Iron Biby sifting the 231 kg (36 st 4 lb)bar at the Log Lift World Championship on 7 September 2024 in Birmingham, United Kingdom; Screenshot from Giants Live STRONGMAN‘s YouTube channel.

In the world of sports, weightlifting has put Burkina Faso on the map as the only African nation with a world champion in the discipline, thanks to Iron Biby.

Iron Biby has officially been named the strongest man in the world due to his performance at the most recent Log Lift World Championship held on September 7, 2024, in Birmingham, United Kingdom. Born Cheick Ahmed al-Hassan Sanou in Bobo-Dioulasso, a city in southwestern Burkina Faso, the 32-year-old later discovered his love for sports, getting involved in sprinting, gymnastics, and basketball.

Sport as a lifeline

From a young age, Iron Biby was overweight and faced constant teasing from his schoolmates. These challenges shaped his character and turned him into a winner when he realized that sports could transform his daily life. He stated in an article in “La Croix”:

J'essayais tous les sports mais on me décourageait à chaque fois. J'avais le complexe d'être très corpulent, je voulais transformer mon corps, alors j'ai commencé à m'entraîner doucement.

I tried all kinds of sport, but I kept getting discouraged. I was really self-conscious about being so big. I wanted to transform my body, so I started training slowly.

At the age of 17, while studying at university in Canada, he discovered weightlifting. Between his studies and his part-time job as a night security guard to pay for his accommodation costs, Iron Biby still found time to train.

In 2014, at the age of 22, Iron Biby won his first world title in the junior category of powerlifting in the United States. In 2016, he told the media outlet Burkina24:

Mes épreuves principales étaient le « développé couché [qui consiste à repousser une barre de poids vers le haut en position allongée]» et le « soulevé de terre [le fait de soulever puis reposer une barre de poids]». A l’âge de 22 ans, en étant un athlète super naturel, j’ai soulevé 240 kg en « développé couché» et 340 kg en « soulevé de terre ». Une charge rare pour les jeunes de mon âge et ce même jour,  si on devait faire le classement avec les séniors j’allais être classé 2e du monde. Mais vu que je ne suis pas senior, on ne m’a pas classé en catégorie senior.

My main events were the bench press [which involves pushing a weighted bar upwards while lying down] and the deadlift [lifting a barbell from the ground and lowering it back down]. At 22, as a completely natural athlete, I managed to bench press 240 kg and deadlift 340 kg. That’s a rare achievement for someone my age, and on that same day, if I had been ranked with the seniors, I would have ranked 2nd in the world. But since I wasn’t in the senior category, I wasn’t ranked with them.

World conquest

This first achievement marked the beginning of a long journey for Iron Biby, filled with international competitions, crowned by success and world records. In 2018, he became the Log Lift World Champion by lifting 213 kg (33.5 st). That same year, he entered the Guinness Book of World Records for performing the most push-ups in one minute. Iron Biby told Burkina24:

Mon épreuve… était de soulever une personne dans les airs pour le maximum de répétitions en une minute. L’ancien record était de 45 répétitions et je l’ai brisé en faisant 69 répétitions. Ça n’a pas été facile. Enfin pour une fois dans l’histoire, le Burkina Faso sera bien reconnu dans ce Prestigieux livre des records.

My challenge… was to lift a person in the air as many times as possible in one minute. The old record stood at 45 times, and I shattered it with 69. It wasn’t easy. But at last, Burkina Faso will have its place in this prestigious record book.

At the time, CBBC posted on X:

The incredible @GiantsLiveWSM @IronBiby attempted to break the world record for the most overhead presses of a person in one minute…did he do it? Catch up on #BluePeter on CBBC iPlayer to find out!#GiantsLive @GWR #WorldRecord pic.twitter.com/qws2fBc3R6

— CBBC (@cbbc) September 6, 2018

In 2019, Biby claimed another title as champion at the Log Lift Europe’s Strongest Man by lifting 220 kg. He set a new record in the competition in 2021 with a lift of 229 kg. By breaking his own record in 2023, he continued his streak with another record, lifting 230 kg.

After setting his 230 kg record, Biby was interviewed by Radio France Internationale (RFI). discussing what goes through his mind when he has a heavy weight above his head, he revealed:

Sincèrement, je dirais qu'il faut être un peu fou, dans le bon sens, pour oser soulever cette charge. Parce que si ça te tombe dessus, ça peut causer une blessure très grave. Donc il faut avoir un mental solide, l'envie de le faire, l'envie de se surpasser et c'est cette envie qui m’a poussé à travailler dur pour relever ce défi.

Ce qui joue le plus, c'est le mental. On peut être bon à l'entraînement mais mentalement, si tu n'es pas solide, il n’y aura pas la connexion qui va te permettre de bien performer. J'ai eu beaucoup de séances avec des professionnels de la préparation mentale et c'est ça qui m'a aidé à me surpasser. Cela m'a pris deux ans pour ajouter un kilo, mais j'aime écrire quand même l'histoire. J'aime relever le défi et mes objectifs. Maintenant, l'objectif pour moi, c'est 240 kg.

Honestly, I’d say you have to be a bit crazy, in a good way, to even attempt lifting that kind of weight. Because if it falls on you, it can cause a very serious injury. So, you need a strong mindset, the drive to do it, and the desire to push beyond your limits. It’s that drive that pushed me to work hard and take on this challenge.

What matters most is your mindset. You can be great in training, but if you're not mentally strong, you won’t have the connection needed to perform well. I’ve had many sessions with mental preparation coaches, and that’s what helped me push beyond my limits. It took me two years to add just one kilogram (half a pound), but I still love making history. I love taking on challenges and reaching my goals. Now, my target is 240 kg.

Determined to keep raising the bar, in 2024, Biby pushed his Log Lift record to 231 kg.

Here is a video of Iron Biby’s performance during this competition:

Burkina Faso's national pride

Over a decade-long career, Cheick Ahmed al-Hassan Sanou, known as Iron Biby, has risen to be the absolute master in a challenging sport. In Burkina Faso, he is a source of national pride, always receiving a warm welcome when he returns home after competitions.

In 2023, the athlete was even honoured with the title of Officer of the Order of the Stallion (an honorary distinction that recognises civilians or military personnel for their services to the nation of Burkina Faso). Following this honour, he told Burkina24:

Cette reconnaissance de la Nation est une invite à continuer à travailler et à défier les limites. En tant que fils de ce pays, c’est le moment de ne pas baisser les bras. La lutte continue à mon niveau. Je vais bosser dur pour représenter dignement le Burkina Faso.

This recognition from the nation is an invitation to keep working and pushing the limits. As a son of this country, now is not the time to give up. The fight continues for me. I will work hard to represent Burkina Faso with pride.

Even if Burkina Faso doesn't win any medals at the 2024 Paris Olympics, the country still has another sporting hero: Hugues Fabrice Zongo, world triple jump champion in 2023.