4-Time World’s Strongest Man Brian Shaw took to his YouTube page on Thursday to announce a name, date, and lineup for the strongman contest he’s holding at his home gym in Colorado.
Name: The Shaw Classic
Date: December 12th
Location: Colorado
The lineup was the most anticipated part of the announcement and Shaw did not disappoint with the list of strongmen who agreed to compete.
Lineup:
Zydrunas Savickas
That’s right, “Big Z” is making a comeback. The Lithuanian strongman couldn’t miss the opportunity to beat Brian Shaw on his home turf. Shaw described his and Savickas’ rivalry as one of the most storied in the sport of strongman. The two shared the podium every year from 2009 to 2016 except 2012, trading first place back and forth. The last time Zydrunas competed was in 2018 and at the age of 45, he will be the oldest man to compete.
Mateusz Kieliszkowski
A rising star and force to be reckoned with, Kieliszkowski finished 2nd in all three of the major strongman competitions in 2019 (World’s Strongest Man, Europe’s Strongest Man, and the Arnold Strongman Classic) and came first at the 2019 World’s Ultimate Strongman. Kieliszkowski broke the Cyr Dumbbell World Record at the 2020 Arnold Strongman Classic, a lift that is definitely worth another watch. Known for his pressing abilities and his Atlas Stone prowess, the 26-year-old Polish Titan will definitely be a favorite to win the Shaw Classic.
J.F. Caron
Jean-François “J.F.” Caron is a 9-time consecutive Canada’s Strongest Man and 6-time World’s Strongest Man finalist, with his highest finish of 4th coming in 2019. Carron will undoubtedly be one of the best deadlifters of all the competitors. He recently tied Adam Bishop in a deadlift for reps competition in which both competitors put up 4 reps at 400 kg (882 pounds).
Robert Oberst
Shaw was quick to note in his announcement that, “Robert Oberst will undoubtedly have the biggest head in the competition this year.” Oberst has a big personality to go along with his 6’7” frame. He appeared on Good Morning America to flip a taxi in Times Square and said most people shouldn’t deadlift on the Joe Rogan Podcast. As a 2-time WSM finalist and former log-press world record holder, he’s got the chops to back up his talk.
Adam Bishop
Self described as “one of the little guys” in the sport of strongman, Bishop is still listed at 6’3” and 320 lb. Bishop won Britain’s Strongest Man in 2019 and had his first ever finalist appearance at World’s Strongest Man last year, ultimately finishing 9th. Like J.F Caron, he’ll be one of the best raw deadlifters in the group and will be hoping that Shaw includes more than one deadlift event.
Rob Kearney
Kearney, known as the World’s Strongest Gay, stands out from the crowd with his signature rainbow mohawk. While he’s one of the shorter guys in the field, he’s got some insane pressing abilities. Kearney recently set a new log lift American record with a 475.75-pound (215.8 kg) press. Learn more in our guide to Rob Kearney’s diet.
Terry Hollands
Terry Hollands joins Big Z as an over-40 strongman in the Shaw Classic lineup. He’s been a fixture in the sport of strongman since 2007 with a total of 9 finalist appearances. At the age of 41, Hollands is still competing at an extremely high level. He recently deadlifted 420 kg (924 pounds) in a masters competition against Mikhail Shivlyakov.
Jerry Pritchett
Pritchett is a master of the deadlift. He set the elephant bar deadlift record of 1,031 pounds in 2017 and he recently went head-to-head against Rauno Heinla in a deadlift for reps competition. Pritchett is also the 2017 America’s Strongest Man and a World’s Strongest Man finalist, finishing 9th in 2014.
Maxime Boudreault
While Boudreault is definitely the newcomer of the group, Brian Shaw clearly saw something special in him. Shaw noted that he was very impressed with Boudreault’s competitive nature at the Arnold Classic qualifier at Santa Monica pier. The Canadian strongman has been given a great opportunity to make a name for himself at The Shaw Classic in December.
Brian Shaw will, of course, also be competing at the Shaw Classic in December as the 10th entry on this list, and he’ll certainly be looking to win it all at his own competition. While the details of the competition are still being ironed out, this lineup of heavy-hitters has given strongman fans something to look forward to. Fingers crossed the pandemic doesn’t cancel it.