The 2023 World’s Strongest Man competition is set to take place on April 19-23, in Myrtle Beach, SC, and it is expected to be one of the greatest editions yet. One of the reasons is Brian Shaw, as the 4x WSM champion and Strongman icon is planning to make his final appearance this year. With the end of an era just around the corner, everyone is hyped up to watch Brian compete at the biggest stage once more. However, although everything seems perfect now, Brian has just revealed that he almost lost his leg in late January.
In the newest video on Brian Shaw’s channel, titled “Road to WSM“, he showed footage of himself lying in a hospital bed. Brian was talking about the situation that led to an infection of his leg, which was fortunately resolved before it was too late. However, the infection almost spread too much.
“The biggest thing is that it didn’t go into my bloodstream. So, if I would have waited potentially any longer, the big fear would be it going into my bloodstream… Once it does that, the outcome might not be as good, meaning possible amputation.”
While talking about the infection in the video, Brian Shaw also showed what his leg looked like at the time. The distressing footage shows his skin drying out and completely changing color to purple. It was evident that Shaw was suffering from a serious infection, but he never lost his positive attitude. In addition, his goal of winning the fifth WSM still remained one of the biggest priorities. During his time in the hospital, Brian made a conscious effort to maintain his weight by eating multiple meals throughout the day and taking short walks around the premises.
“When you battle some adversity like this, you just have to find a way… I’m trying to get five meals in a day right now. The goal is to walk out of here having not lost a lot of bodyweight.”
This infection also reminded Brian Shaw of 2013, as he had to undergo surgery before the WSM, but still managed to win it. He now hopes that the same outcome will come into place this time as well.
“This has reminded me the most of 2013. In 2013 I had to have a nerve release surgery done approximately three months out from WSM… So, I’ve been telling myself, as I’ve been sitting here, that this leg infection is not as bad as that.
Watch Brian Shaw’s video here:
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While in the hospital, Brian Shaw reviewed training videos and worked on his training plan to perform better at the 2023 World’s Strongest Man competition. He stayed in the hospital for a few days to recover from his infection before he was discharged, fully healed.
After he finishes up the 2023 World’s Strongest Man competition, Brian Shaw will only make one more appearance at the 2023 Shaw Classic before retiring from professional Strongman forever. So, having recovered from a potentially devastating infection, Brian is now even more motivated to wrap his career up with mind-blowing performances.