Geoff Capes, who competed for Great Britain in the shot put at three Olympic Games, won two Commonwealth titles and twice won the World’s Strongest Man competition, has died aged 75.

A family statement said: “The family of Geoffrey Capes would like to announce his sad passing today, 23rd October. Britain’s finest shot-putter and twice world’s strongest man.”

Capes was at the height of his sporting prowess in the 1970s, competing in the Great Britain team for 11 years, and racking up the largest number of athletics caps in history for his country. He became a household name after his track and field career was over, starring in the hugely popular Superstars TV programme which attracted 10 million viewers at its height and then winning the famous World’s Strongest Man title in 1983 and 1985.

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Guinness World Records posted on X: “In 1978, Geoff threw a standard 2.27 kg (5 lb) building brick 44.54 m (146 ft 1 in) at Braybrook School in Cambridgeshire, UK. His record has never been broken.”

The strongman was not limited in his pursuits by brawn and muscle as the other world title he held was the unexpected one of breeding budgerigars. He told the Guardian in 2003 of his passion for the birds.

“It all began in 1969,” he related, “when I was a policeman and went to deliver a warrant for non-payment of a fine. As I knocked on the recipient’s door, I saw lots of cages in the front room, full of birds of an incredible array of colours. I was intrigued.

“I went in and had a cup of tea with the owner, and spent an hour talking to him about his hobby. It was a shame that at the end of it I had to tell him I was arresting him.