The schedule and details about the events that will be held at the 2019 Arnold Strongman Classic have finally been released. Every year, this epic event takes place in Columbus, Ohio, at the Arnold Sports Festival and the best athletes in the sport of strongman take the stage. Similar to last year, this event will serve as the finals for the Arnold Strongman Pro World Series.
Last year, Hafthor Bjornsson dominated the competition in a commanding fashion. In addition to taking home the $72,000 USD first place prize, Bjornsson also took home the Rogue Elephant Bar World Record.
2019 Arnold Strongman Classic Athlete Roster
The ten athletes that are set to compete in this year’s Arnold Strongman Classic have all qualified for this event by winning one of the previous 2018 Arnold Classic multi-sport festival contests (with the addition of the Forts Warwick Champion as well), or by finishing in the top two spots with the most points in the Arnold Pro Strongman World Series.
As of right now, only seven athletes have officially qualified and these athletes include:
- Hafthor Bjornsson (Iceland) – 2018 Arnold Strongman Classic USA Champion
- Rauno Heinla (Estonia) – 2018 Arnold Classic Australia Champion
- Oleksii Novikov (Ukraine) – 2018 Arnold Amateur World Champion
- Mikhail Shivlyakov (Russia) – 2018 Arnold Classic South America Champion
- Jean-Francois Caron (Canada) – 2018 Arnold Classic Africa Champion
- Brian Shaw (USA) – 2018 Forts Warwick Champion
- Martins Licis (USA) – 2018 Arnold Classic Europe Champion
There are three spots remaining and one spot will be given to the winner of the 2019 Arnold Pro Strongman USA (being held January 19th in Santa Monica, California), while the other two spots will be given to the two athletes with the most points accumulated from the Arnold Pro Strongman World Series.
Author’s Note: We’ll be updating the final roster here once the last three spots are filled in the next months!
2019 Arnold Strongman Classic Schedule
If you attended the Arnold Sports Festival last year, then you most likely understand how important knowing the schedule is, as seating and standing room can be a little tight at these massive events.
Friday, March 1st
Event 1: Rogue Elephant Bar
- Time: 3:00 — 4:45 p.m.
- Where: Arnold Fitness Expo Stage
This event is spectacular to watch because it not only tests maximal static deadlift strength, but it also utilizes the Rogue Fitness’ special made Elephant Bar. The weight on the bar for this event starts at 340kg/751 lbs and athletes will lift continually heavier amounts until there is only one athlete left.
Event 2: The Husafel Stone Carry
- Time: 4:15 — 5:15 p.m.
- Where: Arnold Fitness Expo Stage
This event requires athletes to carry the 186kg/410 lb stone for maximal distance.
Saturday, March 2nd
Event 3: Conan’s Wheel of Pain
- Time: 1 — 2 p.m.
- Where: Hall B
Event 3: The Austrian Oak
- Time: 3 — 4 p.m.
- Where: Arnold Fitness Expo Stage
The Austrian Oak event requires athletes to press the massive oak implement with a weight of 195kg/430 lbs for maximal reps.
Event 5: Stone Shoulder
- Time:Approximately 9 p.m.
- Where: Batelle Grand
Back by popular demand, the stone shoulder requires athletes to lift the 186kg/410 lb stone to their shoulder for maximal reps.
Closing Remarks
This year’s roster is looking just as stacked as ever, and our excitement is continuing to build for this epic professional strongman showdown. Will reigning champion Hafthor Bjornsson take home a back-to-back title, or will 3-time Arnold Strongman Classic Champion Brian Shaw be able to dethrone him? And let’s not forget about the stacked roster that’s very close on their heels.
Feature image from @arnoldsports Instagram page.
