Sometimes referred to as John “The Mountain” Van Beuren, that title is no joke as he steps in at whopping 6’8″ and 320lbs!
John started his journey as a collegiate thrower for Northwest Nazarene University where he competed in Shot Put, Discus, and Hammer. He currently still holds the school’s hammer and weight throw records!
In 2018, John signed up for his first Highland Games in Nampa, Idaho shortly after he graduated college. He was instantly hooked. Here we are 5 years later and he’s in his third year competing as a Pro Highland Games Athlete. He competed as an amateur from 2018 until 2021 where he made his professional debut in Salt Lake City Utah. As a professional, he won the National Championship in 2022, and he’s the back-to-back World Champion for 2022 and 2023. John currently still holds the amateur weight over bar world record at 18′ 8″.
When John isn’t working, training, or lifting, he enjoys playing the other Scottish sport, golf! Although he says he’s not nearly as good at that one!
