Former defending ESM champion and fellow Ukrainian countryman Oleksii Novikov finished in second place. Novikov was notably nursing a recent minor lat muscle injury, and that may have played a part in falling short of defending his title. According to Strongman Archives, despite the injury and runner-up result, it is Novikov’s eighth podium placing in his last nine contests dating back to early 2022. Rounding out this year’s ESM podium was Latvia’s Aivars Šmaukstelis, winner of the 2022 World Strongman Championships (WSC), in third place. It is Šmaukstelis’ seventh consecutive podium result dating back to August 2022.

The 2023 ESM featured five events in this order:

• Log Press Ladder
• Load and Push Race
• Deadlift for Reps
• Conan’s Wheel
• Castle Stones

To notch his victory, Kordiyaka won the Log Press Ladder (five lifts in 52.55 seconds), the Load and Push Race (a time of 44.14 seconds), and the Conan’s Wheel (with a rotation of 1009-degrees; almost three complete revolutions). That rotation length is a new World Record on the Conan’s Wheel. Kordiyaka recorded three reps of the 350-kilogram (771.6-pound) Deadlift in one minute for sixth place. The athlete ranked second on the Castle Stones (an Atlas Stones variation) when he lifted all five in 21.76 seconds. Only Šmaukstelis fared better (five in 20.47 seconds).

Here are the final standings from the 2023 ESM:

2023 Europe’s Strongest Man Final Standings

• Pavlo Kordiyaka (Ukraine) — 57.5 points
• Oleksii Novikov (Ukraine) — 53.5 points
• Aivars Šmaukstelis (Latvia) — 51.5 points
• Eythór Ingólfsson Melsted (Iceland) — 45.5 points
• Adam Bishop (United Kingdom) — 41.5 points
• Shane Flowers (United Kingdom) — 37 points
• Pa O’Dwyer (Ireland) — 36.5 points
• Konstantine Janashia (Georgia) — 30.5 points
• Dennis Kohlruss (Germany) — 26 points
• Paul Smith (United Kingdom) — 25.5 points
• Gavin Bilton (United Kingdom) — 17.5 points
• Jean-Stephen Coraboeuf (France) — 16.5 points
• Graham Hicks (United Kingdom) — 8 points

Per Strongman Archives, this ESM triumph could arguably be the best of Kordiyaka’s career to date. The 27-year-old can also boast wins in the 2020 Ukraine’s Strongest Man (USM), the 2021 Official Strongman Games (OSG), and the 2022 Marijampole International. His previous best finish in the ESM was a fourth-place debut in 2022.

Kordiyaka will next compete in the 2023 World’s Strongest Man (WSM) on Apr. 19-23, 2023, in Myrtle Beach, SC. He failed to advance to the Final in his 2022 WSM debut. Momentum from his 2023 ESM win might push Kordiyaka to thrive on this next occasion.

Featured image: @pavlo_kordiyaka on Instagram

The post Pavlo Kordiyaka is the 2023 Europe’s Strongest Man appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

The two athletes who joined Hooper on the podium were Aivars Šmaukstelis of Latvia (second place) and the United States’ Kevin Faires (third). According to Strongman Archives, with his runner-up finish at the 2022 GLWTF, Šmaukstelis has now stood on a podium in his last four official competitive appearances. Meanwhile, Faires can now boast his first top-three placing since the 2019 Giants Live North American Open.

Here are the final standings from the 2022 GLWTF:

2022 Giants Live World Tour Finals Standings

1. Mitchell Hooper (Canada) — 52 points
2. Aivars Šmaukstelis (Latvia) — 47.5 points
3. Kevin Faires (United States) — 46 points
4. Pavlo Nakonechnyy (Ukraine) — 40 points
5. Pavlo Kordiyaka (Ukraine) — 38 points
6. Rauno Heinla (Estonia) — 29 points
7. Paul Smith (United Kingdom) — 28.5 points
8. Pa O’Dwyer (Ireland) — 27 points
9. Eddie Williams (Australia) — 23 points
10. Mark Felix (United Kingdom) — 19 points
11. Andy Black (United Kingdom) — 19 points
12. Louis Jack (United Kingdom) — 18 points

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Mitchell Hooper (@mitchellhooper)

[Related: How to Do the Inverted Row — Benefits, Variations, and More]

Event Breakdown

Here’s an event-by-event breakdown of the 2022 Giants Live World Tour Finals.

Nicol Stones

During the Nicol Stones segment, the athletes had to walk the two unevenly weighted stones of 114 kilograms (251.3 pounds) and 139 kilograms (306.4 pounds) for a max distance. Current Nicol Stones World Record holder Kevin Faires took the event victory with a distance of 24.61 meters.

1. Kevin Faires — 24.61 meters
2. Mitchell Hooper —  24.14 meters
3. Andy Black — 24.08 meters
4. Paul Smith — 23.1 meters
5. Aivars Šmaukstelis — 20 meters
6. Louis Jack — 19.75 meters
7. Eddie Williams — 16.58 meters
8. Mark Felix — 16.37 meters
9. Pavlo Nakonechnyy — 15.91 meters
10. Rauno Heinla — 12.75 meters
11. Pavlo Kordiyaka — 9.4 meters
12. Pa O’Dwyer — 8.58 meters

Carry & Drag

During the Carry & Drag, the competitors had the task of carrying a 125-kilogram anchor and dragging a 350-kilogram over a 40-meter course. They had a time limit of one minute. Using the athleticism that’s helped him blitz professional strongman lately, Hooper captured his first event win of the contest with a time of 22.16 seconds.

1. Mitchell Hooper — 22.16 seconds
2. Pavlo Kordiyaka — 22.96 seconds
3. Kevin Faires — 23.41 seconds
4. Pa O’Dwyer — 25.35 seconds
5. Aivars Šmaukstelis — 26.45 seconds
6. Paul Smith — 27.30 seconds
7. Pavlo Nakonechnyy — 27.78 seconds
8. Rauno Heinla — 28.57 seconds
9. Louis Jack — 28.84 seconds
10. Eddie Williams — 30.65 seconds
11. Andy Black — 37.37 seconds
12. Mark Felix — 40.40 seconds

Axle Deadlift

The 2022 GLWTF’s Axle Deadlift was about pulling 350 kilograms (771.6 pounds) for a max amount of reps with a one-minute time limit. Pavlo Nakonechnyy came out on top when he successfully finished 11 reps. Nakonechnyy was the only athlete to finish with double-digit reps.

1. Pavlo Nakonechnyy — 11 reps
2. Rauno Heinla — Nine reps
3. Mitchell Hooper — Seven reps
4. Kevin Faires — Six reps (Tied for fourth)
5. Aivars Šmaukstelis — Six reps (Tied for fourth)
6. Mark Felix — Six reps (Tied for fourth)
7. Pavlo Kordiyaka — Five reps (Tied for seventh)
8. Pa O’Dwyer — Five reps (Tied for seventh)
9. Paul Smith — Four reps (Tied for ninth)
10. Eddie Williams — Four reps (Tied for ninth)
11. Andy Black — Four reps (Tied for ninth)
12. Louis Jack — Two reps

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by GIANTS LIVE: WSM Arena Tour (@giantslivestrongman)

[Related: 10 Push-Up Variations for More Muscle and Strength]

Dumbbell Press

This contest’s iteration of the Dumbbell Press featured a 100-kilogram (220.5-pound) dumbbell. Whoever could clean and press said dumbbell as many times as possible within a minute would win. After a few solid results on earlier events, Šmaukstelis and Pavlo Kordiyaka tied for first in the event with seven reps. 

1. Aivars Šmaukstelis — Seven reps (Tied for first)
2. Pavlo Kordiyaka — Seven reps (Tied for first)
3. Mitchell Hooper — Six reps
4. Pa O’Dwyer — Five reps (Tied for fourth)
5. Paul Smith — Five reps (Tied for fourth)
6. Pavlo Nakonechnyy — Four reps
7. Kevin Faires — Three reps
8. Rauno Heinla — Two reps (Tied for eighth)
9. Eddie Williams — Two reps (Tied for eighth)
10. Louis Jack — Two reps (Tied for eighth)
11. Mark Felix — No reps
12. Andy Black — No reps

Power Stairs

To close the contest, the athletes had to load five implements with weights ranging from 200 to 250 kilograms (440.9 to 551.1 pounds) up three respective stairs. Their final scores were determined by how many of the total 15 steps they climbed within a minute. While he didn’t win the overall competition, Šmaukstelis closed with another event victory (15 steps in 33.02 seconds).

1. Aivars Šmaukstelis — 15 in 33.02 seconds
2. Pavlo Nakonechnyy — 15 in 38.81 seconds
3. Kevin Faires — 15 in 39.50 seconds
4. Mitchell Hooper — 15 in 42.08 seconds
5. Pavlo Kordiyaka — 15 in 44.52 seconds
6. Eddie Williams — 15 in 46.90 seconds
7. Rauno Heinla — 15 in 51.28 seconds
8. Mark Felix — 13 in 57.78 seconds
9. Andy Black — 12 in 50.78 seconds
10. Pa O’Dwyer — 12 in 59.78 seconds
11. Louis Jack — Nine in 26.64 seconds
12. Paul Smith — Nine in 47.54 seconds

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by GIANTS LIVE: WSM Arena Tour (@giantslivestrongman)

[Related: How to Do the Hack Squat — Benefits, Variations, and More]

For Hooper, his remarkable debut pro year continues with this victory at the 2022 GLWTF. In addition to his two straight victories and first Giants Live win, Hooper has now finished on the podium in five straight contests dating back to the 2022 Giants Live Strongman Classic in early July. The superstar kept his reaction short and sweet in a post on his Instagram.

“My first [Giants Live Strongman] win. Surreal. Let’s keep riding the wave.”

Featured image: @mitchellhooper on Instagram

The post 2022 Giants Live World Tour Finals Results — Mitchell Hooper Starts a Hot Streak appeared first on Breaking Muscle.