The sport of strongman can be documented by top stars of certain eras. You can start with Bill Kazmaier followed by Jon Pall Sigmarsson, Magnus Ver Magnusson would be after that, then comes Mariusz Pudzianowski and Zydrunas Savickas. Earlier in this decade, Brian Shaw would be considered the leader of the current crop of superstars of strength.
Now the tide is turning to favor Hafthor Bjornsson. He has been winning everything lately and shows no signs of slowing down. This past weekend he went to Leeds, England for the Europe’s Strongest Man and it was clear from the start that everyone else was fighting for second place.
Winner – Hafthor Bjornsson
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“The Mountain” secured the overall victory by four and a half points which doesn’t appear to be much but it would’ve taken something monumental by someone else or a mistake on his own part if he were to lose. Among the highlights was his performance on the Axle deadlift where he completed 10 reps with 350 kg (770 pounds) to take first in the event.
2nd – Mateusz Kieliszkowski
This might be the era of Thor but Bjornsson needs to keep an eye on this man because he always appears to be closing in on him. Kieliszkowski also finished 2nd at the World’s Strongest Man last year and is a four-time Poland’s Strongest Man winner. In a few years we may be talking about him like we’re talking about the champion now.
3rd – Konstantine Janashia
To be one of the Top 3 strongmen in Europe is a major accomplishment and to be on the same podium as the other two men that finished ahead of him is something to be proud of. The “Georgian Bull” may not be the champion but deserves to be considered among the elite of his sport.
World Log Press Championship
This was another event that had the attention of fans around the world. The World Log Press Championship was also contested in Leeds and it didn’t disappoint. Here’s a recap.
Winner – Iron Biby
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With a press of 220 kg (484 pounds), Iron Biby secured the victory on his next to last lift. He did attempt to break Zadrunas Savickas’ world record by going for 229 kg (503.8 pounds) but missed it. He said his next goal will be to get 230 kg and take the record next time.
New American Record – Rob Kearney
There wasn’t a world record set but there is a new American record and it now belongs to Rob Kearney. He broke Robert Oberst’s record by completing a press of 214 pounds (471 pounds). Oberst has already posted online that he intends on reclaiming the record by next year.
While he holds the new record for his home nation, he wasn’t the only competitor to complete that lift. Graham Hicks and Mateusz Kieliszkowski also got that same weight but missed future attempts.
Larry Williams aka “Larry Wheels” was offered a wild card invite to compete here and managed to press 202.5 kg (445.5 pounds).
Extra Attraction – Arm Wrestling
You may have seen on Instagram that there was an arm wrestling challenge made and accepted. Eddie Hall went up against Vytautas Lalas in a special event this past weekend. Hall put on a good challenge but inevitably Lalas was able to pin Hall’s arm down to the table. Lalas has competitive arm wrestling experience and Hall had retired from strongman competition in 2017 so Lalas appeared to be the favorite from the start but the battle was a great one for those in attendance.
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Featured image: @thorbjornsson on Instagram