Have you been patiently waiting for some exciting strongman action? Well, you won’t have to wait much longer. The 2022 Giants Live Strongman Classic is set for July 9, 2022, at the Royal Albert Hall in London, England.
Let's look at the 5 events of the 2022 Giants Live Strongman Classic that the big men will have to endure and conquer.
2022 Giants Live Strongman Classic Events
Giants Live released the 2022 Strongman Classic event list which will take place over one-day, featuring the five events listed below.
Dumbbell Medley
It is not currently known how many dumbbell implements there will be, or how much they will weigh. Oleksii Novikov is the favorite going into this event after he was able to score the “heaviest dumbbell for reps” world record at the “Feats of Strength” series. He was also the lone athlete to complete Cyr Dumbbell Ladder at the 2021 Rogue Invitational.
The Pillars of Hercules
A classic strongman event, the Pillars of Hercules, or the Hercules Hold, has athletes standing in between two heavy pillars, take the handles, and when the signal is given, the support of those weights is released. The athlete's goal is to hold onto the handles for as long as possible until you can no longer do so. It’s a great test of the grip, chest, arms, and shoulders.
Farmer’s Carry for Distance
The third event will have competitors hold Farmer’s Carry implements in each hand and carry for max distance. Normally this event has a large focus on fast footwork, but when it follows up on the Pillars of Hercules, it will be a huge strain on their grip strength. Any mistakes caused by going too fast or instability could force the competitors to end their performance short.
Axle Deadlift
The axle deadlift is a variation of the standard pull involving an axle bar, which is much larger and thicker than a standard barbell. This year it will weigh a massive 360 kg (794 lb), which will be even more difficult on the axle bar. Adam Bishop will probably crush this event since he was able to successfully pull 350 kilograms (771.6 lb) for seven reps at last years event.
Castle Stones
You can’t have a strongman event without this staple. Athletes stand at one end of the platform waiting for the referee’s whistle. Once the whistle blows, the athletes run to the opposite end of the platform to lift the first and lightest stone to the tallest slot on the platform.
Once the athlete has placed the stone, they can move on to the next heavier stone, which then gets lifted onto the next highest platform.
The winner is the athlete that lifts all five stones in the fastest time. Athletes have 60 seconds to lift the stones. The time is recorded for each successfully loaded stone. This means athletes can be placed even if they fail to lift all five stones.
2022 GIANTS LIVE STRONGMAN CLASSIC LINEUP
The 2022 Giants Live Strongman Classic lineup consists of 12 strongmen with one spot as a designated Wildcard that's yet to be announced. The title is up for grabs but it might be Oleksii Novikov who has the slight edge after winning the 2022 Europe's Strongest Man competition.
Below are the athletes confirmed to compete in the competition.
- Andy Black
- Adam Bishop
- Mark Felix
- Konstantine Janashia
- Rob Kearney
- Ken McClelland
- Oleksii Novikov
- Spenser Remick
- Chieck “Iron Biby” Sanou
- Evan Singleton
- Paul Smith
- TBD Wildcard
CLOSING THOUGHTS
The Strongman Classic at The Royal Albert Hall is perhaps the most unique show on the Giants Live calendar, and we are sure that this year will be no exception. The athletes will be mentally and physically tested this year since all five events will be held on one day.
Do you think Oleksii Novikov will end up on top of the podium, or will someone else take his place?
Andrew Lenau
Author