The return of one of strongman‘s greatest competitors is on the horizon. JF Caron of Canada — the nine-time Canada’s Strongest Man champion — was featured on Laurence Shahlaei‘s YouTube channel on April 6, 2023.
At the start of the interview, Shahlaei mentioned that Caron has returned to training after recovering from tearing both patellar tendons during the log press event at the 2022 Arnold Strongman Classic. When asked if he could return to competitive strongman, Caron confirmed that he would compete late in 2023 — approximately October.
Check out the full interview in the video below:
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Caron said he was unlikely to return to competitive strongman again in late March 2022 following his injury. While bedridden, Caron dropped 60 pounds of body weight.
While it’s unclear if it is in the cards for Caron to return to competition at the highest level in the sport, he intends to put in the work to do so. Whether or not his body will allow it remains a mystery, but he seems content with his progress since his surgery.
Caron has recovered enough to where lifting heavy is no longer an issue. He’s already returned to pulling 400-kilogram deadlifts and squatting 270 kilograms for reps.
The power is there. It’s just not fluid like before.
However, for competitive strongman contests, he has not sufficiently recovered “to move fast,” which is required during medleys, loading races, and the like.
Changing directions…I’m not safe like before. Explosive movements will take more time.
Caron already has a training partner lined up — fellow Canadian Gabriel Rhéaume. The two will hit the gym following Rheaume’s return from the 2023 World’s Strongest Man (WSM) contest occurring April 19-23, 2023, in Myrtle Beach, SC.
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At 40 years old, Caron is one of the most decorated strongmen in the sport. According to Strongman Archives, he has competed in 72 international contests and racked up 10 wins.
Caron is notoriously consistent on the world stage. He has competed in the WSM contest 11 times, achieving six top-five finishes, highlighted by his best finish of bronze in 2020.
The target return for Caron is the 2023 Magnus ver Magnusson Classic in the fall. If Caron is contest-ready by then, it will be the first time in his career that he competes in Iceland. He aims to follow that with an appearance in the Masters division at the 2023 Official Strongman Games in Charleston, WV, on Dec. 3, 2023, where he will compete against Shahlaei.
Featured image: @jfcaronstrongman on Instagram
