The 2022 Giants Live Strongman Classic is scheduled for July 9, 2022, at the Royal Albert Hall in London, England. The 12-man roster was released on April 14, 2022, and received its first shake-up on June 9, 2022, when Canadian strongman Mitchell Hooper was awarded the wildcard entry following his eighth-place finish at the 2022 World’s Strongest Man (WSM) contest won by two-time reigning WSM champion Tom Stoltman.
On June 17, 2022, the roster received its second shake-up when Konstantine Janashia of Georgia withdrew from the contest for reasons undisclosed. The news was shared by Giants Live on their Instagram page. Janashia’s replacement has already been named — 2021 Magnus ver Magnusson Strongman Classic champion and 2021 WSM bronze medalist Maxime Boudreault of Canada.
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[Related: Strongman Josh Lancaster Sets U80KG Heavy Dumbbell World Record of 100 Kilograms (220.5 Pounds)]
2022 Strongman Classic Roster
The updated roster for the 2022 Giants Live Strongman Classic is below:
- Chieck “Iron Biby” Sanou
- Evan Singleton
- Paul Smith
- Andy Black
- Mark Felix
- Ken McClelland
- Oleksii Novikov — Reigning Champion
- Rob Kearney
- Adam Bishop
- Spenser Remick
- Mitchell Hooper
- Maxime Boudreault
- Konstantine Janashia — withdrawn
The 2022 Strongman Classic is a single-day contest that will feature five events:
2022 Strongman Classic Events
- Dumbbell Medley
- The Pillars of Hercules
- Farmer’s Carry for Distance
- Axle Deadlift
- Castle Stones
Boudreault is notorious for his overhead strength, but a log lift is noticeably absent from the event list. He will likely excel in the Farmer’s Carry as he is excellent is moving events — he won the Power Stairs event at the 2022 WSM contest. He is also a threat in the Castle Stones as his endurance in lifting large objects from the floor has only gotten better as he grows in the sport. He won his Stone Off against Pavlo Kordiyaka at the 2022 WSM contest in convincing fashion, playing to the crowd throughout his time hurling 400-pound stones over the bar.
While the roster endured the swap of Janashia for Boudreault, the game plans of the other athletes will likely remain unchanged. A single-day contest will test the endurance of the athletes and favors the likes of Singleton, Novikov, Hooper, and Kearney. Boudreault typically excels when his contest life is on the line and in a single-day contest, that could prove to be a winning combination.
BarBend will update this article when more information regarding the reason(s) for Janashia’s withdrawal becomes available.
Featured image: @giantslivestrongman on Instagram