On April 23, 2022, the 2022 Strongman Champions League (SCL) World Record Breakers contest took place in Vaasa, Finland. The single-day competition featured 10 elite strongmen battling across six events for the gold — the Hercules Hold, the Log Lift, Conan’s Wheel, the Sandbag Toss, the Deadlift, and the Super Yoke.
Aivars Šmaukstelis of Latvia emerged victorious, winning the overall title by scoring three more points than runner-up Ervin Toots of Estonia. Kelvin de Ruiter of the Netherlands rounded out the podium. Here are the full results below:
2022 Strongman Champions League World Record Breakers Results
- Aivars Šmaukstelis (Latvia) — 47 points
- Ervin Toots (Estonia) — 44 points
- Kelvin de Ruiter (Netherlands) — 34.5 points
- Mika Törrö (Finland) — 31.5 points
- Mikko Annala (Finland) — 31 points
- Sami Ahola (Finland) — 30 points
- Ilya Khazov (Cyprus) — 29.5 points
- Kristján Níelsson (Iceland) — 26.5 points (T-eighth)
- Roberto Rodríguez (Spain) —26.5 points (T-eighth)
- Anders Aslak (Denmark) — 23.5 points
This victory is a continuation of Šmaukstelis’ consistency on the SCL circuit. In 2021, he was the runner-up to the SCL World Finals, won SCL Romania, and has not missed the podium of an SCL contest since January 2018, when he ranked fourth at SCL Norway.
Check out the results of each event from the 2022 SCL World Record Breakers below.
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[Related: Rauno Heinla Out of 2022 World’s Strongest Man; Mitchell Hooper Named as Replacement]
Hercules Hold
The Hercules Hold is a static hold contest where athletes attempt to hang on to massive pillars tilting in opposite directions. The athlete who can maintain them for the longest time wins. It tests grip strength and is daunting on the shoulders and back while athletes brace to maintain their breathing. Here’s how it went down:
- Mika Törrö — 162.23 seconds
- Aivars Šmaukstelis — 140.69 seconds
- Mikko Annala — 117.87 seconds
- Kelvin de Ruiter — 103.93 seconds
- Sami Ahola — 99.61 seconds
Log Lift
The Log Lift event challenged each strongman to lift a 150-kilogram (330.7-pound) log for as many reps as possible in 75 seconds. Only Toots managed to score five reps to take the win.
- Ervin Toots — Five reps
- Anders Aslak — Four reps
- Ilya Khazov — Four reps
- Aivars Šmaukstelis — Three reps
- Mikko Annala — Three reps
- Sami Ahola — Three Reps
Conan’s Wheel
Moving Conan’s Wheel is a massive test to generate momentum and sustain it to turn the wheel for the furthest possible distance. Nielsson and Toots clashed for the top spot, both eclipsing the 75-meter mark, but Nielsson narrowly took it further.
- Kristján Níelsson — 76.01 meters
- Ervin Toots — 75.12 meters
- Mikko Annala — 69.95 meters
- Kelvin de Ruiter — 62.97 meters
- Aivars Šmaukstelis — 60.08 meters
Sandbag Toss
The Sandbag Toss consisted of six implements ranging in weight from 22 kilograms (48.5 pounds) to 35 kilograms (77.2 pounds). Athletes had 75 seconds to successfully toss as many sandbags over a 4.2-meter bar as possible.
- Aivars Šmaukstelis — Six in 17.62 seconds
- Mika Törrö — Six in 22.67 seconds
- Ervin Toots — Six in 23.57 seconds
- Kelvin de Ruiter — Five in 15.34 seconds
- Mikko Annala — Five in 23.31 seconds
Deadlift
Like the Log Lift, the Deadlift event had a 60-second time cap for each strongman to lockout as many reps as possible with 350 kilograms (771.6 pounds) on the barbell. Khazov displayed his prowess in powerlifting to take the win.
- Ilya Khazov — 10 reps
- Aivars Šmaukstelis — Eight reps
- Kelvin de Ruiter — Seven reps
- Ervin Toots — Six reps
- Anders Aslak — Five reps
Super Yoke
The competition closed with a 420-kilogram (925.9-pound) Super Yoke for distance in 75 seconds. Šmaukstelis took fourth in the event to hang on to his overall lead and claim the crown.
- Roberto Rodríguez — 44.35 meters
- Mika Törrö — 39.7 meters
- Ervin Toots — 34.18 meters
- Aivars Šmaukstelis — 34.09 meters
- Sami Ahola — 33.59 meters
Šmaukstelis, de Ruiter, and Törrö will clash again from May 24-29, 2022, in Sacramento, CA, at the 2022 World’s Strongest Man (WSM) contest. We’ll see if the Latvian can carry the momentum generated from this win to a podium finish on the sport’s grandest stage.
Featured image: @aivars.smaukstelis on Instagram | Photo by Zoie Carter-Ingham
