One of strongwoman’s most dominant athletes has curtain called her competitive career. Two-time Arnold Strongwoman Classic (ASW) champion Victoria Long announced her retirement from competitive strongwoman. Long broke the news on her social media and in an interview on Laurence Shahlaei‘s Talking Strongman YouTube show.
Long’s retirement came days after suffering a hamstring injury during the Max Elephant Bar Deadlift event at the 2024 ASW. She confirmed that the injury comprised two tears that would require surgical repair.
I definitely pictured the last contest of my strongwoman career going much differently…..but here we are.
See Long’s interview with Shahlaei in the video below:
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Long has dealt with hamstring issues in the past. She had a grade two tear in her other hamstring and recovered from it without medical intervention. Despite that, while relatively short, Long’s competitive career was dominant; of seven elite contests, Long won five of them, scored silver in her elite debut, and withdrew from her final contest due to injury.
Long debuted in competitive strongwoman in 2019 at that year’s World’s Strongest Woman (WSW) contest after a career as a bodybuilder. Long finished as the runner-up at the 2019 WSW behind Donna Moore. Long held the Elephant Bar Deadlift world record until Lucy Underdown eclipsed it at the 2024 ASW.
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Victoria Long’s Strongwoman Career
Per Strongman Archives, Long competed in the contests below to the corresponding results:
- 2024 Arnold Strongwoman Classic — withdrew
- 2023 Arnold Strongwoman Classic — First Place
- 2022 America’s Strongest Woman — First Place
- 2022 Shaw Classic Open — First Place
- 2022 Arnold Pro Strongwoman — First Place
- 2021 America’s Strongest Woman — First Place
- 2019 World’s Strongest Woman — Second Place
Long did not feel a sense of pressure when she first entered competitive strongwoman due to being mostly unfamiliar with the top athletes at the time. When she competed against the likes of WSW champions Donna Moore and Andrea Thompson in 2019, Long didn’t know who they were and did not “put them on a pedestal,” as Shahlaei put it.
Long’s decision to retire resulted from other career opportunities in law enforcement and suffering a second hamstring injury. She did not want to attempt to maintain relevancy as a Masters-division competitor. Long had a five-year plan with her coach when entering the sport and fulfilled all of it aside from how she wanted to exit her last contest.
Featured image: @onestrongb on Instagram
