Shahlaei notched quite the strongman achievement.
Written by Robert Zeglinski
On August 6, 2023, strongman Laurence Shahlaei recorded a 22-foot, four-inch Dinnie Stone Walk during the 2023 Donald Dinnie Day in Potarch Park, Scotland. The mark is a World Record and surpasses his own previous best of 14 feet, 10 inches by over seven feet. The Dinnie Stones are famous for their unequal weight, with one stone weighing 188 kilograms (414 pounds) and the other weighing 144 kilograms (318 pounds). This requires an athlete to maintain greater focus while balancing the pair while walking. The implements also have awkward ring grips which test mental and physical fortitude beyond basic strength.
CERBERUS Strength captured a video of Shahlaei’s record-breaking Dinnie Stone carry, posting it to the company’s Instagram profile. The carry itself did not seem to be much of a struggle for Shahlaei, as his face noticeably grew with joy with each successive step.
The 2023 Donald Dinnie Day event featured a host of strongman competitors aside from Shahlaei. Various elite strongmen and strongwomen like Tom Stoltman, Martins Licis, Luke Stoltman, Donna Moore, and Chloe Brennan were all on hand to participate. In a post on Shahlaei’s Instagram, various notable competitors like Brennan, Peiman Maheripourehir, Travis Ortmayer, and Eddie Williams offered messages of congratulations for breaking the Dinnie Stone Walk record.
Shahlaei seemed quite appreciative within his reflection.
“So happy today to come away from [2023] The Donald Dinnie Day with a new World Record in the Dinnie Stone Walk, 22 feet, 4 inches, beating the previous World Record of 14 feet, 10 inches,” Shahlaei wrote. “It feels amazing to still be breaking records at this stage in my lifting journey.”
According to Strongman Archives, Shahlaei last competed in a full strongman competition at the 2021 Giants Live Strongman Classic (GLSC), where he finished in seventh. The athlete might be most remembered for his victory at the 2016 Europe’s Strongest Man (ESM). These days, Shahlaei is a prominent strongman commentator, often releasing roster news and analysis over his YouTube channel with approximately 138,000 subscribers.
Even at the age of 40, Shahlaei appears to be finished with a full-fledged competitive strongman pursuit. That said, moments like this Dinnie Stone World Record offer a glimpse at an athlete who clearly still has a lot of power and strength in his back pocket.
Featured image: biglozwsm on Instagram
About Robert Zeglinski
Robert is a seasoned and adept editor and writer with a keen, passionate penchant for the writing craft. He’s been a leader in newsrooms such as SB Nation, USA TODAY, and WBBM Newsradio, with various other content and art production teams, and first made a name for himself in his hometown of Chicago. When not knee-deep in research or lost in a stream of consciousness for a thorough piece, you can find Robert inhaling yet another novel, journaling his heart out, or playing with his Shiba Inu, Maximus (Max, for short).