Hunt On For Highland Strongman

Scotland's original strongman, Donald Dinnie (1837–1916).

Organisers of the Aboyne Highland Games have issued a plea for help tracking down an elusive Highland Games competitor. The strongman is one of the only known people in the world to complete a historic Highland Games event, described by some as the 'holy grail' of weightlifting.

Slovakian muscleman Peter Puszer, a competitive weightlifter who also holds the title of the strongest man in Slovakia, was last known to be working in an Aberdeen hotel kitchen. The 5ft 7ins, 300lbs champion is one of the only people in the world to have successfully completed the Dinnie Stones challenge at last years Scottish Stones of Strength World Challenge. Organisers of the games have since been unable to track him down.

The Dinnie Stones, or Stanes, are named after Donald Dinnie, who is said to be one of the world’s greatest strongmen with 20 Highland Games championships to his name. He was a founding member of the Aboyne Games in 1867 and is famed for carrying the stones more than four metres over Potarch Bridge near Aboyne. Dinnie has been recognised as the 19th century's greatest athlete with a career spanning over 50 years.

Games chairman Ian Scott said: “We know that Peter Puszer has been successful in carrying the stones unassisted in the past and we would like to invite him to do the same again at the Aboyne Highland Games this year to see if he is still up to the challenge.

“We know that he used to work in a kitchen at an Aberdeen hotel, so someone must know where he is now.

“I would like to urge anyone with information about his whereabouts to please get in touch so that we can extend to him the invitation.”

Anyone who can help trace Mr Puszer is asked to get in touch with organisers via the Aboyne Highland Games Facebook page.