Louis Cyr, baptised Cyprien-Noé Cyr (10 October, 1863 – 10 November, 1912) was a famous Canadian strongman. Cyr never backed down from a challenge and was undefeated in Canada and abroad. His fame was earned before accurate records were kept and before weightlifting was included among Olympic events.
Rise to fame
Cyr returned to Quebec in 1882 with his family and was married. The following year he and his wife returned to Lowell, hoping to capitalize on his fame there. A tour of the Maritimes was organized, and while it may have benefitted the organizer, Cyr made nothing from it. He then began touring Quebec with his family in a show they called “The Troupe Cyr.”
From 1883 to 1885, Cyr served as a police officer in Montreal. Following this he went on tour with a troupe that included a wrestler, a boxer and a weightlifter. He entered a strongman competition in March, 1886, at Quebec City, against the reigning Canadian strongman, David Michaud. Cyr lifted a 218-pound (99 kg) barbell with one hand (to Michaud’s 158 pounds/72 kg) and a weight of 2,371 pounds (1 076 kg) on his back, to his opponent’s 2,071 pounds (940 kg) to win the title of strongest man in the country.
His reputation as a strongman
While several of Cyr's feats of strength have been exaggerated over the years, some were documented and remain impressive. These included lifting a platform on his back holding 18 men, lifting a 500-pound (227 kg) weight with his finger and pushing a freight car up an incline. Perhaps his greatest feat occurred in 1895, when he was reported to have lifted 4,337 pounds (1 969 kg) on his back. One of Cyr's most-talked about stunts occurred on 12 October, 1891, in Montreal. On that occasion he restrained four horses – two pulling in each direction.
In The Strongest Man in History, Ben Weider says that Cyr's records remain "uncontested and incontestable." Cyr died of chronic nephritis, aged 49.
A district of Montreal is named Louis-Cyr in his honour; it is located in Saint-Henri, the area he patrolled as a police officer. Both the Parc Louis-Cyr and the Place des Hommes-Forts ("Strongmen's Square") are named after him, the latter being decorated with his image in the form of a statue.
References
- Weider, B. 1976. The Strongest Man in History: Louis Cyr, "Amazing Canadian."” Translation of Louis Cyr, l’homme le plus fort du monde. Vancouver: Mitchell Press.