World's strongest men compete in truck pulling contest in Jordan

Ten of the world's strongest men gathered in Amman on Friday to compete in Jordan's first-ever Truck-Pull Championship.

Audience members cheered on as contestants, who come from countries including the UK, U.S., South Africa and Hungary, raced against the clock while pulling a 21-ton truck across the track.

"This competition is very unique, we gathered the strongest men in the world to pull trucks for the first time in an Arab country," said Fadel Elias, from Pinnacle Group which organized the event.

"We wanted to show that in the Arab world we can also hold competitions like this. And we also brought a Jordanian champion to take part in the competition," he added.

Ahmed Aburajoh, a competitor from the Jordanian city of Ramtha, said he hoped the contest would inspire more Jordanians to take part in body-building and strongman events.

"[This sport] is not really supported in Jordan, not many people know what it is or what its rules are. I recommend that young men get to know the sport and participate in it," he said.

One of the fiercest competitors to take part in the event was four-time winner of the World's Strongest Man competition, Brian Shaw. The American strongman, who weighs in at 192 Kg [423 pounds] and is 2.03 meters tall [approximately 6'7"], said he trains everyday to maintain his physique.

"Everything I do to train is to get better at the events. So I train in the gym, and then I train with the events. And of course there's a lot of eating and recovery work, and of course the training. So it takes a lot, you have to do it every single day," he said.

Shaw came in second in Friday's championship, winning a $5,000 prize. First place winner was Dutch participant Kelvin De Ruiter, who took home the grand prize of $10,000.