On July 6, 2022, Giants Live announced on its Instagram page that due to an injury, 2020 Britain’s Strongest Man winner Adam Bishop has withdrawn from the 2022 Giants Live Strongman Classic. The announcement came less than one week from the contest, scheduled to take place on Saturday, July 9, 2022, at the Royal Albert Hall in London, England. The 2021 UK’s Strongest Man champion, Gavin Bilton, was named as Bishop’s replacement three days before the competition.
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Bishop’s Triceps Tear
Later on July 6, 2022, Bishop shared his own Instagram post revealing that his withdrawal was due to suffering a triceps tendon tear while training. He shared details regarding potential surgery in that post’s caption:
I am hoping to speak to a specialist tomorrow to decide if I have surgery or not. This decision will determine if I will compete in five weeks time. Fingers crossed.
Bishop suffered a tear in the medial third of his left triceps. The contest he referred to is the Giants Live Open and World Deadlift Championships, scheduled to be held on Aug. 6, 2022, at Motorpoint Arena in Cardiff, Wales.
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Gavin Bilton Named as Replacement
Giants Live announced Bishop’s fellow British strongman, Gavin Bilton, would step in as Bishop’s replacement. It will be Bilton’s second consecutive appearance in the contest, having finished eighth overall in 2021. 2020 World’s Strongest Man (WSM) champion Oleksii Novikov is the reigning Strongman Classic champion, and he will attempt to defend his crown on July 9.
Bilton’s last contest appearance was the 2022 Strongman Champions League Holland contest. He finished in third place behind winner Kelvin de Ruiter and runner-up Roberto Rodriguez.
As for the Strongman Classic contest, the current lineup as of this writing is now as follows:
2022 Strongman Classic Roster
- Chieck “Iron Biby” Sanou
- Evan Singleton
- Paul Smith
- Andy Black
- Mark Felix
- Ken McClelland
- Oleksii Novikov — Reigning Champion
- Rob Kearney
- Spenser Remick
- Mitchell Hooper
- Maxime Boudreault
- Gavin Bilton
The five events that the athletes will compete in at this contest are below:
2022 Strongman Classic Events
- Dumbbell Medley
- The Pillars of Hercules
- Farmer’s Carry for Distance
- Axle Deadlift
- Castle Stones
Bishop’s withdrawal is the second athlete to pull out of the contest. On June 17, 2022, Konstantine Janashia bowed out of the competition. He was replaced by Canada’s Maxime Boudreault.
Fans that can’t be in London who want to watch the 2022 Strongman Classic can do so via pay-per-view on the Giants Live Facebook page.
Featured image: @giantslivestrongman on Instagram
