On Sept. 17, 2021, the 2021 World’s Ultimate Strongman (WUS) contest took place in Dubai, UAE. It featured a strongwoman and a strongman contest with both divisions competing in the same five events — log press for reps, yoke walk, farmer’s walk, chain railway carriage, and the Atlas Stones.
This was the inaugural strongwoman event at the WUS contest. Annabelle Chapman managed to beat out the three-time World’s Strongest Woman (WSW) Donna Moore for the title. Melissa Peacock rounded out the podium with a bronze-medal finish.
For the men, it was a battle between the 2020 World’s Strongest Man (WSM) champion, Oleksii Novikov, and the returning two-time WSM runner-up, Mateusz Kieliszkowski, for the top of the podium. Ultimately, it came down to the Atlas Stones, where Novikov edged out Kieliszkowski to win the title by a single point.
2021 World’s Ultimate Strongman Results
The Women’s division competed first, followed by a 30-minute intermission, and then the Men’s division took the floor.
Note: These results are sourced from strongmanarchives.com.
Women’s Division
- Annabelle Chapman, UK — 32 points
- Donna Moore, UK — 30 points
- Melissa Peacock, Canada — 29 points
- Andrea Thompson, UK — 25 points
- Cori Butler, USA — 21 points
- Sandra Bradley, Germany — 17 points
- Jessica Fithen, USA — 14 points
- Nadia Stowers, USA — 12 points
Men’s Division
- Oleksii Novikov, Ukraine — 45.5 points
- Mateusz Kieliskowski, Poland — 44.5 points
- Aivars Smaukstelis, Latvia — 34.5 points
- JF Caron, Canada — 32 points
- Konstantine Janashia, Georgia — 27 points
- Bobby Thompson, USA — 26.5 points
- Mohamad Ezatpor, Iran — 18 points
- Ervin Toots, Estonia — 17 points
- Rauno Heinla, Estonia — 15 points
- Ramin Farajnejad, Iran — 12 points
This is the third major event win of the year for Novikov. Earlier in 2021, he won the WUS “Strength Island” Contest and the 2021 Strongman Classic. Additionally, he earned bronze at the Giants Live World Open.
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[Related: Watch Devon Larratt’s Conditioning Session With Strongman Laurence Shahlaei Ahead of Hafthor Björnsson Fight]
Log Press
The opening event of the 2021 WUS contest was the log lift for reps. The men lifted a 180-kilogram (396.8-pound) log and the women lifted a 100-kilogram (220.5-pound) log.
Women’s Division
- Andrea Thompson — Eight reps
- Annabelle Chapman — Seven reps
- Melissa Peacock — Five reps (T-third)
- Jessica Fithen — Five reps (T-third)
- Nadia Stowers — Five reps (T-third)
For the women, it came as no surprise that the women’s log lift record holder, Andrea Thompson managed to take the event win with eight reps. Chapman started off the contest strong with a second-place finish with seven reps. Peacock, Fithen, Stowers took third-place points as they tied with five reps.
Moore’s relatively poor performance on the log lift was a bit surprising. She entered the event with a recent win at the 2021 UK’s Strongest Woman contest but was only able to carry that momentum for four reps and a sixth-place rank.
Men’s Division
- Bobby Thompson — Four reps (T-first)
- Oleksii Novikov — Four reps (T-first)
- Mateusz Kieliszkowski — Three reps (T-second)
- Aivars Smaukstelis — Three reps (T-second)
- JF Caron — Two Reps
Bobby Thompson entered the event as arguably the strongest overhead presser in the field. He is the current American log lift record holder and proved his prowess in the event by hitting four reps to tie with Novikov for first-place points.
The question for Kieliszkowski was how well his triceps would hold up considering he has been away from strongman competition for nearly two years to rehab from triceps surgery. He stumbled on the first rep and it cost him a tie for first, but he managed to secure three clean reps to tie Smaukstelis in second place.
Yoke Walk
The yoke walk event was for max distance in 60 seconds. The men moved a 450-kilogram (992.1-pound) yoke and the women moved a 300-kilogram (661.4-pound) yoke. Athletes traveled the yoke on a 15-meter course. At the completion of each length, they had to set the yoke down, then turn around and travel it back.
Women’s Division
- Donna Moore — 62.5 meters
- Melissa Peacock — 60.6 meters
- Andrea Thompson — 57.8 meters
Men’s Division
- Mateusz Kieliszkowski — 71.1 meters
- Oleksii Novikov — 69.2 meters
- Konstantine Janashia — 60 meters
Farmer’s Walk
Athletes performed a 30-meter farmer’s walk for time. The men carried 180 kilograms (396.8 pounds) — 90 kilograms (198.4 pounds) in each hand. The women carried 110 kilograms (242.5 pounds) — 55 kilograms (121.3 pounds) in each hand.
Women’s Division
- Annabelle Chapman — 17.01 seconds
- Donna Moore — 17.05 seconds
- Cori Butler — 17.66 seconds
Men’s Division
- Mateusz Kieliszkowski*
- Oleksii Novikov*
- Konstantine Janashia — 52.92 seconds
*No official times were listed during the coverage of the event. However, both men finished within 30 seconds and it was clear Kieliszkowski won the event as he beat Novikov in their head-to-head heat. We will update this article as official times become available.
Chain Railway Carriage
This was a mystery event not revealed until right before the women competed in it. That meant the men were aware of what the event was prior to competing in it.
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Athletes were tasked with pushing a weighted sled that had chains attached down a track. Once they completed the push, they had to run back to the starting position, grab a rope, and pull the sled back to the starting position. The resistance in both directions increased as the chains reached full extension.
Women’s Division
- Melissa Peacock — 30.60 seconds
- Annabelle Chapman — 31.83 seconds
- Sandra Bradley — 32.91 seconds
Men’s Division
- Mateusz Kieliszkowski — 25.34 seconds
- Oleksii Novikov — 29.11 seconds
- Mohamad Ezatpor — 29.15 seconds
Atlas Stones
This event had athletes load 10 stones for time. The men’s stones ranged from 110 kilograms (242.5 pounds) to 200 kilograms (440.1 pounds). The womens’ stones ranged from 60 kilograms (132.3 pounds) to 150 kilograms (330.7 pounds).
Women’s Division
- Donna Moore — Nine stones
- Melissa Peacock — Nine stones
- Cori Butler — Nine stones
Men’s Division
- Aivars Smaukstelis — 10 stones in 55.65 seconds
- Oleksii Novikov — 10 stones in 57.04 seconds
- JF Caron — 10 stones in 75 seconds
Novikov and Kieliszkowski knew coming into the event that whoever won their heat would take the gold. Novikov struggled to load the last stone — it nearly fell while pressed against the pedestal’s lip — but he recovered and successfully placed it ahead of Kieliszkowski. This marks Novikov’s second consecutive WUS event.
Onto Fight Night 3
Fight Night 3, headlined by the main event boxing match between 2018 WSM Hafthor “The Mountain” Björnsson and Devon “No Limits” Larratt, will take place on Sept. 18, 2021.
The bout is available via pay-per-view for $9.99 plus tax CoreSports.world and includes nine fights. The undercard features CrossFit Games veterans Josh Bridges vs. Jacob Heppner and powerlifter Stefi Cohen‘s return to the ring to box Marcela Nieto. The card starts at 12:45 p.m. EST, with the main event kicking off at 4 p.m. EST.
Feature image: @worldsultimatestrongman on Instagram
