These days, every athlete appears to have a social media presence. Not just a profile, but a presence. They have Facebook profiles where you can like every lift someone manages to photograph or every short video of them kicking a ball on Instagram. Often, there’s a YouTube channel as well that also displays their athletic feat.

It’s not just the pros that have these profiles. Every amateur out there appears to follow suit and posts their athletic feats of the day. Crossfitters talk about their WOD and post a picture of a snatch. Basically, it’s a lot of the same.

Even in my favourite sport — the one I compete in myself — , Strongman, there’s a lot of the same going on. Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson, you might know him as The Mountain on Game of Thrones, posts sponsorship and business ads as well as training feats. So does Eddie Hall, the man who deadlifted 500kg. Without a doubt, they’re both amazing athletes, which doesn’t necessarily mean their social media presence is overly exciting. Out of the ordinary is Magnús Ver Magnússon whose days of competing are long over. He has his gym, Magnús Ver Magnússon, his family and that’s what makes him happy.

But among this crowd, and the sport in general, one man stands out: He’s not the A-Number-One of anything currently and he’s nowhere near as famous as Brian Shaw, who just might be the second person ever to be the World’s Strongest Man five times during his career. The man I want to talk about today is called Laurence Shahlaei, affectionately called “Big Loz” by his fans. Because while others might lift more or happen to be more handsome, Shahlaei displays an often neglected aspect of the sport: Vulnerability.

The Wounded Man Who Keeps Coming Back

In the sport of Strongman, no living Strongman athlete has displayed more perseverance than Laurence Shahlaei. I can’t even remember the times I heard the sentence “Laurence Shahlaei, returning from injury…” in some form or another, usually spoken by announcer Colin Bryce.

When you get injured in the sport of Strongman, it’s usually bad. Torn muscles, broken bones and if the weight drops onto something important, a crushed something.

Here’s Big Loz in 2014 with a torn lat.