HE says he enjoys a challenge and, now, 24-year-old James Dajlid is bidding to be named the "Toughest Firefighter Alive."

James, who is a firefighter at Southampton Airport, will be competing at the eighth World Fire Fighter Games in Sheffield on Saturday.

First launched in 1990 in Auckland, New Zealand, the games have been held every two years ever since but this will be the first time they have been staged in the UK.

Over 3,000 competitors representing 35 countries from around the world will be taking part in 64 different sporting disciplines during the week-long event. But James has chosen the toughest event to compete in over the course of five days and will be up against 500 firefighters also bidding to win the crown.

He will undertake a hose run, an obstacle course, a tower climb and a stair climb - and just to make the timed challenges even harder, the Southampton Airport representative will be wearing his full fire kit including breathing apparatus, helmet and tunic.

James, who has been a firefighter at the airport for two years, has been training at least four times a week in preparation for the event and will be cheered on by family and friends.

He said: "I am both excited and nervous. Representing Southamp-ton Airport at such a prestigious world sporting event is daunting but I am looking forward to it.

"The challenges will be fast paced and require a combination of strength, stamina and real determination."

He said he chose to compete because it was the hardest event in the games and because he enjoyed a real challenge.

Senior airport fire officer at Southampton, Graham Bartlett, said it was the first time any fire- fighter from the airport had entered the games.

He added: "James will be an excellent ambassador. He has been dedicated in his preparation and all of his colleagues here wish him all the very best of luck."

The games supports three national charities - The Children's Fire and BurnsTrust, The British Burns Association and the Fire Services National Benevolent Fund.

TASKS JAMES WILL HAVE TO COMPLETE INCLUDE:

Run ten metres to a fire appliance, couple links of hose to pump outlets, pick up hoses weighing 12 kgs and extend them then move two further lines of hose reel and roll up two of the hoses. Run back.

An obstacle course involving picking up a hammer and hitting the side of a box 50 times before running 20 metres and picking up a bucket weighing 23 kgs, running another ten metres to a tunnel and twice round a marker cone. Then run back and drag a dummy weighing 80kgs for 90 metres.

Run 75 metres to a three-metrewall, climb the wall and drop from the top to a crash mat before sprinting ten metres to a finish line.

Run ten metres, split a ladder weighing 46.5kgs into two sections, pick up the first section place it against the base of a tower, then also place the second section against the tower then run 40 metres around the tower. Pick up two foam containers weighing 16 kgs and climb the tower using the stairs then raise as bucket of concrete weighing 23 kgs using a rope.

A stair climb of between 25 and 50m of a multi-storey building.

For all the tasks James will be wearing breathing apparatus weighing 13 kgs, a fire helmet weighing 1.5kgs, a fire tunic weighing 2kgs plus leather gloves.