The 2022 UK’s Strongest Man (UKSM) contest took place from June 3-5, 2022, in Milton Keynes, England. It featured eight strongmen competing in five events in the Final. Day One saw 16 strongmen compete for 12 spots in the Day Two Semifinal, and only eight advanced to the Final on Day Three.
Gavin Bilton entered the contest as the reigning champion. While Bilton made his way back to the podium, he could not best runner-up Louis Jack or winner Paul Smith. Here are the full results:
2022 UK’s Strongest Man Results
- Paul Smith (ENG) — 33.5 points
- Louis Jack (SCO) — 26 points
- Gavin Bilton (WAL) — 25.5 points
- Cilléin Groom (IRL) — 24.5 points
- David Ramplee (WAL) — 24 points
- Matt Diamond (WAL) — 16.5 points
- Scott Milne (SCO) — 15 points
- Andrew Flynn (ENG) — 15 points
Smith paired two event wins with two runner-up finishes. His worst event was the final one — the Flag Hoist — where he ranked fifth.
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[Related: Rauno Heinla Pulls World Record 580-Kilogram (1,278.7-Pound) Silver Dollar Deadlift]
2022 UK’s Strongest Man Event Recap
There were five events at the 2022 UKSM contest: Arm-Over-Arm Pull, Sandbag to Shoulder, Squat for Reps, Block Press, and Flag Hoist.
Arm-Over-Arm Pull
Athletes arm-over-arm pulled an 8,500-kilogram truck down a 25-meter course as fast as possible with a 75-second time cap. Only Ramplee traversed the truck the entire distance.
- David Ramplee — 25 meters in 72 seconds
- Paul Smith — 18.35 meters
- Scott Milne — 17.7 meters
- Cilléin Groom — 14.05 meters
- Gavin Bilton — 13.1 meters
- Andrew Flynn — 7.35 meters
- Louis Jack — 7.2 meters
- Matt Diamond — 6.9 meters
Sandbag to Shoulder
Athletes were tasked with lifting a 150-kilogram sandbag to their shoulder for as many reps as possible.
- Paul Smith — Five reps (T-first)
- Gavin Bilton — Five reps (T-first)
- Cilléin Groom — Four reps
- David Ramplee — Three reps (T-third)
- Andrew Flynn — Three reps (T-third)
- Louis Jack — Three reps (T-third)
- Matt Diamond — Two reps
- Scott Milne — One rep
Squat for Reps
Each strongman attempted to squat a 250-kilogram car for as many reps as possible.
- Paul Smith — 28 reps
- Cilléin Groom — 22 reps (T-second)
- Matt Diamond — 22 reps (T-second)
- Louis Jack — 20 reps
- Scott Milne — 18 reps
- Gavin Bilton — 15 reps
- Andrew Flynn — 14 reps
- David Ramplee — 10 reps
[Related: Laurence Shahlaei and Liz Mason’s Stats Show World’s Strongest Man Events Have Gotten Heavier]
Block Press
This event was a medley consisting of four block presses of ascending weight: 90 kilograms, 100 kilograms, 110 kilograms, and 120 kilograms. Athletes had 75 seconds to lift all four blocks as fast as possible.
- Louis Jack — Four blocks, 61.97 seconds
- Paul Smith — Four blocks, 66.23 seconds
- Matt Diamond — Three blocks, 48.64 seconds
- Gavin Bilton — Three blocks, 64.36 seconds
- Cilléin Groom — Three blocks, 70.08 seconds
- David Ramplee — Two blocks, 46.67 seconds
- Scott Milne — One block, 32.08 seconds
- Andrew Flynn — One block, 44.25 seconds
Smith clinched the 2022 UKSM title after this event as his lead was insurmountable, with only one event left.
Flag Hoist
Athletes had 75 seconds to hoist five flags as quickly as possible. The weights were: 250 kilograms, 275 kilograms, 300 kilograms, 325 kilograms, and 350 kilograms.
- David Ramplee — Four flags, 55.35 seconds
- Louis Jack — Three flags, 25.1 seconds
- Gavin Bilton — Three flags, 25.54 seconds
- Andrew Flynn — Three flags, 45.22 seconds
- Paul Smith — One flag, 5.94 seconds
- Cilléin Groom — One flag, 6.04 seconds
- Scott Milne — One flag, 12.9 seconds
- Matt Diamond — One flag, 20.7 seconds
Featured image: @paul_smith_94 on Instagram
