by Curlan Campbell, NOW Grenada
- Grizzly Alexander places second at 2019 River City Barbell Classic
- First Grenadian set to qualify for Strongman Champions League
Placing second in the men’s open 275-pound category at the River City Barbell Classic in January 2019 has earned strongman competitor Marcus “Grizzly” Alexander the opportunity to become the first Grenadian to qualify for the Strongman Champions League which will bring him one step closer to his ultimate goal of qualifying for the World’s Strongest Man Competition.
Alexander is no stranger to this type of extreme sport that pushes your endurance to the limit taking first place on 18 March 2017, at the annual Oregon Feats of Strength Competition.
Despite encountering a number of challenges including illness, Alexander was able to recover just in time to compete and capture second place in his respective category. “After the first two events I was dehydrated, and I had to find the willpower to bounce back and I did just that to place second overall, but every strongman competition is tough.”
Alexander is set on first qualifying for the Strongman Champions League which will bring him closer to competing at the World’s Strongest Man competition.
“My ultimate goal in the strongman field is to at least compete [with] World’s Strongest Man, that’s the biggest stage ever, after that second place at the River City Barbell, I qualified for the Strongman Champions League. This league will give me the opportunity to qualify for the World’s Strongest Man and one step closer to my goal.”
Alexander said the preparation for such an event is extremely difficult since the standard equipment needed for such a competition is not available in Grenada and as a result, athletes competing improvise by using makeshift equipment. “We don’t have the equipment to prepare for such competitions. Most of the equipment we make, or we just do something, so it just willpower that got me out there and has me doing what I do to excel.”
Alexander’s team comprising Coach Mc Elvin Pope, Matthew Charles, Marlon Noel, Ronald Duprey, Dominic Pierre, Handell Bernard, and Kenson Rennie are now in preparation for the Oregon Feats of Strength Competition scheduled to be held in March 2019.
