The 2022 Rogue Invitational strongman contest kicked off on Friday, Oct. 28 in Round Rock, TX. Nine contenders entered the competition with hopes of preventing the defending champion, Martins Licis, from winning it all back-to-back.
The six unique events taking place over the next two days will determine who leaves the Lone Star State as the 2022 Invitational strongman champion.
Pavlo Nakonechnyy won Event One, the Tower of Power — a spectacular deadlift-for-reps event. Trey Mitchell came in second, and 2021 winner Licis tied for third with Oleksii Novikov.
Tower of Power Results
- Pavlo Nakonechnyy — 12 reps
- Trey Mitchell — 10 reps
- Martins Licis — 9 reps
- Oleksii Novikov — 9 reps
- Bobby Thompson — 8 reps
- Mitchell Hooper — 8 reps
- Rob Kearney — 7 reps
- Kevin Faires — 2 reps
- Eythor Ingolfsson Melsted — 2 reps
Check In: [2022 Rogue Invitational Live Strongman Leaderboard and Results]
2022 Rogue Invitational | Tower of Power Highlights
The first event called for the athletes to stand on top of a tower with a barbell. The bar was strapped to a platform beneath that was loaded with three barrels weighing a total of 408 kilograms (900 pounds). Whoever lifted the most reps in 60 seconds would be the winner.
Kevin Faires opened the event by completing two reps. Bobby Thompson came out of the gate strong with eight reps. 2020 World’s Strongest Man Oleksii Novikov matched, then beat, Thompson with nine reps total. Eythor Ingolfsson Melsted followed that performance, but only completed two reps.
Next up was Rob Kearney. As one of the shorter athletes on the field, the deadlift would be considered a strong point of his. Kearney lifted barefoot and managed to complete seven reps, though he visibly struggled to hitch the weight up on his final two.
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[Related: Brian Shaw Opts Not to Compete at 2022 Rogue Invitational]
The defending champion was up next, and Licis was greeted with support from the fans. Licis approached the bar with his traditional concentration, and he pulled nine reps to tie for first place, failing his attempted 10th rep.
Despite a powerful start, Canada’s Mitchell Hooper finished his attempt with eight reps in total. Judge Magnus ver Magnusson opted not to award Hooper a down signal on his ninth rep.
Two-time Shaw Classic winner Trey Mitchell followed Hooper, and he became the first man to break double digits by completing 10 reps. Pavlo Nakonechnyy had to follow that incredible act, but he didn’t sweat it, putting 12 astounding reps on the board.
The last man to climb the tower was Canada’s Maxime Boudreault, but he was unable to complete a rep.
Up Next
The first day of the Rogue Invitational will also contain the Cyr Dumbbell Ladder and the Rogue Husafell Sandbag Carry events.
BarBend will continue to provide updates and results of the Rogue Invitational as they take place. Live streaming of the event is also available on the Rogue Fitness website and the Rogue Fitness YouTube channel.
Featured Image: Patrick Clark / Athlete’s Eye Photography
