Donald Dinnie

Donald Dinnie (10 July 1837 – 2 April 1916) was a Scottish strongman, born at Balnacraig, Birse, near Aboyne, Aberdeenshire.

He excelled in sprint, hurdles, long and high jump, pole vault, putting the stone, hammer throw, tossing the caber and wrestling.

The BBC website says "Comparing his best performances long before the Athens Olympics of 1896 leads one to imagine him capable of winning seven gold, a silver, and a bronze medal".

"[9] As Scotland's greatest athlete, Dinnie competed in sixteen Highland Games seasons in his native land.

[19] Whilst mentioned in newspapers,[14] Scottish-Australian wrestler and strongman George Dinnie (1875–1939) was not the known son or relative of Donald.

[22] Dinnie and his family lived in Glasgow, where they owned a fish and chip restaurant and tea-room in the Govan area.

Such was his status that in the United States, The New York Times paid tribute in the paper's obituary column.

He carried two granite boulders with a combined weight of 733 pounds (332 kg), now known as the Dinnie Stones, for a distance of more than 17 feet (5.2 m), across the width of the Potarch Bridge.

[26] Each boulder had an iron ring fixed to it, to counterweight scaffolds from which workmen could repair the bridge, over the River Dee near Kincardine O'Neil.

The current record of holding them up unassisted is 41.00 seconds and was set on 21 January 2019 by Mark Haydock of Lancashire, England.

On 7 September 2019, American strongman Brian Shaw set the new world record for continuously carrying the stones, which he did for 11 ft 6+1⁄2 inches.

[31] Dimensions : Depth: 0.4, Diameter: 4.8 cm The medal given to Donal Dinnie with an engraving written across that says 'Caledonian Club Sacramento: Throwing Heavy Hammer 1st Prize.'

[32] Circular silver metal sporting medal with decorative scroll loop and ring attached at the top and an engraved thistle wreath border.

The medal also features a coat of arms and an engraved inscription 'First Prize for Hurdle Race 1865: Perth Highland Society' and was awarded to Donald Dinnie.

Donald Dinnie displaying some of his medals
figurine by Gerrard Robinson - 1870