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Oct
Harrogate man, 43, to compete for 12th world title in kettlebell championships
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A Harrogate man is set to challenge for his 12th world title in a kettlebell endurance championship next month.
Jonathan Skinner, 43, will compete at the International Kettlebell Marathon Federation (IKMF) World Championships in Hungary in November.
The IKMF is a kettlebell lifting federation that organises ‘marathon’ events, in which competitors lift a kettlebell continuously for an hour. The winner is the athlete who completes the greatest number of repetitions.
There are usually between 500 and 1,000 competitors at the world championships, competing in various weight and age categories.
Skinner will compete in the 32kg kettlebell category, lifting about a third of his body weight continuously above his head in what is called the ‘jerk’ movement.
He will be looking to add to his current total of 11 global gold medals.
Jonathan Skinner on the winner's podium.
Kettlebell lifting is a niche sport compared to many. Skinner told the Stray Ferret how he got into it:
I was just any other mid-30s fella going to the gym a lot, thinking I was strong. My mum already did kettlebell lifting and persuaded me to get into it. I thought it was going to be boring, but then I tried it and it completely humbled me.
Skinner started kettlebell lifting in 2018. In December of that year, he was competing in his first tournament: a small local competition at Rossett School. Placing second, Skinner put down his brilliant start to being ‘really competitive’.
Since then, the athlete has been doing as much as he can to stay in prime condition.
He currently trains six times a week for his sport, alternating between kettlebell lifting classes and going to the gym to work on his endurance. He even trains twice a day sometimes.
Skinner’s intense training programme has enabled him to break two world records in the sport, too.
In a previous competition, the athlete lifted a 40kg kettlebell 175 times in 10 minutes – a feat no other has achieved.
His second world record was even crazier.
Over 24 hours, Skinner lifted a 24kg kettlebell 6,007 times above his head.
He said it was the hardest thing he’s ever had to do, and that he crushed a nerve in his hand completing the challenge. Six weeks later, he still can’t feel his fingers.
Skinner broke down into tears after completing his 24 hour world record.
But why does he want to put himself through so much pain to achieve these feats? He said:
It’s a combination of asking myself, ‘am I still good enough?’ and not wanting to give up. I’m getting older and I want to test myself.
You’ve got a bit in your body that tells you to stop because something hurts. You have to turn that off. It depends how much you want it. You’ve got to become comfortable with being uncomfortable.
Skinner’s kettlebell journey hasn’t come without its challenges, though.
On the way to a competition in Belgium last year, he was involved in a serious car accident. Suffering severe concussion and a laceration to his head, doctors said he needed to rest for a few months.
But he started training again a week after.
Skinner’s intense determination has undoubtedly helped him on the way to 11 world gold medals. In the upcoming world championships, he is aiming for 800 repetitions of the 32kg kettlebell.
The IKMF World Championships will take place in Cegléd, Hungary, from November 28-30.
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