This show takes place in the USA and is the North American Open!
Giant’s Live 3 – USA
Today’s competitors are:
Nick Best
Ben Thompson
Mark Felix (Guest Competitor)
Derek Devaughan
Jerry Pritchett
Stan Carradine
Bryan Benzel
Dimitar Savatinov (from Bulgaria, but a USA resident and current USA’s strongest man)
Robert Oberst
Only 9 guys here, though with Mark Felix as a guest I suppose it would normally be 8, so that makes more sense. Honestly had no idea about Dimitar being a resident of the USA and being their strongest man, so that’s quite a surprise to me!
Event 1 – Log Press
This is all about maximum weight, as everyone will get a certain amount of lifts, and will go up in weight every time until only 1 person has lifted the most!
Everyone goes, but once the weight gets to 180kg, most have already been eliminated. The weight gets to an impressive 191kg, and we are down to our final 2; Dimitar and Oberst! They both make the weight, but what will they chose to go to next, and will either of them lift it? 202.5KG is the next weight, and this is below Dimitar’s own personal best, and he makes it with relative ease! Oberst however has a personal best of 1kg more than Dimitar, so this should go up just as easy too! Yes! Another “easy” lift, so next we are going to 213kg which will be a new personal best for these two, and a new USA and Bulgarian record too! Dimitar is bowing out at this in order to save himself, while Oberst is going to give it a go! Damn, he just couldn’t press it off his chest. Good attempt, but wasn’t happening today. 202.5kg is still a fantastic lift, one that very few strongmen can achieve!
Event 2 – Deadlift
Deadlift for reps!
A few have been already, with 6 as the number to beat. Oberst Vs Dimitar now, but Oberst just can’t get a single rep. Dimitar on the other hand gets 9 before deciding to call it a day. Terrible event for Oberst, so he’ll need to make up some major points moving forward. Nick Best at 47 and Mark Felix at 50 are going to be last here. Nick Best is a former power lifting champion, and Felix used to be the best in the world at deadlift for reps! Should be a good competition. Felix only manages 6, though the heat could be a factor for the Englishman. Best with 8 gets him a good second place, and that’s great for him!
Event 3 – Super Yoke
900lb weight, picked up off the ground and resting on your back, with a 30m course!
Felix and Benzel up first, and Felix gets a good time of 16.14 seconds, with 18.21 for Benzel who made a few mistakes but recovered well. Carradine and Pritchett next, and Pritchett should do well here, however he is just behind Felix by less than a second. Best Vs Dimitar, and its Best that races down the course and finishes in first, while Dimitar struggles to finish under 20 seconds. Not a good result for him at all, but great for Nick Best!
After 3 events, this is how the scores are looking:
Dimitar keeps his first place, but has to share with Nick Best, and Pritchett is only half a point away from them both. A couple of bad events sees Oberst way down the leader board in 7th place.
Event 4 – Medley Race
2 heavy sacks, and 2 heavy barrels must be picked up, ran down a course and thrown over a metal bar! In this heat, it should be fun! No, sorry, not fun… horrific!
A few have gone, but we have Felix and Pritchett are the first 2 we get to see. Felix is going well so far, but the heat might get to him before the end. 45.03 seconds for Felix, which doesn’t give him first so far, but is a great time. Pritchett barely gets under the minute which was a surprise. Will Nick Best do any better against Devaughan? Derek lands himself in first place, and while Best isn’t as good, he does better Felix’s time.
Event 5 – Frame Carry
A massive wooden frame, around 360kg, must be lifted and carried down a 30m course.
Dimitar suffers from stomach cramps and is unable to get any kind of distance which could very well ruin his chances overall of winning this Giant’s LIve, and that’s a shame. Derek is the only person so far to complete the course, but then Pritchett comes along and in 15.02 seconds makes this event look easy. Can Oberst get a good result here and move himself up the board? Nope. Both he and Carradine have an awful start, with Carradine going nowhere, and Oberst making it half way then giving up due to tearing off the skin from his hands due to the grip. A painful event no doubt. Felix and Best are last, and can these old timers show everyone how its done? Well, not quite. Felix does finish in over 20 seconds, but he took his time getting a good lift to begin with. Best has a horrible couple of lifts, but also manages to finish it in the end. Not a pretty event for sure!
With just one event to go, lets see the scores going into the final event:
Well, this has to be one of the most unusual events I’ve seen in a long time. Usually you have a couple of very consistent athletes who always get good places, but here everyone is up and down, making it one of the most unpredictable competitions I think I’ve seen. Nick Best might be in first place right now, but Pritchett, Devaughan and Felix could all knock him off his perch and take the win overall. If the final event is the stones, Felix will have a very good chance of a podium finish as he seems to have improved on that event over the last few years a hell of a lot.
Event 6 – Atlas Stones
Yup, the classic Atlas Stones will be the final event, so Felix could very well walk away with a third straight podium finish in the 2016 Giant’s Live competitions! Nick Best though is determined to win his first ever Giant’s Live, but will have to fight for it with everything he has!
Felix and Pritchett are first up for us to see. Felix is just behind Pritchett, but Pritchett has given up at 4 stones, giving Felix the opportunity to beat him with a 5th, and he does in 31.40 seconds! Beating Pritchett, who sadly looks to be injured, is likely going to place Mark on that podium once again! Best and Devaughan now, and these two will need to beat Felix to stay above him on that podium. Both are going well, with Dekek just behind Best with each stone. Best drops that 5th stone, giving Derek the chance he needs, but Best just gets it up first! Felix’s time isn’t beaten though, so with an event win, I do believe that guarantees Mark a spot on the podium once more, but in which position?
The final results are:
Well, with just half a point, Felix beats out Devaughan for second place, but the real story here is Nick Best at 47 years old finally winning his first ever Giant’s Live! The 2 oldest men taking the two top spots in what was one of the most unpredictable and exciting WSM events I’ve seen in a long time!
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