Joining Haraldsson on the 2023 SMI podium were Vilius Jokužys (second place) and Pálmi Gudfinnsson (third place). This is Jokužys’s second consecutive runner-up placing to Haraldsson in the SMI competition. To date, the athlete has yet to score a victory in his strongman career, per Strongman Archives, but has only competed in his native Iceland. Meanwhile, this SMI result is the first time Gudfinsson has finished on a podium in a budding career featuring just three competitive appearances.

The 2023 SMI featured eight events, which are as follows: Max Dumbbell, Bag Over Bar, Front Hold, Max Deadlift, Arm-Over-Arm Pull, Mooring Bitt Carry, Block Press, and a Farmer’s Carry and Yoke Medley. Here are the final standings of the 2023 SMI, which had 10 competitors on hand vying for victory:

2023 Strongest Man in Iceland | Final Standings

1. Kristján Jón Haraldsson — 72.5 points
2. Vilius Jokužys — 67.5 points
3. Pálmi Gudfinnsson — 54 points
4. Gudmundur Adalsteinsson — 51.5 points
5. Stefán Karel Torfason — 43 points
6. Aron Geir Gudmundsson — 37.5 points
7. Birgir Gudnason — 36.5 points
8. Alexander Andersen — 30 points
9. Fannar Katrínarson — 27.5 points 
10. Ólafur Haukur Tómasson — 17 points

To help his case and repeat as SMI champion, Haraldsson won five of the eight events and was a runner-up in two others in a consistently dominant display. Here’s an overview of Haraldsson’s complete performance:

Kristján Jón Haraldsson | 2023 Strongest Man in Iceland Performance

• Max Dumbbell — 110 kilograms (242.5 pounds) | Tied for first place
• Bag Over Bar — Six in 19.51 seconds | Second place
• Front Hold — 37.31 seconds | Sixth place
• Max Deadlift — 400 kilograms (881.8 pounds) | First place
• Arm-Over-Arm Pull — 41.95 seconds | First place
• Mooring Bitt Carry — 40 meters | First place
• Block Press — Four in 67.31 seconds | First place
• Farmer’s Carry & Yoke Medley — 38.15 seconds | Second place

The 2023 SMI is Haraldsson’s fourth victory in his last six contests dating back to the 2022 SMI. The strongman made his World’s Strongest Man (WSM) debut during the 2023 iteration, where he finished in fifth place in Group 2. Haraldsson entered the sport’s tentpole event as an alternate after Cheick “Iron Biby” Sanou withdrew on the first day of the contest.

Haraldsson’s continued prowess in his native country might quickly be making him the next Icelandic superstar strongman. That’s because the athlete is also the defending Iceland’s Strongest Man (2022). Provided Haraldsson continues his recent meteoric pace, he would be following in the footsteps of respective Iceland icons in 2018 WSM champion Hafthor Björnsson and four-time WSM victor (1991, 1994-1996) Magnús Ver Magnússon.

There’s a long way to go before Haraldsson can match the rap sheet of two of the greatest strongmen ever. Some of his initial momentum is, however, a positive step in the right direction toward that kind of illustrious legacy.

Featured image: @palmigudfinnsson on Instagram

The post 2023 Strongest Man in Iceland Results — Kristján Jón Haraldsson Repeats appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

Though the 2023 WSM would’ve been his first appearance in the flagship strongman competition, Sanou is not new to the strongman scene. Sanou was the third-place finisher at the 2021 Giants Live Strongman Classic. Sanou has previously had to withdraw from the 2022 Giants Live Strongman Classic (due to travel-related issues).

The athlete from Burkina Faso has a well-established reputation for being proficient in overhead lifts. Sanou possesses both the current Axle Press World Record of 217 kilograms (477.4 pounds) and the Log Lift World Record of 229 kilograms (504.8 pounds).

Sanou officially joins Ukraine’s Pavlo Nakonechnyy and Canada’s Maxime Boudreault on the list of 2023 WSM withdrawals in the early goings, with Sanou being the first withdrawal as of the contest’s start time. Boudreault withdrew due to a shin injury in February, which also knocked him out of the 2023 Arnold Strongman Classic (ASC). Meanwhile, Nakonechnyy potentially bowed out because of complications from a deadlift-related ailment suffered during the 2023 (ASC) in March. The Ukrainian competitor did not participate in the early-April 2023 Europe’s Strongest Man (ESM) because of said injury, hoping to recover in time to compete at the WSM.

Here are the updated Qualifying Round groups for the 2023 WSM:

2023 World’s Strongest Man Qualifying Round Groups

There are five groups of six athletes in the 2023 WSM, which will be parsed down to 10 competitors for the weekend’s Final.

Group 1

• Konstantine Janashia
• Pavlo Kordiyaka
• Pa O’Dwyer
• Tom Stoltman
• Bobby Thompson
• Eddie Williams

Group 2

• Kristján Jón Haraldsson
• Gavin Bilton
• Fadi El Masri
• Thomas Evans
• Oleksii Novikov
• Luke Stoltman

Group 3

• Graham Hicks
• Mitchell Hooper
• Mateusz Kieliszkowski
• Mathew Ragg
• Spenser Remick
• Aivars Smaukstelis

Group 4

• Adam Bishop
• Kevin Faires
• Rauno Heinla
• Gabriel Rhéaume
• Jaco Schoonwinkel
• Brian Shaw

Group 5

• Jean-Stephen Coraboeuf
• Mark Felix
• Eythor Ingolfsson Melsted
• Trey Mitchell
• Evan Singleton
• Paul Smith

Haraldsson will take Sanou’s place in Group 2 of the Qualifying Round, joining former WSM champion (2020) Oleksii Novikov — the likely headliner of that mix.

At only 24 years old, Haraldsson might still be a relative unknown in the international strongman scene. That is not the case for the defending ISM champion in his native Iceland, who has started to dominate in various domestic contests. In Haraldsson’s only other international strongman competitive appearances, he finished in fourth place during the 2021 Magnus Magnús Ver Magnússon Classic (MVMC). He followed that performance with an 11th-place result at the 2022 MVMC.

The relatively young Icelandic athlete will undoubtedly look to improve that rap sheet at the 2023 WSM. Putting himself on the map now could portend Haraldsson becoming the next potential great Icelandic strongman, following in the footsteps of the legendary Magnús Ver Magnússon and Hafthor Björnsson.

Stay tuned to Breaking Muscle for live updates of the 2023 WSM leaderboard and any other breaking news that files in during the massive contest in Myrtle Beach, SC.

Featured image: @theworldsstrongestman on Instagram

The post Cheick “Iron Biby” Sanou Withdraws from 2023 World’s Strongest Man, Kristján Jón Haraldsson in as Replacement appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

Here are the final standings from the 2022 Iceland’s Strongest Man:

2022 Iceland’s Strongest Man Results

1. Kristján Jón Haraldsson — 36 points
2. Stefán Karel Torfason — 33 points
3. Páll Logason — 31 points
4. Hilmar Örn Jónsson — 21 points
5. Kristján Páll Árnason — 15 points
6. Sigurjón Gudnason — 11 points

 

 

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Kristján Jón Haraldsson (@kristjan.haraldsson)

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The six-athlete field competed in seven events throughout the two-day strength competition. They were the Truck Pull, Max Deadlift, Front Hold, Weight Toss, Super Yoke, Overhead Press, and the Natural Stones in successive order. Haraldsson had a dominant performance, winning four of the seven events, edging defending champion Stefán Karel Torfason by a three-point margin.

2022 Iceland’s Strongest Man Event Rundown

Here’s an overview of the 2022 ISM’s schedule and the path Haraldsson took to his title, per Strongman Archives.

Day One — Saturday, August 6, 2022

Truck Pull

At the time of this writing, the weight of the truck the athletes pulled is undisclosed. Nonetheless, the competitor who could pull it the farthest distance won the event. 

1. Kristján Jón Haraldsson — 9.28 meters
2. Stefán Karel Torfason — 6.7 meters
3. Páll Logason — not shown
4. Hilmar Örn Jónsson — 21 points
5. Kristján Páll Árnason — 15 points
6. Sigurjón Gudnason — 11 points

Deadlift

The deadlift event in the 2022 ISM had the athletes pull the heaviest possible one-rep max. 

1. Páll Logason — 370 kilograms (815.7 pounds)
2. Kristján Jón Haraldsson — 360 kilograms (793.6 pounds)
3. Stefán Karel Torfason — 350 kilograms (771.6 pounds)
4. Hilmar Örn Jónsson — 340 kilograms (749.7 pounds)
5. Kristján Páll Árnason — 320 kilograms (705.5 pounds)
6. Sigurjón Gudnason — 270 kilograms (595.2 pounds)

Front Hold

Competitors held an implement of undisclosed weight attached to a handle at shoulder height for as long as possible. The handle required a supinated grip.

1. Stefán Karel Torfason — 41 seconds
2. Páll Logason — 39 seconds
3. Kristján Jón Haraldsson — 37 seconds
4. Kristján Páll Árnason — 36 secnods
5. Sigurjón Gudnason — 34 seconds
6. Hilmar Örn Jónsson — 32 seconds

 

 

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Kristján Jón Haraldsson (@kristjan.haraldsson)

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Day Two — Sunday, August 7, 2022

Weight Toss

In the Weight Toss, the respective competitors tossed implements (two kegs, two sandbags, and one weight with handles) with progressive weight (undisclosed) in the quickest time they could manage. 

1. Kristján Jón Haraldsson — Five in 12.64 seconds
2. Stefán Karel Torfason — Five in 12.70 seconds
3. Hilmar Örn Jónsson — Five in 36 seconds
4. Kristján Páll Árnason — Three in 14 seconds
5. Páll Logason — Three in 14.78 seconds
6. Sigurjón Gudnason — Three in 21.80 seconds

Super Yoke

The weight of the Yoke in this event was 400 kilograms (881.8 pounds). The victor was who could carry it down the length of the course faster than their peers. 

1. Kristján Jón Haraldsson — 47.02 seconds
2. Páll Logason — 48 seconds
3. Stefán Karel Torfason — 18.73 meters
4. Hilmar Örn Jónsson — 15.56 meters
5. Sigurjón Gudnason — 9.25 meters
6. Kristján Páll Árnason — 5.45 meters

Overhead Press

Similar to the Weight Toss, the Overhead Press gave the athletes the objective of overhead pressing four implements (natural stone, a heavy dumbbell, a monster dumbbell, and a log). The winner was whoever lifted the most successfully (weight unclear). Speed was the tiebreaker in the event any competitors lifted the same amount of implements. 

1. Kristján Jón Haraldsson — Three in 28.50 seconds
2. Stefán Karel Torfason — Three in 35 seconds
3. Páll Logason — Two in 28.65 seconds
4. Sigurjón Gudnason — One in 12.5 seconds
5. Kristján Páll Árnason — One in 14.8 seconds
6. Hilmar Örn Jónsson — no lift

Natural Stones

To conclude the contest, the competitors had to lift awkwardly-shaped stones (weight undisclosed) to their respective platforms in succession. The format could potentially be reminiscent of the more famous Atlas Stones, where strongmen lift the titular stones onto podiums. 

1. Hilmar Örn Jónsson
2. Páll Logason
3. Stefán Karel Torfason
4. Kristján Jón Haraldsson
5. Kristján Páll Árnason
6. Sigurjón Gudnason

[Related: How to Do the Goblet Squat for Lower Body Size and Mobility]

A Promising Future

At just 24, despite already achieving plenty, like his two consecutive Icelandic strongman titles, Haraldsson seems to have a bright career ahead of him. Given the history of elite strongmen from the country, he would be following a quality precedent. For example, his fellow countryman — 2018 World’s Strongest Man (WSM) champion Hafthor Björnsson — won the first of 10 consecutive ISM titles at the age of 22.

At this moment, Haraldsson is a far cry achievement-wise from an athlete many consider one of the greatest strongmen of all time. However, if he continues his pace and perhaps one day elects to compete on an international scale outside the famed Nordic country — Haraldsson might become a household name. 

Featured image: @kristjan.haraldsson on Instagram

The post 2022 Iceland’s Strongest Man Results — Kristján Jón Haraldsson Cleans House appeared first on Breaking Muscle.