The first major international strongman contest in 2023 will be the Arnold Strongman Classic (ASC), scheduled to take place on the weekend of March 3-4, 2023, in Columbus, OH. The 2023 contest will be the first to feature pro strongwomen competing in the same contest.
Along with the rosters of competitors, the organizers announced the five events that will determine the strongman and strongwoman champions. There are two events on the first day and three on the second day. There will be different weights for strongmen and strongwomen in all events. You can see the announcement on the reel below from the Arnold Sports’ Instagram page:
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Friday, March 3, 2023
there will be two events on day one of competition:
Event One: Wheel of Pain
This wheel is similar to the one that Arnold Schwarzenegger pushed in the film “Conan the Barbarian.” The 20 athletes will have 60 seconds to push the handle of the wheel around a circle for max distance without coming to a complete stop. Competitors are scored based on distance. This event was not in the 2022 contest.
Event Two: The Austrian Oak
Traditionally, the ASC version of the Log Press is for max weight. It’s unclear as of this writing if that will be the case in 2023. If so, then the max weight lifted overhead to the judge’s approval determines the winner. Luke Stoltman pressed 213 kilograms (470 pounds) to win in this event at the 2022 ASC.
Saturday, March 4, 2023
There will be three events on the second day of competition:
Event Three: Elephant Bar Deadlift
This event has become an Arnold Classic favorite. It kicks off the second day of competition. The unique Elephant Bar is longer than a standard deadlift barbell. Besides competing to win, the athletes will likely take their chances to break the world record on this lift, which is 474 kilograms (1,046 pounds), pulled by Hafthor Bjornsson in 2019.
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Event Four: Unspunnen Stone Throw
This is a new event for the Arnold Strongman Classic. It requires athletes to lift a stone overhead and throw it as far as possible. The weights of the stones have not been announced as of this writing.
Event Five: Frame Carry
In years past, the frame athletes carried was a 400-kilogram (881-pound) wooden frame. The competitors carried it up a ramp without straps for either the fastest time to reach the top or max distance if they didn’t reach the top. Maxime Boudreault of Canada won this event in 2021 with a time of 8.41 seconds. Mateusz Kieliszkowski holds the world record with a time of seven seconds, set in 2019. The weight of the frame for the athletes this year have not been announced.
To purchase tickets to the 2023 Arnold Strongman Classic, go to www.arnoldsportsfestival.com.
Featured Reel: @onestrongb on Instagram