These included gold and silver wins in Great Britain, Iceland, Canada and champion honors at numerous out-of-state national contests.
Moreover, he was the sport’s first adaptive strongman to earn a corporate backer.
The Middletown resident, who trains at a local gym, recently announced: “I’m done with competing in strongman.”
The grind of training and taking on the world’s best — in nearly two dozen contests since 2019 - has taken a toll on both his body and his fighting spirit, said Diehl.
The 43-year-old U.S. Navy veteran and former Madison High School assistant football coach, who now periodically works as a motivational speaker for area high school teams, said it’s time to release his grip on the barbells.
“When winning isn’t everything and losing doesn’t hurt as much, it’s time to hang it up.”
“I’m old and I’m beat up and I’m tired of being so damned big. I want to be healthier,” he said.
The strongman events include extreme tests of strength where athletes compete against each other and the clock to lift, pull and haul hundreds of pounds of weights and even giant stones to win. Often non-disabled international strongmen stars come to the events to join fans in cheering on the competitors.
Diehl retires on his own terms and at the top of his game with having won four first-place finishes in international contests in the last year.
“I’ve never not been on the podium at a single event I’ve ever competed in.”
Overall, his strongman career has cemented his legacy as one of sport’s stars, said an organizer of international strongman competitions.
Canadian Tony Vanderburgh — an official with international with Adaptive/Disabled World Strongman Championship events — described Diehl as an inspirational “pioneer” in the sport.
Vanderbaugh publicly praised Diehl as a high-profile competitor with “a full heart and commitment.”
“Your passion breeds enthusiasm and understanding” about the relatively new sports world of adaptive strongmen and women, he said, adding “you have through the sheer presence of your strength, personality and commitment to others, changed the game (and) changed attitudes.”
Diehl, a father of two, said he looks forward to spending more time with his wife and children.
He’s open to new opportunities but wants to be closer to those his half-decade of training took him away from.
“Right now I’m just focusing on being a more present husband and father. Being a professional athlete took a lot time away from them.”
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