Tom Stoltman – the first Scot to win the competition – took up sport to help overcome the effects of autism.
Tom Stoltman has become the first Scot to win the World’s Strongest Man title.
The 6ft 8in, 397lb (180kg) athlete from Invergordon won the competition at Sacramento in California.
The 27-year-old is already the Scotland’s Strongest Man title holder and the younger brother of five-times Scotland’s Strongest Man Luke Stoltman.
He has often spoken openly about his struggles with autism, saying that when he was a teenager he was unable to go outside on his own.
The Scot, who finished runner up in the international competition last year, won the title after competing in a series of events from 15-20 June.
The contests included the car walk which challenges competitors to lift a hollowed-out car with their head out through the sunroof and then run down the 25m (82ft) course.
Another event was the loading race in which competitors must load a truck or a platform with heavy objects such as anchors and chains, sandbags, anvils, blocks of ice or beer kegs
Tom is a specialist at the Atlas stones event. It involves lifting five spherical stones which increase in weight from 100 to 160kg (200 to 353lb).
Growing up, Tom described himself as being “football daft” and he would miss school to play or watch football.
He said his passion for the game, along with support from his parents, wider family and others, helped him overcome the effects of autism.
Tom was encouraged to take up weight training by his older brother Luke and competed in his first competition – a Scotland’s Strongest Man qualifier – when he was 18, finishing fifth.