A BARROW muscleman has walked away with far more than he expected after entering a prestigious strong-man competition.

32-year-old Daniel Vintila decided just a matter of weeks ago to enter the Arnold Sports Festival, which was held at the NEC in Birmingham.

The event, also held in Ohio, USA, was established in 1989 and was named after the biggest name in bodybuilding - Arnold Schwarzenegger.

READ MORE: Ironwerx Gym Barrow owner Keith Devlin to compete again for hospice

The annual multi-sport event consists of professional bodybuilding (Arnold Classic), strongman (Arnold Strongman Classic), fitness, figure and a bikini weekend expo.

Daniel moved from Italy around three and a half years ago after meeting his wife Claire-Charlotte while working on the cruise ships together.

They now both live in Barrow with Daniel working as a duty manager for Nuffield Health.

The Mail: Daniel at the competition with his wife Claire-CharlotteAfter competing in the amateur novice strongman, he was amazed when he placed 12th out of 20.

"My only goal was not finishing last," said Daniel. "The competition went better than I could have ever imagined. 

"I was nervous at the first challenge because you never know what could go wrong and it's very different to usual training conditions.

"After the first one I realised I was doing well and then that put me in a good mood. 

"I only entered just a few weeks before and relied on the strength training I do every day to get me through.

The Mail: Daniel lined up with the other competitors"I enjoyed every event and made sure I gave my best all the time. I competed against some strong athletes who gave it their all and met many athletes who competed in the World's Strongest Man. 

"I even managed to get a photo and an autograph with the World's Strongest Man himself, Mitchell Hooper, and an autograph. What a nice and humble guy he is.

"Unfortunately I didn't get to see Arnold Schwarzenegger himself when he arrived on the Friday evening but I was happy to go and support my lovely wife singing and shining on stage that night."

The Mail: Daniel relied on his daily strength training to get him through the competitionDaniel got into lifting weights around five years ago when he was 27 and entered Barrow's first ever strongest-man competition in 2023 at the Leisure Centre.

He is a StrongFirst Elite Instructor and achieved Levels 2 and 3 certification in Hungary.

Strongfirst is an international school of strength, with teachers and students all over the globe.

Daniel has a home gym where he helps others with his training company AlienFit.

The Mail: Daniel's training company Alienfit TrainingHe said: "My motto is 'make weak people strong and strong people stronger'. At the moment, it's mostly females which is great as I think it's important to empower women to lift heavy.

"I believe that people should not be afraid to join a competition, or wait until they are ready, as there will never be a perfect time. It will be an experience they will cherish for a very long time."

Daniel says he will be entering next year's Arnold Expo and has his sights on the podium with an aim to finish in the top three. 

He will be competing in Nottingham Strong Open this summer which consists of squats, benching and deadlifting and will be entering into Southport's 2024.