A British soldier who lost both legs in Afghanistan turns to competitive strongman with the help of a former Royal Marines Commando.
competitive strongman with the mentorship of a former Royal Marines Commando. Together they form a bond through their shared experiences in war and overcome the challenges that face them in preparation for the first ‘Disabled’ category at the famous Arnold Schwarzenegger Classic – one of the biggest strongman events in the world.
Steven’s story
In 2010 Steven Richardson stepped on an improvised explosive device (IED) placed by enemy patrols in Nad-e-Ali, Afghanistan. He lost both legs and half of one hand in the explosion and went through extensive physiotherapy before learning to walk again using prosthetic limbs. In late 2016, Steven passed by a rustic gym in the East Lothian countryside, advertising strongman training with a Royal Marines Veteran called Kenneth Simm. Soon after his first experience of strongman training, Steven fell in love with the sport, showing signs of talent that could take him to the top. Since then, Steven has been invited to compete at the first disabled strongman category at the Arnold Classic in Columbus, Ohio – one of the largest competitive fitness events in the world, created and hosted by Arnold Schwarzenegger.
What will the film focus on?
The film will revolve around the physical and mental challenges that Steven must go through in order to break into the sport as a disabled athlete. It will also focus on the developing bond between himself and Kenneth as ex-servicemen and their mentality after leaving the armed forces.
What is Strongman?
“Strongman is a weightlifting-based sport where athletes compete in several events involving different aspects of mental and physical strength, speed and endurance. There is a wide variety of possible event combinations which opens the sport up to all kinds of different athletes.”
Why do we need your help?
This will be one of the first documentaries about disabled strongman, but we can’t do it without your support. Making this film will involve time, lots of professional, hardworking people and the equipment they need to make it all happen.
What will your money go towards?
Not everyone can be in a position to donate money and that’s okay!
It would be enormously helpful of you to simply share this kickstarter page to help us reach our target and get the film on a screen near you! All support counts and we appreciate every like, share and comment.
Thank you so much for taking the time to read this. We hope to thank you in person one day.
As this documentary follows real-life events, the outcome cannot be guaranteed. Strongman is also a highly dangerous sport where there are risks of serious injury. Therefore there is a possibility that Steven or Kenneth could become injured during the making of the film. Considering the risks, we would hope to continue this documentary despite the outcome. However, an event like this would understandably delay the estimated completion date of the film. Therefore there is a possibility that rewards including links or dvd copies of the film may be delayed.