The 2023 Arnold Strongman Classic kicked off in the Greater Columbus Convention Center I’m Columbus, OH, on Friday, March 3, 2023. Ten strongmen from five nations vied for the top of the leaderboard on Day One of competition. No strongman in this lineup has won the ASC in their careers, and with reigning champion Martins Licis absent from competition, a new champion is guaranteed.
The first day of competition featured two of the weekend’s five strongman events. Check out a recap of each below:
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Event One — Wheel of Pain
The last time the men saw the Wheel of Pain was in 2020. The contestants must push the handle in a circle for the longest distance possible in 60 seconds. The record for this event is held by Martins Licis, who made it 119 feet in 2019.
- Mateusz Kieliszkowski — 100 feet, eight inches
- TreyMitchell — 97 feet
- Mitchell Hooper — 94 feet
- Pavlo Nakonechnyy — 91 feet, 11 inches
- Tom Stoltman — 91 feet, 8 inches
- Luke Stoltman — 82 feet, 3 inches
- Tom Evans — 80 feet, 9 inches
- Kevin Faires — 76 feet, 11 inches
- Rob Kearney — 69 feet, 11 inches
- Bobby Thompson — 59 feet, five inches
Pavlo Nakonechnny of Ukraine was the second man up, but he was the first to complete a loop, finishing with almost 92 feet. The returning Mateusz Kieliszkowski followed and raised Nakonechnny by being the first to break 100 feet. No one was able to match him, even though Trey Mitchell came within three feet. The man from Poland took the event win to take an early overall lead.
Event Two — The Austrian Oak
The second event featured two Austrian Oak logs. The men could score 100 points for each rep they get with 430 pounds. A second log, weighing 385 pounds, would count for 10 points per rep.
The last two American record holders in the Log Press kicked it off. Thompson got three reps with the big log, while Kearney scored two. Canada’s Mitchell Hooper tied Thompson with three reps. Then, Trey Mitchell showed up and showed out with four reps to take the overall lead. Only Luke Stoltman and Kevin Faires failed to achieve a rep on the big log.
Stoltman redeemed himself on the 385-pound log for six reps, though it did not change his overall standing in the event. Hooper and Thompson tied for second overall behind Mitchell:
- Trey Mitchell — 400 points
- Bobby Thompson — 300 points
- Mitchell Hooper — 300 points
- Rob Kearney — 200 points
- Tom Evans — 100 points
- Tom Stoltman — 100 points
- Pavlo Nakonechnyy — 100 points
- Mateusz Kieliszkowski — 100 points
- Luke Stoltman — 60 points
- Kevin Faires — 10 points
Going into Day Two, Mitchell is the overall leader, followed by Hooper in second. The full standings are as follows:
2023 Arnold Strongman Classic Standings After Day One
- Trey Mitchell — 19 points
- Mitchell Hooper — 16.5 points
- Mateusz Kieliszkowski — 14.5 points
- Pavlo Nakonechnyy — 11.5 points
- Tom Stoltman — 10.5 points
- Bobby Thompson— 9.5 points
- Rob Kearney — Nine points
- Tom Evans — 8.5 points
- Luke Stoltman — Seven points
- Kevin Faires — Four points
The replay of Day One and the livestream of Day Two will be available on the Rogue Fitness YouTube channel.
Featured Image: @kieliszkowskimateusz on Instagram
