'The World's Fastest Big Man' - The Life and Tragic Loss of Stefan Fernholm

Mighty Stefan Fernholm in Stockholm, Sweden (24-07-1987)

Stefan Fernholm was an athlete of incredible power, speed and strength. Billed as the ‘Worlds Fastest Big Man’ by the renowned sports institution Bigger, Faster, Stronger, he was at the peak of athletic condition. However, in 1997 he was found dead in his home in Västerås, Sweden. This article will explore the life and career of a true Swedish powerhouse.

Born in 1959 in Norrköping, Sweden, Fernholm was an exemplary athlete throughout his early years. Even in high school he dreamed of being the best in the world. Initially, he specialised in the shot put, but while studying at Brigham Young University in Utah he broke the navicular bone in his hand. In a documentary released in 2009 (‘Diskuskastarens Dröm’) about Ferholm’s life, Mark Robison, son of Clarence Robison, Stefan’s coach at BYU stated that the injury to his hand was a result of the sheer speed and power he held, his bones simply couldn’t withstand the forces he was able to create in the circle. The track team doctors, and coaching staff advised Stefan to find another event that would place less strain on his anatomy. He chose the discus. Around this time Fernholm was approached by Dr. Greg Shephard of Bigger, Faster, Stronger and hired as a strength and conditioning consultant as a result of his athletic ability and understanding of strength & conditioning. His pure power and speed is documented in Beyond Man’s Upper Limits an educational film that features Fernholm completing the equivalent of today’s NFL Combine and earning himself the title of ‘the world’s fastest big man’ a title that was well deserved with his 4.3 second forty yard dash and forty-inch vertical jump. During his tenure working with Dr. Greg, Stefan traveled across the U.S. sharing his knowledge and inspiring high school kids with his impressive feats of strength.

Despite changing events Ferholm’s motivation and drive didn’t let up. This, alongside the intense training schedule’s imposed by the coaching staff placed a great deal of strain on Stefan and fellow athletes who would often train eight to twelve hours a day in the weight room or out on the field. To cope with these demands many athletes turned to pain killers and performance enhancing drugs (PED’s) to fuel their bodies. At this time, in the nineteen eighties, it was commonplace for athletes to do so and in fact, only put them on a level playing field with the elite competitors who were doing the same. The PED epidemic was far reaching, and the effects were not widely understood and accepted at the time. Despite doping being heavily scrutinised and ‘banned’ in the loose sense of the word following the widespread abuse of PED’s during the 1976 Olympic Games, the usage continued. Fernholm, a man with unwavering dedication to improvement began taking them solely to remain on an even standing with the rest of the athletics community. In a later interview, Angela Fernholm, Stefan’s ex-wife, stated that they were both uncomfortable with the use of the drugs but saw it as a means to an end to ensure his place among the top throwers in the world.

However, his friends and family soon noticed a shift in his behaviour which they believe was a direct result of PED usage. In fact, often, during training sessions he would complain of an increased heart rate which would only subside after consuming a sugary beverage. It was indeed a worrying sign and a marker for the tragedy to come. In 1985 he narrowly missed being banned from the competition when his friends Göran Svensson and Lars Sundin failed doping tests at the Swedish Championships.

By the late nineteen eighties Fernholm’s throwing career was winding down, he failed to win a medal at both the World Championships and the Olympics in Seoul and emigrated back to his native Sweden to step away from doping. However, after years of placing his body under heavy loads, intense training programs and PED abuse he turned to pain killers to manage his ailments. Despite, never failing a doping test through out his career it was clear that the drug abuse was taking its toll. In 1995 his former BYU teammate and close friend Göran Svensson was training to compete at the Atlanta Olympic Games, but his efforts came to a tragic halt when he was found dead in his car as a result of drug abuse. Around this time, Fernholm was also making efforts to qualify for the Swedish National Team and compete in Atlanta but after injuring his pectoral muscles in the weightroom he turned to pain killers. It was this addiction which led to his premature death in 1997 aged just thirty-seven.

In the years following his death the widespread usage of PED’s has become clear and the repercussions imposed on countless athletes affected by the abuse has been reported on across the globe. The institutions responsible for placing great pressure on the athletes of this era are often not held accountable and the culture around the use of such substances remains highly secretive.

Despite the use of PED’s it is clear that Stefan was a phenomenal athlete, his dedication, strength, speed and power were within his soul, his use of substances was a necessary evil at a time when reaching the upper echelons of athletics was only possible at the expense of the athlete’s health and longevity.

RIP Stefan, a true champion and an inspiration to many around the world. Kasta för evigt långt in i Valhalla!

Personal Bests:

·       8th Place 1984 Los Angeles Olympics (Discus)

·       Shot Put = 19.99m (04-04-1981 in Tempe, Arizona)

·       Discus = 68.30 (15-07-1987 in Västerås, Sweden)

·       Back Squat = 820lbs (371kg)

·       Power Clean = 475lbs (215kg)

·       Bench Press = 480lbs (217kg)

·       Power Snatch = 350lbs (158kg)

Films:

Beyond Man's Upper Limits - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g8P10ZhKhRw

Bigger, Faster Stronger: Speed Training & Plyometrics - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s-W2v31EXvk&t=118s

Discus Throwers Dream - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ngst4sjWIEU&t=1496s