Giants Live is back in action for their second event of the 2024 season, the 2024 Europe’s Strongest Man (ESM). It is shaping up to be a champion of champions event, with the contest’s last three winners — reigning champion Pavlo Kordiyaka, 2022 ESM champion Oleksii Novikov, and 2021 ESM champion Luke Stoltman — scheduled to compete in the action-packed 2024 edition of the contest at the Leeds First Direct Arena on April 13.
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Poland’s Mateusz Kieliszkowski withdrew two weeks before the competition, citing an Achilles tendon injury. This would have been Kieliszkowski’s first ESM contest since 2019, when he placed second to Hafthor Björnsson. Unfortunately, the “Polish Powerhouse” is once again plagued with injury.
Defending champion Kordiayaka will attempt to go back-to-back and secure his spot at the 2024 World’s Strongest Man (WSM) contest. The last strongman to win consecutive ESM contests was Björnsson, who won five of six ESM contests from 2014-2019; the outlier was Laurence Shahlaei‘s win in 2016.
Nine other elite strongmen, including the Konstantine Janashia of Georgia, will contend for the 2024 ESM title. Janashia saw disappointment at the 2023 ESM, finishing eighth after making the podium three times prior (2018-19, 2022). Janashia will seek his fourth ESM podium in 2024.
Seasoned veteran Aivars Šmaukstelis is also on the 2024 ESM roster. He was the bronze medallist in 2023 after a blistering stone run gave him the top spot in the final event. Keep an eye on Shane Flowers, who has been on an upward trajectory since recovering from his injury at the 2022 WSM contest.
2024 Europe’s Strongest Man Roster
- Aivars Šmaukstelis (Latvia)
- Oleksii Novikov (Ukraine)
- Pavlo Kordiayaka (Ukraine)
- Shane Flowers (England)
- Gavin Bilton (Wales)
- Luke Stoltman (Scotland)
- Konstantine Janashia (Georgia)
- Rauno Heinla (Estonia)
- Ondřej Fojtů (Czechia)
- Nicolas Cambi (Italy)
- Pa O’Dwyer (Ireland)
- Fredrik Johansson (Sweden)
[Related: ICYMI: Strongman Graham Hicks Is in the Guinness Book of World Records for Deadlifting a Tower Bell]
[Related: Mitchell Hooper and Dr. Mike Israetel Dissect Training for Size Versus Strength]
2024 Europe’s Strongest Man Events
This promises to be a brutal and hard-fought contest. With Kieliszkowski out of the picture, the two Ukrainians are podium favorites. Watch the competition live at Officialstrongman.com to see who will score the 2024 ESM title.
Featured image: @giantslivestrongman on Instagram
