On August 18, 2022, the Giants Live Organization Instagram page revealed the five events during this year’s single-day Giants Live World Tour Finals.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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

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Here are the events for the 2022 Giants Live World Tour Finals:

2022 Giants Live World Tour Finals Events

• Dumbbell Press
• Nicol Stone Carry
• Axle Deadlift
• Anchor Carry and Chain Drag
• Power Stairs

Shortly after the official events reveal, former Europe’s Strongest Man (ESM) Champion (2016) Laurence Shahlaei and co-host Liz Mason broke down the expectations for each event on Shahlaei’s YouTube Channel.

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Here is the current roster for this year’s competition:

2022 Giants Live World Tour Finals Roster

• Luke Stoltman — Defending champion
• Tom Stoltman — 2021 second place 
• Evan Singleton — 2021 third place
• Chieck “Iron Biby” Sanou
• Maxime Boudreault
• Pavlo Kordiyaka
• Oleksii Novikov
• Andy Black
• Tyler Cotton
• Kevin Faires
• Graham Hicks
• Trey Mitchell
• Pa O’Dwyer

Luke Stoltman is the defending champion of the Giants Live World Tour Finals. The rest of the field will try to dethrone the athlete. 

2022 Giants Live World Tour Finals Event Rundown

Here’s a short rundown of every event during this year’s competition.

Dumbbell Press

Ever since the 2021 Rogue Invitational last November, Novikov has been consistently proficient with a heavy dumbbell press. However, Iron Biby, the current Log Lift World Record holder, could challenge Novikov. In an event with a time limit, Novikov might be the overall favorite.

Nicol Stone Carry

Potential contenders for the Nicol Stone Carry event victory include Andy Black and Kevin Faires. When Shahlaei possessed the similar Dinnie Stones World Record, Black was a training partner. Meanwhile, Faires possesses the current World Record on the Dinnie Stones (25 feet, eight inches) and Nicol Stones (22.2 meters). Some of the strongmen have never performed a Nicol Stone Carry, so Faires could sit in an especially strong position.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Axle Deadlift

Many of the athletes on the Giants Live World Tour Finals roster possess some measure of proficiency as deadlifters. As the Axle Deadlift starts to roll into the second half of the contest, endurance could become a factor. In an event where everyone can excel, some of the competitors could elect to save their strength for the closing segments of the competition.

Anchor Carry and Chain Drag

The penultimate event of these Giants Live World Tour Finals will be a medley between carrying and dragging the anchor and chain. Speed and time will likely ultimately decide the victor of this event. For context as to potential winners, Evan Singleton (38.85 seconds) and Novikov (41.75 seconds) moved quite well during the 2022 Giants Live World Open medley variation. The pair very well might find themselves in a close battle during this portion. 

Power Stairs

In a changeup from common strongman norms, the Atlas Stones will not close the 2022 Giants Live World Tour Finals. Instead, it’s the Power Stairs.

Maxime Boudreault could be considered the favorite for this event after taking first place during the 2022 World’s Strongest Man’s (WSM) Power Stairs. Boudreault made it nine steps in 39.07 seconds, while eventual WSM champion Tom Stoltman wasn’t far behind (nine steps in 41.04 seconds). How Boudreault fares at this version of the Power Stairs will depend on its structure, but he might be an early safe bet for the win. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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The 2022 Giants Live World Tour Finals present an intriguing number of storylines going in. For example, can Luke Stoltman defend his title from last year? Can Novikov continue a recent string of relative podium success dating back to Summer 2021? The strongman world will find out on October 8 in Glasgow, Scotland. 

Featured image: @luke.stoltman on Instagram

The post 2022 Giants Live World Tour Finals Events Revealed appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

Sanou’s withdrawal has unfortunate timing as this year’s Strongman Classic will take place just a few days after, on July 9, 2022, at the Royal Albert Hall in London, England. Two-time Australia’s Strongest Man (ASM) Champion (2017-2018) Eddie Williams is Sanou’s official replacement. At the time of this writing, Sanou has not offered more specifics regarding his travel problems on any of his public platforms.

 

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Sanou’s withdrawal continues a recent string of departures from this year’s Strongman Classic. In mid-June 2022, Georgia’s Konstantine Janashia left the contest as Canada’s Maxime Boudreault filled in. Then, in early July 2022, former Britain’s Strongest Man (2020) Adam Bishop had to pull himself out of the competition after tearing his triceps. Fellow United Kingdom strongman Gavin Bilton took up that empty slot.

With the latest shuffle of athletes at the Strongman Classic now official, here is where the current roster stands:

2022 Strongman Classic Roster

• Oleksii Novikov (Ukraine) — Defending Champion
• Evan Singleton (United States) — 2021 second place
• Eddie Williams (Australia)
• Paul Smith (United Kingdom)
• Ken McClelland (United States)
• Maxime Boudreault (Canada)
• Rob Kearney (United States)
• Andy Black (United Kingdom)
• Mark Felix (United Kingdom)
• Spenser Remick (United States)
• Gavin Bilton (United Kingdom)
• Mitchell Hooper (Canada)

Here are the events for this year’s Strongman Classic:

2022 Strongman Classic Events

• Dumbbell Medley
• The Pillars of Hercules
• Farmer’s Carry for Distance
• Axle Deadlift
• Castle Stones

 

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Williams’ Return

At 29-years-old, Williams might still be seeking a major international breakthrough as a strongman. While he can boast two ASM titles, the athlete would undoubtedly like to make a bigger name for himself outside of his home country. According to Strongman Archives, Williams hasn’t competed in any contest in over two years. The 2022 Strongman Classic will mark his return.

Notably, Williams has been part of a Giants Live contest before, finishing in seventh place at the 2019 Giants Live North American Open. In addition, on another international stage, during his first and only appearance at the 2019 World’s Strongest Man (WSM), Williams was unable to make it past the Qualifying Round.

To notch a great result, Williams will face tough sledding from a field that features names like defending Strongman Classic Champion Oleksii Novikov and rising stars such as Wild Card Mitchell Hooper. The strongman sphere will ultimately see how Williams manages his return to competition on July 9, 2022, in London, England.

Featured image: @giantslivestrongman on Instagram

The post Cheick “Iron Biby” Sanou Withdraws From Strongman Classic, Eddie Williams Takes the Slot appeared first on Breaking Muscle.