Cumnock: The Unit gym members to compete in Finland

Michelle Leary and Sophie Holland will travel to Finland in September after the members of The Unit, in the town's Thistle Business Park, recently competed in the Britain's Natural Strongman Federation event.

The competition, held at The Boolers in Drongan, was organised in part by Dougie Black, who started The Unit back in October 2020.

There was a great turnout at the event. (Image: Submitted)

Since then, the gym has grown to over 70 members, with two of them set to go worldwide.

Sophie and Michelle won their respective categories at the Drongan event, with another member of the Cumnock only just missing out on a spot.

People from across Scotland, England and Wales descended on Drongan for two days of action on June 22 and 23.

Sophie with the new Scottish junior deadlift record along with her win. (Image: Submitted)

Speaking about the event, Dougie said: "It's the first time I've organised something to that scale.

"There were events on the Saturday and Sunday, and the gym had four people competing across those events with two of them qualifying to go the World Heavy Events Association (WHEA) world championships in September.

"The event we had in Drongan was brilliant, and the folk at The Boolers were great.

"They've both been coming to the gym on and off for a number of years, but they've found this focus on the heavy lifting aspect.

"They've really stuck at it consistently for a couple and they're definitely seeing the rewards."

Dougie says he has always loved how this type of training and competition really forces people to leave their comfort zone, and he's delighted to be heading back to Finland once again.

The Saturday competition in September will include six events split between the morning and afternoon, with athletes from as far as Canada competing.

A great day in Drongan. (Image: Submitted)

He added: "It's amazing for a wee gym in Cumnock to be represented on the world stage.

"It's credit to the work they've put in over the years and they can go over there and enjoy the experience and I'm sure they'll do themselves justice.

"I was there with an athlete in 2022, so we've doubled the amount of people we're taking, but it's amazing to be going again.

"It's not easy to get to this stage because there's a lot of hard work and dedication to getting to this kind of level, so I'm excited to see how they go over there and perform."