Bullying has become a severe problem, especially bullying via the Internet. Almost everyone among us was bullied in elementary school or high school.
It is for sure that children today are crueler, however, this story could stop bullies as such kids wouldn’t want to mess with bullied ones then.
Cheick Ahmed al-Hassan Sanou – aka Biby – was born in Burkina Faso, West Africa in 1992. “My mum said I was big from birth,” said Biby, in an interview with the BBC. “Weighing almost 5kg (11 pounds) and breathing heavily – not like a baby.”
By the age of five, he was already bigger than all his friends and even brothers. At the age of nine his classmates started bullying him, whereas girls wouldn’t talk to him: “The girls in my year preferred the slim guy…The older girls would talk to me and be polite, but as soon as I showed any kind of interest, they would decline.”
Growing up, Biby realized he wants to do sports. Perhaps, the majority would go into “heavy” sports having such anthropometry, but out today’s hero. Biby wanted to be a sprinter. “But whenever I ran…my body would wobble,” said Biby. “The kids at school would laugh so much and point at me calling me ‘Fat Boy.’ It was as if I was entertainment to them, so I gave up on that – but I never stopped wanting to be an athlete.”
After giving up running, he became interested in another unlikely sport: gymnastics. Which led to another wave of body-shamers make fun of him every time he did a somersault. The most funniest they found is a loud sound upon hitting the mat.
He weighed 268 pounds, measured 6 feet 2 inches tall, and boasted a 48-inch chest at the age of 16.
One day another boy mocked him. “I was frustrated,” said Biby. “I said: ‘Leave me alone,’ and pushed him away, but he flew across the room, and he was shocked. I was shocked too, but I knew that day that I had some power – he never bothered me again.” From that time Biby realized how strong he was.
After the series of ineffective diets, he continued to gain weight. In 2009, Biby went to college in Canada. That’s where he finally learned to appreciate his body.
He joined the gym where his weights were bigger than ever had in the school including teachers. He became a really priceless athlete for his coach. When Biby looked in the mirror, he didn’t see a ‘Fat Boy’ anymore.
Biby lifted just as much as the professional powerlifters. In 2013, he won his first powerlifting competition in 2013, and the national championship. From that time his new nickname stuck to him: Iron Biby. “My brothers used to call me Biby and the name followed me around,” the strongman explains. “But when I started becoming known for powerlifting, I became Iron Biby.”
Today he is a serious contender to become the World’s Strongest Man.
The 378-pound powerlifter surprises his admirers with incredible gymnastics. “After pulling a truck of lifting enormous dumbbells, he’ll do a somersault or a backflip. Back home, he’s a local hero, with children idolizing him instead of soccer plays.” says one of his fans.
“My plan is to be the strongest human being on earth,” says Biby. “And to take the title of world strongest man to Burkina Faso.”