Visually Impaired Teacher Clinches British Strong Man Title

A teacher from the Royal National College for the Blind (RNC) has secured a coveted title as one of the country’s strongest disabled men.

In a stunning display of strength and determination Aaron Rees, who has the rare eye disease Retinitis Pigmentosa, took the title of Britain’s Strongest Disabled Man 2023 (Men’s Standing Class 1).

Aaron, Teacher in Charge of Sport and Recreation at the RNC’s Hereford Campus, took on a series of challenging events including 55kg Monster Dumbbell (floor to overhead reps in 1 minute), 400kg Sled Pull, 300kg Yoke, Max Axle (floor to overhead) and Atlas Stones (90kg, 110kg, 130kg, 150kg).

“I was so pleased that the hard work paid off, I was very disciplined leading up to the competition,” said 40-year-old Aaron.

“The competition was gruelling and was even more difficult due to being unwell and the event weights being higher than previous competitions. However, I persevered and still managed to win. It was great to share this news with my students and show them what can be achieved from being disciplined and putting in hard work.”

On hand to award Aaron with his trophy was four-time World’s Strongest Man, Icelandic legend Magnus Ver Magnusson (pictured above).

Aaron has now qualified for the Magnus Adaptive Games 2024 and the World’s Strongest Adaptive Games 2024 and is aiming to conquer new heights by participating in the World’s Strongest Disabled Man and the Arnold UK Classic competitions in 2024.