On Friday, April 28, 2023, Giants Live revealed the roster of 12 strongmen set to compete in the 2023 Strongman Classic, scheduled for July 8, 2023, at the Royal Albert Hall in London, England.
The announcement was made on Instagram in two separate posts. The roster is below, with names in alphabetical order, and it includes the returning Strongman Classic champion from 2022: Oleksii Novikov.
2023 Strongman Classic Roster
- Kevin Faires
- Mitchell Hooper
- Rongo Keene
- Pavlo Kordiyaka
- Pavlo Nakonechnny
- Oleksii Novikov — Defending Champion
- Spenser Remick
- Cheick “Iron Biby” Sanou
- Evan Singleton
- Luke Stoltman
- Tom Stoltman
- Eddie Williams
[Related: Interview: 2023 World’s Strongest Man Mitchell Hooper Talks Exceeding His Expectations]
View this post on Instagram
[Related: Every Winner of the World’s Strongest Man Competition]
This roster includes the last three World’s Strongest Man (WSM) champions: 2023 winner Mitchell Hooper, 2021 and 2022 titleholder Tom Stoltman, and 2020 champion Oleksii Novikov. They were also the top three finalists in the 2023 WSM contest in that same order.
This will be Hooper’s first contest since winning the 2023 WSM on April 23 in Myrtle Beach, SC. It will also be his third contest of 2023. He won the 2023 Arnold Strongman Classic in Columbus, OH, in March.
Aside from the past WSM champions, this lineup also features three other 2023 WSM finalists: Evan Singleton, Luke Stoltman, and 2023 Europe’s Strongest Man Pavlo Kordiyaka. Novikov won both previous editions of the Strongman Classic in 2021 and 2022.
Novikov was dominant in the 2022 contest, winning three of five events and placing in the top five of the other two. Hooper finished as the runner-up to Novikov in 2022. Singleton took silver in 2021.
View this post on Instagram
[Related: The Hidden Secrets of Strongman Competition (with Maxime Boudreault)]
As of this article’s publication, the list of events for the single-day 2023 Strongman Classic has not yet been announced. The 2021 and 2022 contests included the Hercules Hold and Atlas Stones.
As is the case with all Giants Live events, the top three finishers of the 2023 Strongman Classic earn qualifications for the subsequent WSM. The date and city of the 2024 WSM have yet to be formally announced. Giants Live shared that there will be a livestream of the Strongman Classic from Royal Albert Hall available on the Official Strongman website for fans who can’t attend live.
Featured image: @giantslivestrongman on Instagram