Only 4 places in the final remain! Competing for 2 of them today are:
Martins Licis – USA – World’s Strongest Man 2019
Maxime Boudreault – Canada – 3rd at WSM 2021
Shane Flowers – England – 5th at Europe’s Strongest Man 2022
Pavlo Kordiyaka – Ukraine – 4th at Europe’s Strongest Man 2022
Gavin Bilton – Wales – 2x UK’s Strongest Man
Nedzmin Ambeskovic – Bosnia – 1st WSM Appearance
We have the WSM return of Martins Licis, the champion from 2019 who took 2 years off due to injury. However, I did see his return at the Rogue Invitational last year where he dominated and beat out Tom Stoltman and Mateusz Kieliszkowski. If he’s still in that form, he should easily qualify for the final again this year. Boudreault was 3rd last year ans should be the favourite here for the second qualifying spot, but Kordiyaka and Bilton shouldn’t be overlooked.
Event 1 – Loading Race
75 seconds to load a 125kg cannonball, then a 125kg anvil, then a 120kg sack, a 120kg keg and then another 120kg sack IN ORDER. Up first is Kordiyaka against Flowers. A good event for Kordiyaka, or so I thought as he drops the anvil and loses a lot of time, but Flowers drops the final sack and allows the Ukrainian to catch up and take the win. Flowers appears to be hurt too which isn’t good. Next is Nedzmin Ambeskovic against Gavin Bilton. Bilton is built for this type of event. Nedzmin Ambeskovic I’m not too familiar with though I think I might have seen him at a deadlift event at some point. Unsure how he will do at anything other than deadlifting. Ambeskovic really struggles with the anvil, dropping it multiple times and giving up. A bad start. Bilton is just behind Kordiyaka so far. Finally the big guns, with Licis and Boudreault! Both men are flying, but its Licis just ahead of the Canadian, and he easily takes the win. 2nd place for Boudreault.
Event 2 – Deadlift Ladder
The 5 weights are back again, ranging from 300kg to 380kg, all to be lifted in the quickest time possible. So, on paper this should be good for Nedzim, however with the speed factor, he could still be beaten out by the likes of Licis, Boudreault and even Kordiyaka. Nedzim and Flowers are first, with Flowers going much quicker but also in a lot of pain. Nedzmin is simply going far too slow, and then one of his straps snaps off during the 4th lift. A bad event for both men. Kordiyaka and Bilton now, and Bilton has improved at deadlift a bunch in the last year or so, and its showing. He’s a full lift ahead of Kordiyaka, then makes all 5 lifts in a solid time. Kordiyaka only manages 3 as his feet are too hot on this surface. Which makes me wonder why nobody is putting SOMETHING on their feet beyond socks after the first person got hot feet. I get that they don’t like wearing shoes in a deadlift event as it puts them lower to the ground, making the pickup easier, but if you end up with burning feet and unable to continue lifting then it doesn’t mean a thing. Anyway. Licis and Boudreault head to head again. Licis I think is the better overall deadlifter and no doubt it’ll show. And of course as I say that, Licis messes up on the first 2 lifts, but luckily his speed allows him to still overtake the Canadian. But even with those mistakes, he still gets all 5 up in a faster time than Bilton! Boudreault manages 3. Gavin Bilton will be pleased with his result for sure!
Event 3 – Car Walk
430kg car to be lifted and walked down a 20m course. Licis continues to be a favourite for the event, while Bilton could get another 2nd place. Flowers’ injury will likely prevent him doing well, or even taking part. Nedzmin went first but was unable to finish the course. Next up we see Pavlo and Boudreault going head to head, and Kordiyaka is speeding away, finishing in under 14 seconds. Bourdreault is having a terrible time of it, finishing in around 50 seconds. Bilton and Licis are last, and Bilton has a chance to really pull ahead of Bourdreault in the points here. Licis makes a small mistake at the start line but pulls ahead of Bilton, finishing ahead of the Welshman. Neither are able to beat the time of Kordiyaka though.
It seems Shane Flowers has had to withdraw from the competition. As we are now halfway, time to look at the overall points:
Licis is of course in 1st, while the second and third positions are up for grabs between Kordiyaka, Bilton and Boudreault. If Bilton can make it to the stone off I believe he has a great chance of making his first final.
Event 4 – Log Lift
145kg log to be pressed overhead as many times in 75 seconds. Nedzmin went first getting 2 reps. We join the action with Bilton against Boudreault. Maxime is the better presser here, so Bilton just needs to do as much as he can and hope Pavlo has a poor showing. Boudreault is looking fantastic here, getting 10 reps and making all of them look easy. Bilton got 7 which is impressive as hell for him, and should still put a lot of pressure on Kordiyaka. Now for Licis and Pavlo. Both men reach that 7 reps from Bilton, and both go ahead. Licis goes for a 10th to try and equal 1st place, but just can’t do it. Kordiyaka even catches him with 9 as well. Good for Licis, Boudreault and Kordiyaka, but bad news for Bilton despite putting in an incredible showing.
Event 5 – Wrecking Ball Hold
Who can hold the 228kg wrecking ball off the ground for the longest? Bilton will be hoping its him, as he needs all the points he can get to make it into the stone off. Nedzmin was first, lasting on for 1 minute 12.47 seconds. We join the action with Bilton taking his turn, and his WSM Final dreams all come down to this. He looks to be in pain before the minute mark, and sadly he can’t even beat Nedzmin. He gave it his all, but I don’t believe it’ll be enough. Kordiyaka is out next, and he looks way more comfortable at the minute mark, and he keeps on going, beating out Nedzmin as well. He finishes with a time of 1 minute 31.33 seconds and that’ll ensure his place in the stone off with Bourdreault who beats out Kordiyaka by less than a second. Licis takes 3rd place in the event, with enough points to win the heat.
So there we have it, Licis makes the final for the 5th time (out of 5 attempts), and can finally begin his quest to retake the WSM title. Bilton put on a great performance throughout the entire heat but sadly wasn’t enough. We go now to the stone off as Boudreault and Kordiyaka face off!
Event 6 – Stone Off
We have the castle stones, ranging from 150kg to 200kg, but instead of placing them on a platform, the athletes have to pass them over a bar to each other. Once they both pass a stone over to each other once, they move onto the next stone. This continues until either 1 guy fails to put it over the bar in the allotted time, or they get to all 5 stones and continue passing the heaviest stone until one man is unable to do it. Bourdreault has the advantage going into the event, and I would say he’s probably the better stone lifter as well. He will absolutely want to get through to the final again and prove that his podium finish last year wasn’t a fluke. Boudreault looks way stronger on all the stones as they make it to the final 200kg stone. Maxime would need to make a big mistake to lose here imo. 3 passes for Kordiyaka and he looks exhausted, but he still manages a 4th. Boudreault still looking strong though, and you have to think he’s taking the win. Another pass for the Ukrainian with only a second to spare, while Maxime sends it back in no time at all. And that’s it, Kordiyaka is unable to send it back, and last year’s #3 makes another final!
And so, the results are pretty obvious. Former champion from 2019, and 3rd place finisher from 2021 both make it through. Now we just have 1 heat left, and 2 spots in the final up for grabs!
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