View source for Geoff Capes

{{Short description|English shot putter and strongman (1949–2024)}}
{{More citations needed|date=October 2024}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2024}}
{{Use British English|date=October 2012}}
{{Infobox sportsperson
| image = Geoff Capes 1980s.JPG
| honorific_suffix = [[Justice of the peace|JP]]
| image_size = 232
| caption = Geoff Capes, 1980s
| country = Great Britain and England
| alias = 
| club = [[Birchfield Harriers]]
| birth_name = Geoffrey Lewis Humberg Capes
| birth_date = {{birth date|1949|8|23|df=y}}
| birth_place = [[Holbeach]], Lincolnshire, England
| death_date = {{death date and age|2024|10|23|1949|8|23|df=y}}
| death_place = [[Lincoln, England|Lincoln]], England
| height = {{height|cm=197}}
| weight = 170&nbsp;kg
| years active = 1970–1989
| pb = 
| olympics = 
| worlds = 
| highestranking = 
| coaching = 
| updated = 
| medaltemplates = {{Medal|Sport | Men's [[Sport of athletics|athletics]]}}
{{Medal|Country | {{GBR2}} }}
{{Medal|Competition|[[European Athletics Championships]]}}
{{Medal|Bronze| [[1974 European Athletics Championships|1974 Rome]]|[[1974 European Athletics Championships – Men's shot put|Shot put]]}}
{{Medal|Competition|[[European Indoor Athletics Championships|European Indoor Championships]]}}
{{Medal|Gold| [[1974 European Athletics Indoor Championships|1974 Gothenburg]] | [[1974 European Athletics Indoor Championships#Field|Shot put]]}}
{{Medal|Gold| [[1976 European Athletics Indoor Championships|1976 Munich]] | [[1976 European Athletics Indoor Championships#Field|Shot put]]}}
{{Medal|Silver| [[1975 European Athletics Indoor Championships|1975 Katowice]] | [[1975 European Athletics Indoor Championships#Field|Shot put]]}}
{{Medal|Silver| [[1977 European Athletics Indoor Championships|1977 San Sebastián]] | [[1977 European Athletics Indoor Championships#Field|Shot put]]}}
{{Medal|Silver| [[1979 European Athletics Indoor Championships|1979 Vienna]] | [[1979 European Athletics Indoor Championships#Field|Shot put]]}}
{{Medal|Bronze| [[1978 European Athletics Indoor Championships|1978 Milan]] | [[1978 European Athletics Indoor Championships#Field|Shot put]]}}
{{Medal|Country | {{ENG}} }}
{{Medal|Competition|[[Athletics at the Commonwealth Games|Commonwealth Games]]}}
{{Medal|Gold| [[1974 British Commonwealth Games|1974 Christchurch]] | [[Athletics at the 1974 British Commonwealth Games|Shot put]]}}
{{Medal|Gold| [[1978 Commonwealth Games|1978 Edmonton]] | [[Athletics at the 1978 Commonwealth Games|Shot put]]}}
{{CompetitionRecordSport| [[Strongman (strength athlete)|Strongman]]}}
{{CompetitionRecordCountry| {{GBR}} }}
{{CompetitionRecordCompetition|[[World's Strongest Man]] }}
{{CompetitionRecordThird|  [[1980 World's Strongest Man|1980 Vernon]] | }}
{{CompetitionRecordSecond|  [[1981 World's Strongest Man|1981 Magic Mountain]] | }}
{{CompetitionRecordFirst|  [[1983 World's Strongest Man|1983 Christchurch]] | }}
{{CompetitionRecordThird|  [[1984 World's Strongest Man|1984 Mora]] | }}
{{CompetitionRecordFirst|  [[1985 World's Strongest Man|1985 Cascais]] | }}
{{CompetitionRecordSecond|  [[1986 World's Strongest Man|1986 Nice]] | }}
{{CompetitionRecordCompetition|[[World Muscle Power Classic]] }}
{{CompetitionRecordSecond|1985 East Kilbride | }}
{{CompetitionRecordFirst|1987 East Kilbride | }}
{{CompetitionRecordSecond|1988 East Kilbride | }}
{{CompetitionRecordCompetition| [[Europe's Strongest Man]] }}
{{CompetitionRecordFirst|1980 London|}}
{{CompetitionRecordSecond|1981 Stockholm|}}
{{CompetitionRecordFirst|1982 Amsterdam|}}
{{CompetitionRecordSecond|1983 Arnhem|}}
{{CompetitionRecordFirst|1984 Marken|}}
{{CompetitionRecordSecond|1987 Amsterdam}}
{{CompetitionRecordCompetition| [[World Strongman Challenge]] }}
{{CompetitionRecordFirst|1987 Tokyo|}}
}}

'''Geoffrey Lewis Humberg Capes''' [[Justice of the peace|JP]] (23 August 1949 – 23 October 2024) was a British [[shot put]]ter, [[strongman]], and [[Highland Games]] competitor. He was famous in the UK in the 1980s for his sporting prowess and appearances on television in shows such as ''[[Superstars (British TV programme)|Superstars]]'' and the [[World's Strongest Man]].

Capes represented England and Great Britain in [[field athletics]], specialising in the [[shot put]], an event in which he was twice [[Commonwealth Games|Commonwealth champion]], twice [[European Indoor Athletics Championships|European indoor champion]], and competed at three [[Olympic Games]]. The [[List of British records in athletics|British record]] for the shot put is still held by Capes, from 1980, at a distance of {{convert|21.68|m|ftin}}. As a strongman, he won World's Strongest Man twice,<ref>{{Cite news|last=Paley|first=Tony|date=23 October 2024|title=Geoff Capes, Britain's greatest shot putter and two-time World's Strongest Man, dies aged 75|url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2024/oct/23/geoff-capes-britain-most-famous-shot-putter-dies-aged-75|access-date=23 October 2024|work=The Guardian|language=en-GB|issn=0261-3077}}</ref><ref name="Sons"/> and [[World Muscle Power Classic]] twice,<ref name="Sons"/> along with several other titles including [[Europe's Strongest Man]] and [[Britain's Strongest Man]].<ref name="Sons"/> As a Highland Games competitor, he was six times [[World Highland Games Championships|world champion]],<ref name="Lagos"/> first winning the title in [[Lagos]] in 1981<ref name="emily"/> and the final title in 1987.<ref name="Sons"/> Throughout his career, Capes set 17 world records.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Strongman World Records |url=https://strengthrecord.com/strongman-world-records/ |website=www.strengthrecord.com |access-date=September 24, 2025}}</ref>

Following retirement from competitive sport, he continued to be involved in [[strength athletics]] as a referee, event promoter, and coach. He also ran a sportswear retail shop,<ref name="Sons"/> and became renowned as a world-class breeder of birds. 

==Early life==
Capes was born on 23 August 1949 in [[Holbeach]], Lincolnshire, the seventh of nine children.<ref name="Sons">David Webster, ''Sons of Samson Volume 2 Profiles'', page 78 (Ironmind Enterprises), {{ISBN|0-926888-06-4}}</ref> He weighed {{Convert|12.4|lb|kg}} at birth.<ref name=":12"/> He was the seventh child of Eileen (Alcock) Capes, though the eldest of her three children by her third husband Bill Capes.<ref name="auto" /> His father was a land worker, while his mother, who stood six feet tall and weighed 250 pounds, was a matron at a care home.<ref name=":12"/> Of his older siblings, the elder two were Braithwaites and the middle four Cannons.<ref name="auto">{{cite book|first1=Geoff|last1=Capes|first2=Neil|last2=Wilson |title=Big Shot|publisher=Hutchinson|date=April 1981|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6EDxPQAACAAJ|isbn=978-0091-4497-04}}</ref> Capes told ''[[The Daily Telegraph]]'', "The family wasn't just working class, but was on the lowest rung of that very long ladder that is the English class system."<ref name=":12"/> He grew up in the town and went to the local secondary school, [[University Academy Holbeach|George Farmer]]. During his time at school, his behaviour and academic performance were reportedly poor, resulting in frequent [[caning]]. On one occasion, a teacher twisted his ear until it bled as punishment for misbehaving in class. The same day, Capes's mother confronted the teacher and punched him.<ref name=":2">{{Cite news |last=Obituaries|first=Telegraph |date=2024-10-23|title=Geoff Capes, 'World's Strongest Man' who dominated 1970s shot-putting across Britain and Europe|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/obituaries/2024/10/23/geoff-capes-worlds-strongest-man-shot-putting-1970s/|access-date=2024-11-08|work=The Daily Telegraph|language=en-GB|issn=0307-1235}}</ref>

Capes described himself as a troubled youth and recalled that he was constantly fighting. "If the next town came down on a Friday and there were only eight or nine of them, I'd say, 'Go back and get some more{{'"}}, he told ''[[The Daily Telegraph]]'' in 2023. "I'd fight them on my own. I was quite quiet but there was an inner aggression." Despite his natural inclination towards physical activities, Capes initially struggled to find success in sports. He faced a one-year ban from a local football team after striking a referee during a match. He left school at 14 to work as a labourer, carrying sacks of potatoes and taking on various odd jobs.<ref name=":12"/> At the age of 15, he loaded 20 tons of potatoes onto a lorry in under 20 minutes, just to demonstrate that it could be done. By 16, he had taken on the role of assistant coalman and odd-job worker for a haulier in Lincolnshire. During tea breaks at the haulier's yard, he developed his arm strength by lifting two four-stone weights overhead. He also created a makeshift gymnasium with two friends.<ref name=":2"/> During this time, he joined a local athletics club, where he met [[Stuart Storey]], a hurdler who later competed in the [[1968 Olympics]]. Capes stated that Storey helped him turn his life around and guided him during his early days in athletics. Storey encouraged him to try shot put and participate in competitions. Lacking the means to buy proper clothes, Capes attended events wearing garments left behind by his mother's patients after they died.<ref name=":12"/> His first attempt at competitive shot-putting ended with him being placed second-to-last in the finals of the 1964 All England Schools Athletics Championships.<ref name=":2"/>

Capes was a gifted sportsman, and represented Lincolnshire at basketball, [[association football|football]] and [[cross country running|cross-country]]. In addition he was a decent sprinter, running 23.7 s for the 200 m.<ref name="Sons"/><ref name="Ind" /> Growing up on the Lincolnshire fens he had an early fascination with the natural world and cared for injured birds and animals from when he was a young boy.<ref name="Off">{{Cite web|url=http://www.geoffcapes.com/athlete.php|title=Profile on official site|access-date=16 October 2010|archive-date=8 August 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100808013412/http://www.geoffcapes.com/athlete.php|url-status=dead}}</ref> After school he worked as a coalman and an agricultural labourer. Following in the footsteps of his grandfather, uncle and older brothers, he joined [[Cambridgeshire Constabulary]] in 1970, and remained in the police for ten years; his departure from the police came when he decided to compete in the [[1980 Moscow Olympics]], despite the British Government's calls for a [[1980 Summer Olympics boycott|boycott]], and was thereby forced to resign his position.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Domeneghetti|first1=Roger |title=Everybody Wants To Rule The World: Britain, Sport & The 1980s|date=4 May 2023|publisher=[[Yellow Jersey Press]] |isbn=9781787290594|pages=286–287}}</ref>

==Athletics==
Capes was a [[shot putter]] and represented his country over a span of 11 years, winning two [[Commonwealth Games]] and two Indoor European Championship titles. His first major competition was the [[1970 Commonwealth Games]] in Edinburgh, where he finished fourth. In the next two games in [[1974 Commonwealth Games|1974]] and [[1978 Commonwealth Games|1978]] he took the gold medal. In this period he also became the European Indoor Champion in both 1974 and 1976.<ref name="Sons"/> His first Olympic experience was in 1972 when he competed in [[Munich]].<ref name="sportrefGeoff">{{cite Sports-Reference |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/ca/geoff-capes-1.html|title=Geoff Capes|url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110907021039/http://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/ca/geoff-capes-1.html |archivedate=7 September 2011}}</ref> The 21-year-old Capes did not make it past the qualifying round, but improved on this considerably four years later. Having thrown a personal best of {{convert|21.55|m|ftin}}<ref name="best">{{Cite web|url=http://www.gbrathletics.com/uk/mf99.htm|title=UK All-Time Lists: Men − Throws|website=www.gbrathletics.com}}</ref> on 28 May 1976 at Gateshead, he went into the [[1976 Summer Olympics|1976 Montreal Olympics]] as one of the favourites for the gold medal. He came second in his qualifying group but sixth overall in the final, the winner being [[Udo Beyer]] of [[East Germany]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/summer/1976/ATH/mens-shot-put-final-round.html |title=Athletics at the 1976 Montréal Summer Games|work=Olympics at Sports-Reference.com|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090814213628/http://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/summer/1976/ATH/mens-shot-put-final-round.html|archive-date=14 August 2009}}</ref> 1980 was the year Capes threw the longest distance of his career, {{convert|21.68|m|ftin}} in [[Cwmbran]] on 18 May 1980<ref name="best"/> being a new Commonwealth and British record. He went into the Olympics as the athlete with the best distance that year and once again a favourite for the title. However, he eventually placed fifth, the winner being [[Vladimir Kiselyov]] whose Olympic record of {{convert|21.35|m|ftin}}<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/ki/vladimir-kiselyov-1.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200507115706/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/search/athlete_search.cgi?search=vladimir+kiselyov+|url-status=dead|archive-date=7 May 2020|title=Search Results|work=Olympics at Sports-Reference.com}}</ref> was well short of what Capes had achieved prior to the Games. Capes said his performance at the 1980 Moscow Olympics had left him "numbed with disappointment".<ref name="Ind">[https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/geoff-capes-back-to-give-britain-a-shot-at-the-title-454448.html "Geoff Capes: Back to give Britain a shot at the title", ''The Independent on Sunday'', 24 June 2007]/{{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100206020741/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/geoff-capes-back-to-give-britain-a-shot-at-the-title-454448.html|date=6 February 2010}}</ref>

Capes is the most [[Cap (sport)|cap]]ped British male [[Sport of athletics|athlete]] of all time, receiving 67 [[International cap]]s and earning 35 wins, not including a further 35 caps for England. He is a winner of 17 national titles, including being seven times a winner of the AAA championship and three times UK champion.<ref name="sportrefGeoff"/> In 1983 he was voted Britain's best-ever field athlete.<ref name="Sons"/> Capes' 1980 British record still stands. In 2003 [[Carl Myerscough]] threw {{convert|21.92|m|ftin}} but the distance was not ratified.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.thepowerof10.info/records/records.aspx?recordtypeid=6|title=Records|website=www.thepowerof10.info}}</ref>

[[Colin Bryce]], a former Strongman and television commentator for the [[World's Strongest Man|World’s Strongest Man competition]], said of Capes in an interview, “When you saw him sprint, you realized just what an absolutely terrifying athlete he was, as in terrifyingly good. He wasn’t just a big lump.”<ref name=":12"/>

==Strongman==
As a strongman, Capes became a household name in Britain and many parts of the world.<ref name="Archives">{{cite web |title=Geoff Capes|url=https://strongmanarchives.com/viewAthlete.php?id=13|access-date=15 July 2023|work=Strongman Archives|date=17 June 1988}}</ref> He was particularly known for his incredible hand and arm strength, easily tearing London telephone directories in half and bending rolled steel bars measuring over 1&nbsp;inch in diameter, and three feet in length. Capes turned fully professional in 1980, the Olympics in Moscow being his last event as an amateur athlete. He had already begun to make a name as a [[strength athlete|strongman]] having won the inaugural [[Britain's Strongest Man]] in 1979. In that competition he beat [[Bill Anderson (strongman)|Bill Anderson]], the [[World Highland Games]] champion into second place. Bill went on to the [[1979 World's Strongest Man]], the first Briton to compete in this tournament, whilst Capes concentrated on his athletic career.

In 1980 the Olympics dominated the year and Capes did not compete in Britain's Strongest Man, but he did compete later in the [[Europe's Strongest Man]] competition and won that. This ensured his invitation to the [[1980 World's Strongest Man]] and on his first entry he came third behind the by then more experienced [[Bill Kazmaier]] and [[Lars Hedlund]]. In 1981 he returned and improved to second place, again behind Kazmaier, and in 1982 he came fourth.

[[1983 World's Strongest Man]] was the first held outside the United States and in [[Christchurch]], New Zealand; he held off the challenge of a world class field including the young [[Jón Páll Sigmarsson]], Canadian [[world powerlifting championship|world powerlifting champion]], [[Tom Magee]], and the European powerlifting champion, [[Siem Wulfse]] to take his first World's Strongest Man title. Capes won the truck pull and weight over bar and came second in farmer's walk, bale hoist and sack load events. The duel between Sigmarsson and Capes heralded the beginning of a great rivalry. The following year in [[Mora, Sweden]], Sigmarsson, eleven years Capes' junior, took the title proclaiming "The King has lost his crown!".<ref name="Web129">Webster, page 129</ref> Capes retorted "I'll be back" with a third place finish.<ref name="Web129"/> He won the sled push and came second in caber toss, rock press and floor press that year.

Capes came to [[1985 World's Strongest Man]] determined to regain his title from Sigmarsson. The competition was held in [[Cascais]], [[Portugal]] and Capes managed to win the truck pull, medley, arm over arm pull and swingletree. Despite a horrible last place finish in the crucifix hold, Capes managed to collect enough points to secure his second World's Strongest Man title, holding off Sigmarsson and [[Cees de Vreugd]]. Capes' did not forget to celebrate after the end of the final event, the loading race saying "The King has not lost his crown!".<ref name="Web129"/> Their rivalry thrived and Sigmarsson won once again in 1986 with Capes coming second.

Aside from the World's Strongest Man, Capes also won [[Europe's Strongest Man]] three times: in London (1980), Amsterdam (1982) and Marken (1984). He regained his Britain's Strongest Man title in 1981 and again in 1983. Capes also won the [[World Muscle Power Classic]] championship in 1987, and was ascribed two World Muscle Power championships by the creator of the event, David Webster, although other sources suggest the 1987 victory was the only one. In 1987 his win in the World Muscle Power was accompanied by a win in the [[World Strongman Challenge]] and he is one of only three athletes to have won all three titles. There was no World's Strongest Man that year, but an event was held designed specifically to put the three most successful strongmen against one another.

In 1986, Capes won the UK Truck Pulling Championship.<ref name=":12">{{Cite news|last=Rosenwald|first=Michael S.|date=November 6, 2024|title=Geoff Capes, World's Strongest Man and Champion Bird Breeder, Dies at 75 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2024/11/06/world/europe/geoff-capes-dead.html|work=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref>

1987 [[Pure Strength]] featured [[Bill Kazmaier]], [[Jón Páll Sigmarsson]] and Geoff Capes<ref name="Web172">Webster, pages 170–175</ref> and was held at [[Huntly Castle]] in [[Aberdeenshire, Scotland|Aberdeenshire]], Scotland. Capes entered despite having been in hospital the previous weekend with strained [[Trapezius|trapezium]]s. Strong performances in the first few rounds belied his condition but he eventually pulled out during the log-lift and ended the contest in third place. Capes, the oldest of the three, was close to strongman retirement at this stage and the next year, at the 1988 World Muscle Power Classic he finished second, and it proved to be his last major outing as a strongman.<ref name="Web172"/>

For years, Capes was England’s most famous athlete. He featured in various commercials, notably for [[Volkswagen]], where he flipped a [[Volkswagen Polo|Polo]] car to inspect its underside. His popularity extended to children's games and television, with the World’s Strongest Man competition becoming a Christmas Day staple. He was a favorite of [[Elizabeth II|Queen Elizabeth II]], who "howled in laughter" when her glove stuck to his sweaty hands after he won the Braemar Games in 1982. Former strongman and commentator [[Colin Bryce]] remarked compared Cape's unparalleled fame in Britain to that of an [[National Football League|NFL]] star in the United States, describing him as "a true household name.”<ref name=":12"/>

Capes' daily diet reportedly included seven pints of milk, two loaves of bread, a dozen eggs, two steaks, a jar of baked beans, two cans of sardines, a pound of butter, and a leg of lamb.<ref name=":12"/>

== Highland Games ==
Capes competed at many [[Highland Games]] gatherings in Scotland and across the world and became a hugely popular and respected figure. He won the [[World Highland Games|World Heavy Events]] title in [[Lagos]] in 1981, in a year when there were two world championships, the second, won in Melbourne by Bill Anderson.<ref name="Sons"/><ref name="Lagos">Although the IHGF state on their official website that Geoff Capes won the World Heavy Championship in 1983 in Lagos in their IHGF Champions page ([https://web.archive.org/web/20110614161508/http://www.worldheavyevents.com/documents/29.html here]) the 1983 championship finals were held in Carmunnock, as stated in the Development section of IHGF's same website ([https://web.archive.org/web/20090105190050/http://www.worldheavyevents.com/documents/31.html here]). The location of the 1983 championships being Carmunnock is corroborated by Emily Ann Donaldson in her book ''The Scottish Highland Games in America'' (Emily Ann Donaldson, ''The Scottish Highland Games in America'', p19, Pelican Publishing, 1986, {{ISBN|1-56554-560-5}}, {{ISBN|978-1-56554-560-1}}). In Donaldson's book it is mentioned that a World Championship was held in [[Lagos]] in 1981 and Capes won this. The book states that the World Heavy Events Championships was also held in 1981 in Melbourne. From this evidence it would seem that there were two World Championships held in 1981, both sponsored by the IHF. Further corroborating the existence of the 1981 Lagos World Championships is the profile of Geoff Capes written by the founder of the IHF, David Webster, who states that Capes won his first world title in 1981 in Lagos. (David Webster, Sons of Samson Volume 2 Profiles, page 78 (Ironmind Enterprises), {{ISBN|0-926888-06-4}}). Further still, on his official website, Capes states that he was six times world champion.</ref><ref name="emily">Emily Ann Donaldson, ''The Scottish Highland Games in America'', p19, Pelican Publishing, 1986, {{ISBN|1-56554-560-5}}, {{ISBN|978-1-56554-560-1}}</ref> He went on to win again in 1983 in [[Carmunnock]]<ref name="emily"/> and the next four consecutive titles, making him the most successful competitor ever in terms of titles. He set world records in many disciplines, including the 56&nbsp;lb [[Weight over bar]] and brick lifting. As a Highland competitor he was dubbed Geoff Dubh Laidir, translated as Black Strong Geoff.<ref name="emily"/> He held the record for shot put at [[Cowal Highland Gathering]] − Scotland's only international heavy athletics competition − since 1980 at {{convert|18.50|m|ftin}}.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Heavy Athletics Cowal Record Holders|url=https://cowalgathering.com/historic-results/heavy-athletics-cowal-record-holders/|access-date=23 October 2024|website=Cowal Gathering|language=en-US}}</ref>

== Personal records ==
''During competitions''
* [[Shot put]] – {{convert|7.3|kg|lb|abbr=on|0|}} for {{convert|21.68|m|ftin}} ''(1980)'' (British Record)<ref>{{Cite news|last=Wilson|first=Jeremy |date=23 October 2024|title=Geoff Capes, legendary British strongman and shot putter, dies aged 75 |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/athletics/2024/10/23/geoff-capes-dies-aged-75-world-strongman-shot-put/|access-date=23 October 2024 |work=The Daily Telegraph|language=en-GB|issn=0307-1235}}</ref>
* [[Stone put]] – {{convert|10|kg|lb|abbr=on|0|}} for {{convert|16.26|m|ftin}} ''(1982 Scottish Highland Games Association)'' (World Record)<ref name="srthrowing">{{cite web|url=https://strengthrecord.com/strongman-world-records/#S6|title=STRENGTH RECORD, Section 06 - Throwing|website=www.strengthrecord.com|access-date=10 April 2025}}</ref>
* [[Stone put|Braemar Stone]] throw – {{convert|9|kg|lb|abbr=on|0|}} for {{convert|17.37|m|ftin}} ''(1981 World Highland Games)'' (World Record)<ref name="srthrowing"/>
* [[Weight throw]] – {{convert|12.5|kg|lb|abbr=on|0|}} light weight for {{convert|28.65|m|ftin}} ''(1987 Kilbirnie Highland Games)'' (Former World Record)
:→ ''Capes held this record for the first time when he threw {{convert|27.74|m|ftin}} at 1983 Drumtochty Highland Games''
* [[Weight over bar]] – {{convert|25.5|kg|lb|abbr=on|0|}} over {{convert|5.23|m|ftin}} ''(1981 World Highland Games)'' (Former World Record)
:→ ''Capes held this record for the first time when he cleared {{convert|5.20|m|ftin}} at 1981 World's Strongest Man''
* [[Caber toss]] – {{convert|45|kg|lb|abbr=on|0|}} for {{convert|11.16|m|ftin}} ''(1987 Viking Power Challenge)'' (Former World Record)
* [[Scottish hammer throw]] – {{convert|10|kg|lb|abbr=on|0|}} heavy hammer for {{convert|32.94|m|ftin}}
* [[Discus throw]] – {{convert|2|kg|lb|abbr=on|0|}} for {{convert|58.34|m|ftin}} ''(1973)''
* [[Bar bending]] – {{Fraction|11|16}} inch (17.5&nbsp;mm) diameter 4&nbsp;ft 6 in long [[Cast iron]] bar bent to U-shape in 11 seconds (around the neck position) ''(1982 World's Strongest Man)'' (World Record)<ref name="srgrip">{{cite web|url=https://strengthrecord.com/strongman-world-records/#S14|title=STRENGTH RECORD, Section 14 - Grip |website=www.strengthrecord.com |access-date=12 April 2025}}</ref>
* Brick lift – 26 British bricks held between arms ''(1993 Colchester branch trade night)'' (World Record)
* Oxcart deadlift – {{convert|475|kg|lb|abbr=on|0|}} ''(1985 World's Strongest Man)''
* Log press – {{convert|145|kg|lb|abbr=on|0|}} ''(1982 World's Strongest Man)''
* Floor press (log with no handles) – {{convert|220|kg|lb|abbr=on|0|}} ''(1984 World's Strongest Man)''
* Sleigh push – {{convert|400|kg|lb|abbr=on|0|}} for 80m ice course in 17.10 seconds ''(1984 World's Strongest Man)'' (World Record)<ref name="srrpc">{{cite web|url=https://strengthrecord.com/strongman-world-records/#S13 |title=STRENGTH RECORD, Section 13 - Revolving, Pushing & Carrying|website=www.strengthrecord.com|access-date=12 April 2025}}</ref>
* Refrigerator race – {{convert|193|kg|lb|abbr=on|0|}} for 100&nbsp;ft in 10.72 seconds ''(1980 World's Strongest Man)'' (World Record)
*Car flip – {{convert|650|kg|lb|abbr=on|0}} x 3 half flips in 19.63 seconds ''(1986 World's Strongest Man)'' (World Record)<ref name="srflips">{{cite web|url=https://strengthrecord.com/strongman-world-records/#S11 |title=STRENGTH RECORD, Section 11 - Flips|website=www.strengthrecord.com|access-date=11 April 2025}}</ref>
* Arm over arm uphill boat pull – {{convert|235|kg|lb|abbr=on|0|}} for 12 metres in 19.90 seconds ''(1985 World's Strongest Man)'' (World Record)<ref name="srarmoverarm">{{cite web|url=https://strengthrecord.com/strongman-world-records/#S17 |title=STRENGTH RECORD, Section 17 - Arm over Arm|website=www.strengthrecord.com|access-date=14 April 2025}}</ref>
* Arm over arm truck pull (with a slight decline) – {{convert|7500|kg|lb|abbr=on|0|}} for 30 metres in 17.78 seconds ''(1986 World's Strongest Man)'' (World Record)<ref name="srarmoverarm"/>

''During training''<ref>{{cite web|url=http://vikingstrength.com/2012/01/25/interview-with-geoff-capes-former-worlds-strongest-man-1980s/|title=Interview with Geoff Capes, Former World's Strongest Man. – Strongman|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140420005536/http://vikingstrength.com/2012/01/25/interview-with-geoff-capes-former-worlds-strongest-man-1980s/|archive-date=20 April 2014}}</ref>
* [[Squat (exercise)|Squat]] – {{convert|380|kg|lb|abbr=on|0|}} ''in 80s marathon squat suit''
* [[Bench press]] – {{convert|300|kg|lb|abbr=on|0|}} ''equipped''
* Elevated [[Deadlift]] (from 18 inches) – {{convert|453.5|kg|lb|abbr=on|0|}}

==Sport after retirement==
Capes went on to coach many rising stars in both athletics and strength athletics. [[Adrian Smith (strongman)|Adrian Smith]] later took fifth spot at the [[World's Strongest Man]] under the combined coaching of Capes and [[Bill Pittuck]]. Capes also helped promote the ''[[Daily Star (United Kingdom)|Daily Star]]'' funded [[UK Strongest Man]] tournaments until the turn of the millennium.

==Life outside sport==
Outside his sporting career Capes was for a long time a policeman and prior to that was a member of the [[Air Training Corps]]. Prior to his athletic retirement he had been awarded the [[Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal]] in 1977, for services to the community.<ref name="Off"/> He went on to run a sportswear retail shop in [[Holbeach]], before moving to [[Spalding, Lincolnshire|Spalding]] where in 1998 he became a [[Justice of the Peace]].<ref name="Ind"/> At the height of his fame in 1985, the game ''Geoff Capes Strongman'' was released on the [[Amstrad CPC]], the [[ZX Spectrum]], the [[BBC Micro]], the [[Acorn Electron]] and the [[Commodore 64]] computers, featuring a truck pulling and tug-of-war, allowing control of each muscle group.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mobygames.com/game/geoff-capes-strongman|title=Geoff Capes Strongman for Amstrad CPC (1985) – MobyGames|work=MobyGames}}</ref> He also appeared in a memorable TV commercial for the [[Volkswagen Polo Mk2]] in which he picked the car up and rolled it over with his bare hands. His profile also led to numerous appearances on British television, one such example being in the [[Tyne Tees Television]] programme ''[[Supergran]]'' in the episode "Supergran Grounded".<ref>"Supergran Grounded", aired 24 February 1985, ITV director Tony Ksh</ref> He appeared on ''Blue Peter'' where he lost a challenge from Welsh strongman/showman George Davies (Strang the Strong, Georgie Muscles). In 1987, Capes was a timekeeper on the charity television special ''[[The Grand Knockout Tournament]]''.

Capes appeared on the fourth series of ''[[Shooting Stars (British TV series)|Shooting Stars]]'', alongside [[Patsy Kensit]], where he threw a bomb at [[Johnny Vegas]] and in 2007 he became the face of Cadbury's [[Cadbury Wispa|Wispa]] relaunch, appearing on billboards and magazine advertisements. As of spring 2010, he was in the advert for the [[Great British Food Fight]], which appeared on [[Channel 4]], as well as being in an advertisement for Churchill insurance.

=== Bird breeding ===
Aside from sport and television appearances, Capes was famed for breeding [[budgerigar]]s and had success (a former world champion<ref name="Ind"/>) on the show bench with his [[Recessive Pied budgerigar mutation|Recessive Pieds]]. He participated in budgerigar shows across Europe and won a world championship in 1995. In 2008, he was appointed president of the Budgerigar Society and often served as a judge in competitions. "There’s something about their colour and beauty that fascinates me", Capes told the ''[[Sunday People]]''. "They bring out my gentler side." At the peak of his breeding career, he owned over 300 budgies. He constructed a small wooden aviary behind his house and prepared meals for them each morning.<ref name=":12"/> Capes frequently appeared in the pages of ''Cage & Aviary Birds''. He took up the hobby when a policeman, having chatted for an hour to a man he had to arrest for non-payment of a fine.<ref name=":0"/>

==Personal life==
Capes lived in [[Stoke Rochford]], near [[Grantham]].<ref>{{Cite web|date=17 January 2010|title=Geoff Capes a True Lincolnshire Man|url=http://www.lincsmag.com/Lincolnshire_MemoryLane/002_Geoff_Capes_Lincolnshire_Man.html|magazine=Lincolnshire Magazine}}</ref> He married Gillian Fox in 1971. The marriage ended in divorce in 1982.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Rawling|first=John |date=2024-10-24|title=Geoff Capes obituary|url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2024/oct/24/geoff-capes-obituary|access-date=2024-11-08|work=The Guardian|language=en-GB|issn=0261-3077}}</ref> His daughter Emma was English Schools' [[shot put]] champion and [[Youth Olympics]] bronze medallist. His son [[Lewis Capes|Lewis]] played [[American football]] for the [[London Monarchs]]. He had four grandchildren.<ref name="Ind2">[https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/geoff-capes-back-to-give-britain-a-shot-at-the-title-454448.html ''Geoff Capes: Back to give Britain a shot at the title'', The Independent, Sunday, 24 June 2007]/{{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100206020741/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/geoff-capes-back-to-give-britain-a-shot-at-the-title-454448.html|date=6 February 2010}}</ref> In 2018, he married Kashmiro Bhatti.<ref name=":12"/> He was appointed a Justice of the Peace on the Spalding bench in 1998. His autobiography ''Big Shot'' was published by [[Hutchinson Heinemann|Hutchinson]] in 1981.<ref name="auto2">{{cite book|last1=Capes|first1=Geoff |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6EDxPQAACAAJ|title=Big Shot|last2=Wilson|first2=Neil|date=April 1981 |publisher=Hutchinson|isbn=978-0091-4497-04}}</ref>

Capes died at a [[Lincoln, England|Lincoln]] hospital on 23 October 2024, at the age of 75.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news |last=sport|first=Guardian|date=23 October 2024|title=Geoff Capes, Britain's greatest shot putter and World's Strongest Man winner, dies aged 75|url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2024/oct/23/geoff-capes-britain-most-famous-shot-putter-dies-aged-75 |access-date=23 October 2024|work=The Guardian|language=en-GB|issn=0261-3077}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://news.sky.com/story/geoff-capes-former-worlds-strongest-man-winner-and-shot-putter-dies-13239695|title=Geoff Capes, former World's Strongest Man winner and shot putter, dies|website=Sky News|date=23 October 2024}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/athletics/articles/c36pn5d7eydo|title=Geoff Capes: World's strongest man and British shot put record holder Capes dies aged 75|date=23 October 2024|website=BBC Sport}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url = https://www.nytimes.com/2024/11/06/world/europe/geoff-capes-dead.html|title = Geoff Capes, World's Strongest Man and Champion Bird Breeder, Dies at 75|date = 6 November 2024|accessdate = 6 November 2024|newspaper = [[The New York Times]] |url-access = limited|last = Rosenwald|first = Michael S.}}</ref> His death certificate lists his primary cause of death as [[urosepsis]] with [[pulmonary embolus]] and [[heart failure]] as secondary causes.

==Competition record==
===International competitions===
{| {{AchievementTable|Event=yes}}
|-
!colspan="6"|Representing {{GBR2}} and {{ENG}}
|-
|1970
|[[Athletics at the 1970 British Commonwealth Games|British Commonwealth Games]]
|[[Edinburgh]], United Kingdom
|4th
|Shot put
|[[Athletics at the 1970 British Commonwealth Games – Men's shot put|17.06 m]]
|-
|rowspan=2|1971
|[[1971 European Athletics Indoor Championships|European Indoor Championships]]
|[[Sofia]], Bulgaria
|10th
|Shot put
|[[1971 European Athletics Indoor Championships – Men's shot put|17.84 m]]
|-
|[[1971 European Athletics Championships|European Championships]]
|[[Helsinki]], Finland
|16th (q)
|Shot put
|[[1971 European Athletics Championships – Men's shot put|18.54 m]]
|-
|rowspan=2|1972
|[[1972 European Athletics Indoor Championships|European Indoor Championships]]
|[[Grenoble]], France
|8th
|Shot put
|[[1972 European Athletics Indoor Championships – Men's shot put|18.67 m]]
|-
|[[Athletics at the 1972 Summer Olympics|Olympic Games]]
|[[Munich]], [[West Germany]]
|20th (q)
|Shot put
|[[Athletics at the 1972 Summer Olympics – Men's shot put|18.94 m]]
|-
|1973
|[[1973 European Athletics Indoor Championships|European Indoor Championships]]
|[[Rotterdam]], Netherlands
|7th
|Shot put
|[[1973 European Athletics Indoor Championships – Men's shot put|19.26 m]]
|-
|rowspan=4|1974
|rowspan=2|[[Athletics at the 1974 British Commonwealth Games|British Commonwealth Games]]
|rowspan=2|[[Christchurch]], New Zealand
|bgcolor=gold|1st
|Shot put
|[[Athletics at the 1974 British Commonwealth Games – Men's shot put|20.74 m]]
|-
|5th
|Discus throw
|[[Athletics at the 1974 British Commonwealth Games – Men's discus throw|51.84 m]]
|-
|[[1974 European Athletics Indoor Championships|European Indoor Championships]]
|[[Gothenburg]], Sweden
|bgcolor=gold|1st
|Shot put
|[[1974 European Athletics Indoor Championships – Men's shot put|20.95 m]]
|-
|[[1974 European Athletics Championships|European Championships]]
|[[Rome]], Italy
|bgcolor=cc9966|3rd
|Shot put
|[[1974 European Athletics Championships – Men's shot put|20.21 m]]
|-
|1975
|[[1975 European Athletics Indoor Championships|European Indoor Championships]]
|[[Katowice]], Poland
|bgcolor=silver|2nd
|Shot put
|[[1975 European Athletics Indoor Championships – Men's shot put|19.98 m]]
|-
|rowspan=2|1976
|[[1976 European Athletics Indoor Championships|European Indoor Championships]]
|[[Munich]], West Germany
|bgcolor=gold|1st
|Shot put
|[[1976 European Athletics Indoor Championships – Men's shot put|20.64 m]]
|-
|[[Athletics at the 1976 Summer Olympics|Olympic Games]]
|[[Montreal]], Canada
|6th
|Shot put
|[[Athletics at the 1976 Summer Olympics – Men's shot put|20.36 m]]
|-
|1977
|[[1977 European Athletics Indoor Championships|European Indoor Championships]]
|[[San Sebastián]], Spain
|bgcolor=silver|2nd
|Shot put
|[[1977 European Athletics Indoor Championships – Men's shot put|20.46 m]]
|-
|rowspan=3|1978
|[[1978 European Athletics Indoor Championships|European Indoor Championships]]
|[[Milan]], Italy
|bgcolor=cc9966|3rd
|Shot put
|[[1978 European Athletics Indoor Championships – Men's shot put|20.11 m]]
|-
|[[Athletics at the 1978 Commonwealth Games|Commonwealth Games]]
|[[Edmonton]], Canada
|bgcolor=gold|1st
|Shot put
|[[Athletics at the 1978 Commonwealth Games – Men's shot put|19.77 m]]
|-
|[[1978 European Athletics Championships|European Championships]]
|[[Prague]], [[Czechoslovakia]]
| –
|Shot put
|[[1978 European Athletics Championships – Men's shot put|DQ]]<ref>Disorderly conduct</ref>
|-
|1980
|[[Athletics at the 1980 Summer Olympics|Olympic Games]]
|Moscow, [[Soviet Union]]
|5th
|Shot put
|[[Athletics at the 1980 Summer Olympics – Men's shot put|20.50 m]]
|}

===National championships===
;British National Championships (AAA)<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.gbrathletics.com/bc/aaa.htm|title=AAA Championships (Men)|website=www.gbrathletics.com}}</ref>
*1st: 1972, 1973, 1975–1979
*2nd: 1971, 1974, 1980
*3rd: 1970
;UK Championships<ref name="GBR athletics UK results">{{Cite web|url=http://www.gbrathletics.com/bc/uk.htm|title=UK Championships|website=www.gbrathletics.com}}</ref>
*1st in shot put: 1977–1979
*3rd in discus: 1978

===Highland Games===
;[[World Highland Games Championships]]<ref name="Lagos"/>
*Winner 1981 to 1987

===Strongman contests===
;[[World's Strongest Man]]
*1st: 1983, 1985
*2nd: 1981, 1986
*3rd: 1980, 1984
*4th: 1982
;[[World's Strongest Team]]
*Winner: 1987 
;[[World Strongman Challenge]]
*Winner: 1987 
;[[Europe's Strongest Man]]
*1st: 1980, 1982, 1984
*2nd: 1983
;[[World Muscle Power]]
*1st: 1985
*2nd: 1987, 1988
;[[Battle of the Giants (strongman)|Battle of the Giants]]
*1st: 1987–1989
;[[Commonwealth Games Strongman]]
*2nd: 1986
;[[Britain's Strongest Man]]
*1st 1979, 1981, 1983
;[[British Muscle Power Championship]]
*1st: 1986, 1987
;[[UK Truck Pulling Championships − (Mercedes Benz)]]
*1st: 1986

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{World Athletics}}
* {{Team GB}}
* {{Olympics.com|geoffrey-capes|Geoffrey Capes}}
* {{Olympedia}}
* {{IMDb name}}
* [https://thegeoffcapesfoundation.co.uk/ The Geoff Capes Foundation]
* {{Cite web |url=http://vikingsupplements.com.au/2010/08/my-interview-with-geoff-capes-worlds-strongest-man-winner-19831985/ |title=Interview|access-date=13 October 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111018022145/http://vikingsupplements.com.au/2010/08/my-interview-with-geoff-capes-worlds-strongest-man-winner-19831985/|archive-date=18 October 2011|url-status=dead}}
* [https://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/funny_old_game/1556850.stm BBC article in 2001]
* [https://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/today/listenagain/ram/today3_0744_20030620.ram Speaking on Radio 4's Today programme about budgerigars]
* [http://wayback.vefsafn.is/wayback/20100109113118/http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/more_sport/article6968344.ece Sunday Times article 27 December 2009]

{{Footer European Champions Indoor Shot Put Men}}
{{World Strongman Challenge Champions}}
{{World's Strongest Man champions}}
{{Europe's Strongest Man champions}}
{{World Muscle Power champions}}
{{Footer Commonwealth Champions Shot Put Men}}
{{Footer British NC Shot Put Men}}
{{Footer UK NC Shot Men}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Capes, Geoff}}
[[Category:1949 births]]
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[[Category:20th-century British autobiographers]]
[[Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1970 British Commonwealth Games]]
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[[Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1974 British Commonwealth Games]]
[[Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1976 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1978 Commonwealth Games]]
[[Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1980 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:British men shot putters]]
[[Category:Officers in English police forces]]
[[Category:Commonwealth Games gold medallists for England]]
[[Category:English autobiographers]]
[[Category:English men shot putters]]
[[Category:English justices of the peace]]
[[Category:English strength athletes]]
[[Category:European Athletics Championships medalists]]
[[Category:Medallists at the 1974 British Commonwealth Games]]
[[Category:Medallists at the 1978 Commonwealth Games]]
[[Category:Olympic athletes for Great Britain]]
[[Category:People from Holbeach]]
[[Category:People from Stoke Rochford]]
[[Category:20th-century English sportsmen]]
[[Category:Commonwealth Games gold medallists in athletics]]