The inaugural Arnold Strongwoman Classic kicked off on Friday, Mar. 3, 2023, in the Greater Columbus Convention Center in Columbus, OH. Ten strongwomen vied for the right to be the first champion of this new contest, and the athletes made the first day of the show a memorable one. Check out a recap of the two Day One events below:
[Related: 2023 Shaw Classic Roster Announced; the Last Contest of Brian Shaw’s Strongman Career]
Event One — Wheel of Pain
The challenge of pushing against this Wheel is the sand in the barrels that gathers at the bottom when it stops. So, once it stops, it’s hard to get it moving. The athlete who spun the Wheel around its fulcrum for the farthest distance in 60 seconds won.
- Rebecca Roberts — 92 feet, nine inches
- Inez Carrasquillo — 64 feet, one inch
- Donna Moore — 62 feet, five inches
- Olga Liashchuk — 59 feet, eight inches
- Samantha Belliveau — 52 feet, three inches
- Andrea Thompson — 51 feet, 10 inches
- Victoria Long — 47 feet
- Melissa Peacock — 39 feet, six inches
- Tamara Walcott — 37 feet, eight inches
- Hannah Linzay — 36 feet, nine inches
The 2021 World’s Strongest Woman (WSW), Rebecca Roberts, was the first to complete a full 90-foot rotation of the Wheel. Inez Carrasquillo finished second, and Donna Moore rounded out the top three.
Event Two — American Oak Log Press
The second event of Day One was a log press. The women started with a 270-pound log and switched to a 220-pound log. The goal was to score the most points by performing as many reps as possible in 90 seconds each round. The heavy log was worth 100 points, while the lighter log only counted for 10.
Log lift world record holder Andrea Thompson brought the crowd to their feet by completing five reps with the heavy log. Four women — Thompson, Olga Liashchuk, Carrasquillo, and Victoria Long — got reps with the American Oak. Thompson took the overall victory. The final order of the finishes is below:
- Andrea Thompson — 500 points
- Olga Liashchuk — 400 points
- Inez Carrasquillo — 300 points
- Victoria Long — 200 points
- Samantha Belliveau — 70 points
- Rebecca Roberts — 60 points
- Melissa Peacock — 50 points
- Donna Moore — 30 points
- Hannah Linzay — 20 points
- Tamara Walcott — no reps
After two events, Carrasquillo goes into Day Two with an overall lead of one point.
2023 Arnold Strongwoman Classic Standings After Day One
- Inez Carrasquillo — 17 points
- Olga Liashchuk — 16 points
- Andrea Thompson — 15 points (T-fourth)
- Rebecca Roberts — 15 points (T-fourth)
- Samantha Belliveau — 12 points
- Victoria Long — 11 points
- Donna Moore — 11 points (tie)
- Melissa Peacock — seven points
- Hannah Linzay — three points
- Tamara Walcott — no points
Day One of the contest will be available for replay on the Rogue Fitness YouTube channel. Day Two of the contest is on Saturday, March 4, 2023. It will be streamed live on the Rogue Fitness YouTube channel.
Featured Image: @andreathompson_strongwoman on Instagram
