The 2022 Strongman Rogue Invitational in Austin, TX, was one to remember, and not just for the athletes participating in the main event. With 2018 World’s Strongest Man (WSM) champion Hafthor Björnsson setting a high bar by extending his Weight Over Bar World Record, some of the other competitors had an exemplary standard to live up to. They didn’t disappoint.
One of the other significant feats belongs to Mitchell Hooper, who broke the Dinnie Stones Hold for Time World Record when he held up the titular stones with a combined weight of 325.3 kilograms (732 pounds) for 39.85 seconds on Oct. 30, 2022.
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Hooper’s record came as a product of utilizing replicas of the Dinnie Stones. The original granite iterations are a part of a famed strongman tradition, where athletes from all over the world travel to Aberdeenshire, Scotland, to lift the unevenly weighted implements using a modified deadlift technique.
Heading into the 2022 Rogue Invitational, Mark Felix held the Dinnie Stones Hold for Time World Record with a time of 31.4 seconds. Kevin Faires — who possesses the Dinnie Stones Carry World Record with a distance of 25 feet, eight inches from the 2022 Arnold Strongman Classic — actually surpassed Felix first when he held up the stones for 37.58 seconds.
Fresh off a third-place podium result in the main strongman competition, Hooper followed Faires and exceeded his peer with the new record mark — earning $5,000 for his efforts. After winning the 2022 Giants Live World Tour Finals and 2022 Arnold Strongman UK — as well as an eighth-place finish in the 2022 WSM (his debut) — Hooper’s record might be a fitting cherry on top to a prolific competitive year.
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On the flip side, while his Dinnie Stones Hold attempt didn’t last, Faires didn’t leave the 2022 Rogue Invitational empty-handed without a record.
The American strongman broke the Thor’s Hammer Deadlift World Record when he successfully lifted the eponymous implement of 147.4 kilograms (325 pounds). The figure surpasses Martin Licis‘ past mark of 136.3 kilograms (300 pounds) after a 2021 Rogue Invitational victory performance.
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The task of Thor’s Hammer deadlift is simple in practice. The athlete must grip the hammer’s thick vertical handle in one hand and lift it clearly off the ground until they receive a down signal from an official. After working through some lighter implements, the final athletes left standing for an attempt to match the current record were Faires, Licis, and Pavlo Nakonechnyy.
Licis had to bow out first as he was unable to match his own previous record of 136 kilograms (300 pounds). An undisclosed injury suffered during the final event of the main Rogue strongman competition may have played a role. Faires and Pavlo Nakonechnyy would both successfully lift the hammer.
When the final record hammer weight of 147.4 kilograms (325 pounds) came around the bend, Faires finished a lockout after two attempts, while Nakonechnyy couldn’t muster up the requisite strength.
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With his Dinnie Stones Carry World Record in the account, it’s also been a banner year of sorts for Faires. After finishing 10th in the primary Rogue strongman contest, Faires can now claim the Thor’s Hammer and Dinnie Stones Carry World Record. When factored into a 2022 calendar year output that includes two podium finishes in four contests, the 32-year-old athlete seems to be hitting a groove.
Featured image: @rogueinvitational on Instagram
