Capes liberated a crate of whiskey bottles from their Business office.