On Apr. 28, 2023, the Giants Live organization used two comprehensive Instagram posts to reveal the lineup of strongman competitors for the 2023 Giants Live Strongman Classic (GLSC). The growing tentpole strength contest is scheduled to take place on Jul. 8, 2023, in London, England, and will feature 12 elite strongmen, including the two-time defending (and inaugural) champion Oleksii Novikov. This year’s GLSC is only the third iteration of the competition.
At the time of this article’s publication, here are the confirmed competitors for the 2023 Giants Live Strongman Classic:
2023 Giants Live Strongman Classic Roster
- Oleksii Novikov (Ukraine) | Defending GLSC Champion
- Mitchell Hooper (Canada)
- Pavlo Kordiyaka (Ukraine)
- Tom Stoltman (United Kingdom)
- Pavlo Nakonechnyy (Ukraine)
- Cheick “Iron Biby” Sanou (Burkina Faso)
- Luke Stoltman (United Kingdom)
- Kevin Faires (United States)
- Eddie Williams (Australia)
- Evan Singleton (United States)
- Rongo Keene (Australia)
- Spenser Remick (United States)
There is no shortage of worthy contenders for the 2023 GLSC title. Six World’s Strongest Man (WSM) finalists and three WSM champions are littered all over the lineup. Knowing this fact, even without a confirmed events list or schedule at the time of this writing, it might be easy to figure out who should be favored to excel at the London competition.
The biggest name to watch might be Mitchell Hooper, who just won the 2023 WSM for his first victory at strongman’s flagship competition. The Canadian athlete is scorching hot performance-wise. His WSM victory included, Hooper has won five of his last six contests while qualifying for the podium in nine straight competitions.
Then there’s Tom Stoltman, who finished as the runner-up in the 2023 WSM after a status as the former reigning two-time WSM champion (2021-2022). According to Strongman Archives, Stoltman has featured in just two strongman contests over the past approximate calendar year, with the other being a sixth-place result at the 2023 Arnold Strongman Classic (ASC).
Finally, as the last competitor with a WSM title on their resume, the athlete who should probably be a massive favorite based on his rap sheet is Novikov. Besides his status as the only-ever winner of the GLSC, Novikov has only missed the podium on two occasions out of 20 competitions dating back to his WSM championship in November 2020. Novikov is most recently coming off a runner-up finish in the 2023 Europe’s Strongest Man (ESM) and a third-place result at the 2023 WSM.
With a deck featuring so much strongman star power, the outcome of the 2023 GLSC seems to be up in the air. At the very least, it should make for an exhilarating show of power and prowess at the sport’s highest level.
Featured image: @giantslivestrongman on Instagram
