What happened to Brian Shaw?

American athlete, Brian Shaw has shared that he will end his strongman career this year, 2023. He took to his YouTube channel to share that he got an infection on his right leg in January 2023 which nearly made them amputate it.

“The biggest thing is that it didn’t go through my bloodstream. So, if I would have waited potentially any longer, the fear would be it going into my bloodstream. Once it does that, the outcome might not be as good, meaning a possible amputation,” he shared.

He also underwent surgery in 2013 which lasted for a couple of months.

“This has reminded me the most of 2012. In 2013, I had to have a nerve release energy done approximately three months out from the WSM. So, I’ve been telling myself, as I’ve been sitting here, that this leg infection is not as bad as that,” he added.

Born February 26, 1982, Brian Shaw began his career as a strongman with a win when he entered the Denver Strongest Man contest in October 2005. Even though he had no formal training, he joined the professional ranks in seven months.

He also entered the Fortissimus, also known as the Strongest Man of Earth competition in 2009. The competition took place in Canada and he came third. He did quite well as he was the only man left to lift six Atlas Stones weighing from 300-425 lb (136-193 kg).

Shaw also competed in Romania in the World Strongman Super Series that same year. In September 2010, he qualified for the finals at the 2010 World’s Strongest Man in Sun City, South Africa.

He won the World Strongest Man Competition both in 2015 and 2016. He competed in two top competitions in 2017; World’s Strongest Man and the Arnold Strongman Classic Competitions where he won the Arnold Strongman Classic but finished third in the World’s Strongest Man Competition.

He came 2nd the in Arnold Strongman Classic (2018), 6th in the World’s Strongest Man competition (2019), 5th in the World’s Strongest Man Competition (2020), 2nd World’s Strongest Man Competition (2021), and 4th World’s Strongest Man Competition (2022).