Jimmy Marku

Jimmy Marku (Albanian: Xhimi Marku; born 27 August 1974) is an Albanian-born British strongman competitor.

Jimmy Marku

Personal information
Born	Xhimi Marku (1974-08-27) 27 August 1974 (age 51) Tirana, Albania
Occupation	Strongman
Height	5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Medal record Strongman Representing  Great Britain World's Strongest Man Qualified 2007 World's Strongest Man Qualified 2008 World's Strongest Man Qualified 2009 World's Strongest Man Representing  England Britain's Strongest Man 1st Britain's Strongest Man 2008 UK's Strongest Man 3rd UK's Strongest Man 2006 2nd UK's Strongest Man 2007 3rd UK's Strongest Man 2008 1st UK's Strongest Man 2009 England's Strongest Man 1st England's Strongest Man 2006 1st England's Strongest Man 2007 1st England's Strongest Man 2008

Early life

Jimmy Marku was born 27 August 1974 in Lac, Albania. He then moved to England where he pursued his strongman career.

Strongman career

Marku burst on to the higher echelons of the strongman circuit when he won the England's Strongest Man competition in 2006. He went on to compete at the UK's Strongest Man (known as the "UKSC" because it is run by the UK Strength Council) that year where he came third behind Glenn Ross and Terry Hollands. In 2007 he repeated his feat of winning the England's Strongest Man. In that same year he competed at both the Britain's Strongest Man ("BSM") finals and in the UKSC where he went one better than in 2006, coming second (again to Glenn Ross). That year he participated in the qualifying round of the 2007 World's Strongest Man contest, finishing third by half a point in Group 4 behind the eventual winner Mariusz Pudzianowski and Dave Ostlund.^[1]

In 2008 he had his most successful year claiming the England's Strongest Man title once again, and then going on to win the BSM competition, beating the WSM 3rd place holder and defending BSM champion, Terry Hollands. This was despite having been in a car crash only days before. The BSM win secured him an invitation to the 2008 World's Strongest Man contest.^[2] In 2008 he also secured third spot in the UKSC.

Marku is known for his crowd pleasing demeanour and has been described as a "Fantastic showman".^[3]

Personal records

• Keg drop Squat – 260–340 kg (573–750 lb) x 7 reps in 20.83 seconds (2007 World's Strongest Man, group 4) (World Record)^[4]
• Car flip – 800 kg (1,764 lb) x 4 times in 31.16 seconds (2008 Britain's Strongest Man) (World Record)^[5]

Personal life

Marku resides in Harrow, Middlesex, England.

On 1 June 2011, Marku was stopped by police who found a large quantity of marijuana in the boot of his car. Police charged him with possession with intent to supply. He was found guilty and sentenced to nine months in prison.^[6]