The roster for the 2022 Giant’s Live World Open & World Deadlift Championships, scheduled for Aug. 6, 2022, in Cardiff, Wales, is complete. Ireland’s Pa O’Dwyer is the final addition to the 12-person roster. All 12 strongmen competing in the single-day strongman contest are listed below:
2022 World Open & World Deadlift Championships Roster
- Gavin Bilton
- Adam Bishop
- Shane Flowers
- Ivan Makarov
- Pavlo Nakonechnyy
- Andy Black
- Rauno Heinla
- Mitchell Hooper
- Evan Singleton — Defending Champion
- Oleksii Novikov
- Peiman Maheripourehir
- Pa O’Dwyer
Singleton will attempt to fend off 2020 World’s Strongest Man (WSM) Novikov, rising strongman star Hooper, and world record deadlift hopefuls Maheripourehir, Heinla, and Makarov to retain his World Open title.
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[Related: Brian Shaw and Bobby Thompson Train Legs Together to Prep for the 2022 Shaw Classic]
Pa O’Dwyer’s Return
O’Dwyer was initially slated to compete at the 2022 WSM contest in Sacramento, CA. It was going to be his second WSM appearance — he made it to the Qualifying stage in 2020 — but just days before the start of that contest, he withdrew and was replaced by Scotland’s Andy Black. O’Dwyer was still in attendance in Sacramento. The 2022 World Open is his first competition since withdrawing from the 2022 WSM contest.
O’Dwyer has six elite contest victories under his belt: the 2018 UK’s Strongest Man (UKSM) contest and five Ireland’s Strongest Man (ISM) titles. Since then, he’s competed in 12 elite strongman contests, two of which he reached the podium — a bronze medal at the 2019 UKSM and second at the 2022 Britain’s Strongest Man (BSM). His most recent appearance was at the 2022 Europe’s Strongest Man (ESM) contest, where he finished 10th overall.
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If O’Dwyer is at 100 percent on Aug. 6, 2022, he certainly has a chance to challenge for a podium spot. He’s competed against many of the athletes on the roster before and knows he can hold his own against them. The World Deadlift Championships are the featured event for the contest, and O’Dwyer has a personal best 420-kilogram (925.9-pound) deadlift, according to Giants Live.
While that is almost surely not enough to win that event, Giants Live events are notorious for athletes hitting new PRs with the help of the adrenaline-fueling crowds. Novikov and Singleton notoriously joined the 1,000-pound deadlift club at the 2021 World Open, which is a personal best for both. It wouldn’t be shocking if O’Dwyer brings some extra heat to the deadlift stage in 2022.
Featured image: @paodwyer__ on Instagram
