The 2022 World’s Strongest Man (WSM) competition has a home. Thirty of the most elite strongmen worldwide will converge on Sacramento, CA, from May 24-29, 2022, for the 45th edition of the WSM contest.
The announcement of the 2022 WSM dates and location was shared on the SBD World’s Strongest Man Instagram page via a video that highlights the following athletes in a splashy comic-book style treatment:
- 2021 WSM champion Tom Stoltman
- 2019 WSM Martins Licis
- 2021 Magnus ver Magnusson Strongman Classic champion Maxime Boudreault
- Two-time WSM bronze medalist Terry Hollands
- 2021 Arnold Strongman Classic UK champion Evan Singleton
Nor the official roster or event list has yet to be released at the time of this article’s publication.
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[Related: Rebecca Roberts Victorious — 2021 World’s Strongest Woman Results]
2022 World’s Strongest Man
2022 marks the second year of a three-year deal made with the Visit Sacramento Sports Commission (VSSC) for the WSM contest to be hosted in Sacramento, CA. In 2021, the competition took place at the Old Sacramento Waterfront, where all the events were held outdoors and temperatures reached as high as 108 degrees Fahrenheit.
Of the athletes featured in the WSM Instagram post above, only the previous WSM champions are guaranteed a spot at the 2022 contest — WSM champions retain a lifetime invitation to compete in the contest. In 2021, five different WSM champions competed in at least one strongman contest — Tom Stoltman, Licis, 2020 WSM champion Oleksii Novikov, four-time WSM champion Brian Shaw, and four-time WSM champion Žydrūnas Savickas.
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[Related: Strongman Laurence Shahlaei to Compete in Powerlifting Contest]
Of those previous champions still active in the sport, it is likely safe to assume that all but Savickas will be vying for the 2022 WSM title. However, Savickas could also end up on the 30-man roster, a four-person increase from the 26-man roster in 2021.
Strongman Ahead
There are two significant contests already scheduled ahead of the 2022 WSM competition. First, the 2022 Britain’s Strongest Man contest is scheduled for Feb. 26, 2022, in Sheffield, UK, where Tom Stoltman will seek to defend his title. Second, the 2022 Arnold Strongman Classic is on the calendar a week later — March 4-5, 2022, in Columbus, OH, and uniquely does not have a deadlift on its event list.
We’ll see which strongman can build momentum from these two events before flying to the west coast for a shot at the most prized title in strongman.
Featured image: @theworldsstrongestman on Instagram
