Tom Stoltman: Scot lifts World's Strongest Man title

Tom Stoltman was encouraged to take up weight lifting when he was a teenager

Tom Stoltman has become the first Scot to win the World's Strongest Man title.

The 6ft 8in, 397lb (180kg) athlete from Invergordon won the competition at Sacramento in California.

The 27-year-old is already a Scotland's Strongest Man title holder and the younger brother of five-times Scotland's Strongest Man Luke Stoltman.

He has often spoken about living with autism, saying that when he was a teenager he was unable to go outside on his own.

The Scot, who finished runner up in the international competition last year, won the title after competing in a series of events from 15-20 June. Twenty-five athletes competed in the competition.

Tom Stoltman has been competing in strong man competitions for about 10 years

The contests included deadlifts, pushing a steam locomotive and log lifts.

Tom - known on the strongman circuit as The Albatross - is a specialist at the Atlas Stones event. It involves lifting and carrying over a distance five spherical stones which increase in weight.

Growing up, Tom described himself as being "football daft" and he would miss school to play or watch football.

He said his passion for the game, along with support from his parents, wider family and others, helped him manage the effects of autism.

Tom told BBC Breakfast: "Autism is a big part of my life.

"I struggled in school, would lock myself in my room and didn't have any friends. Then I found sport, first football and then the gym and I started to get more confidence, talking to more people and loving what I was doing."

Tom and his newly won trophy

Tom was encouraged to take up weight training by his older brother Luke - aka The Highland Oak - but said he was not initially too interested because of his passion for football.

But after competing in his first competition - a fifth place in a Scotland's Strongest Man qualifier - when he was 18 he said he got the "bug" for strongman events.

Tom went on to compete and also win places at Scottish and UK championships.

He consumes 10,000 calories every day and can lift 992lb (450kg) - the equivalent weight of a grand piano.

Tom, filming with his trophy next to him, told BBC Breakfast: "I got back home at 1am. My body is in bits. I don't feel like a 27-year-old, I feel more like a 67-year-old. I don't think I could lift this trophy."