At his best, Mateusz Kieliszkowski is one of the world’s premier strongmen. Unfortunately, the strongman community will have to wait to see “The Polish Terminator” pressing logs in a competition again.
On April 6, 2022, the World’s Strongest Man (WSM) competition announced that Kieliszkowski withdrew from the 2022 WSM, which will take place on May 24-29, in Sacramento, CA. The WSM organization has not yet announced a replacement but noted one would come soon on Twitter.
Shortly after the announcement of his withdrawal, the Polish-born athlete discussed his rationale in a post on his Instagram profile:
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“I still feel some pain and am not comfortable in my leg after the injury I got before Arnold [Classic],” Kieliszkowski wrote in the post’s caption. “Heavy training isn’t a good method to fix for recovery for my body. I have some power but not enough to compete at the highest level in the world. The best and the smartest solution for me is to withdraw from the competition. I don’t want risk because I don’t need a bigger injury than I got.”
After Kieliszkowski finished second overall in the 2019 WSM, this will be the third consecutive year he misses the competition. He previously withdrew from the 2020 event due to a triceps injury and wasn’t on the 2021 roster for undisclosed reasons. The injury Kieliszkowski alludes to in his Instagram post is also the reason he withdrew from the Arnold Strongman Classic (ASC) in March of 2022.
Success will come one day
What’s apparent is that Kieliszkowski wants to take his time working his way back into the sport. Before competing against many of the world’s elite strength-sports athletes at his usual “Polish Terminator” level again, he wants to be in a comfortable place first. He wants to be at his best.
“Also, I don’t want to be beaten by everyone because that’s not my style — my goal is only first place,” Kieliszkowski says. “I made many mistakes. I have to be smarter this time because I want my career to be longer. Now I just need time to heal my body and be 100 percent healthy and hungry for victory.”
According to one of the sport’s greats, patience in recovery can be vital in bringing your best to competitive strongman. That certainly seems to be the main theme of Kieliszkowski’s coming approach.
“No pressure or stress. I just need time and to be patient.”
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Kieliszkowski at a Glance
At only 28-years-old, Kieliszkowski has built up quite the strongman resume. Here’s a rundown of notable results from his career in recent years:
- Poland’s Strongest Man Champion — 2015-2019
- 2018 Giants Live Finals — 1st overall
- 2018 Europe’s Strongest Man (ESM) — 3rd overall
- 2018 WSM — 2nd overall
- 2019 Giants Live Wembley — 1st overall
- 2019 Giants Live World Tour Finals — 1st overall
- 2019 World’s Ultimate Strongman (WUS) — 1st overall
- 2019 ESM — 2nd overall
- 2019 WSM — 2nd overall
- 2019 ASC — 3rd overall
- 2020 ASC — 2nd overall
- 2021 WUS Dubai — 2nd overall
Notably, in addition to his many podium finishes, Kieliszkowski is also the current world record holder for the Cyr Dumbbell Press. He achieved this mark by lifting a 320-pound dumbbell over his head at the 2020 ASC.
Whenever Kieliszkowski does decide to compete again, the top strongman sphere will likely welcome him with open arms.
Featured image: @kieliszkowskimateusz on Instagram
