WEYMOUTH powerhouse Kane Francis stormed to a podium finish in the Strongman Champions League finale in Alanya, Turkey.

Francis, competing in his first year as a strongman since upgrading from powerlifting, only graced five of the 16 international rounds but performed well enough to stake his claim for a medal.

The Dorset star’s third place in Turkey completed a hat-trick of podium spots having also reached the rostrum in Romania with third and in Gibraltar with second.

His additional finishes were both top-fives in Portugal and Bosnia, meaning he had gained enough points to make the top ten and reach the Turkey finale.

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However, he was beaten by eventual winner Aivars Smaukstelis of Latvia and runner-up Ervin Toots of Estonia, whose haul of 63.5 points was just one better than Francis. 

Francis, third in England’s Strongest Man last July, delivered a series of impressive results through the rounds in Alanya.

He lifted 130kg in the block press, 210kg in the natural stones and pulled a 17-tonne truck some 30 metres.

Dorset Echo: Kane Francis locked up third place in Turkey Kane Francis locked up third place in Turkey (Image: STRONGMAN CHAMPIONS LEAGUE)

He recorded a 340kg effort in Conan’s wheel, executed six reps in the car deadlift and then managed 150kg in the sandbag medley.

In a post on social media, Francis said: “My first year in strongman has nearly come to an end.

“Never would I have imagined I'd be in the world finals let alone on the podium after five months actually competing.

“The last five months have been crazy but I've enjoyed every moment of the journey so far.

“I definitely feel I've proved now that I deserve to be here and that I'm a legitimate competitive strongman.”

He added: “I'm going to take some well-deserved rest for a few weeks and then set out a plan for next year and hopefully let the momentum continue.

“Big thanks also to all friends, family and sponsors who have backed me this year.”