2024 Magnus Ver Magnusson Classic winner Mateusz Kieliszkowski has formally removed his name from the 2025 Arnold Strongman Classic (ASC) roster. The 2025 ASC will occur in Columbus, OH, from Feb. 28 through March 1, 2025.
Kieliszkowski has withdrawn due to not feeling ready to return to competition after recovering from an Achilles injury. He shared the announcement on his YouTube channel, the video of which can be seen below:
“I was progressing up to a certain point,” Kieliszkowski shared. “I stopped somewhere. My leg still does not allow me to gain the appropriate strength or level to compete, and I don’t intend to go to finish last.”
Kieliszkowski’s injury in early 2024 prevented him from participating in Europe’s Strongest Man contest and that year’s World’s Strongest Man contest. He returned to action in December 2024 to win a title in Iceland. However, the ASC has a reputation for extremely heavy weights, and Kieliszkowski felt he was unprepared to take on those challenges.
I feel that my body is not ready for all this yet.
Kieliszkowski might consider entering Giants Live events later in 2025. He has never won the ASC but has finished second three times, including the last two editions. Due to injuries, he missed the 2021 and 2022 ASC competitions.
As for the 2025 contest in Columbus, an Arnold Sports Festival official confirmed to BarBend that no replacement for Kieliszkowski would be named at this time. That leaves 10 athletes to compete for the prestigious championship, including two-time defending champion Mitchell Hooper, three-time winner Hafthor Bjornsson, and three-time World’s Strongest Man Tom Stoltman. The competitors in the field are listed below:
2025 Arnold Strongman Classic Roster
- Mitchell Hooper — Two-Time Reigning ASC Champion
- Hafthor Björnsson — Three-Time ASC Champion
- Austin Andrade
- Bobby Thompson
- Evan Singleton
- Lucas Hatton
- Maxime Boudreault
- Nick Guardione — 2024 Official Strongman Games Men’s Open Champion
- Tom Stoltman — Three-Time Reigning World’s Strongest Man
- Trey Mitchell — Two-Time Shaw Classic Champion
More Strongman Content
- 2025 Britain’s Strongest Man Results
- How the Strongest Man on Earth Eats on the Road
- Is This the Pound-for-Pound Strongest Gym in the USA?
Featured Image: @mateuszkieliszkowski on Instagram
