Last night we saw the reigning, defending, 2x WSM Tom Stoltman and the current Europe’s Strongest Man Pavlo Kordiyaka qualify for the finals. Tonight we get to see 2 more people make it to the top 10!
Oleksii Novikov – Ukraine – 2020 World’s Strongest Man
Luke Stoltman – Scotland – 2021 Europe’s Strongest Man
Gavin Bilton – Wales – 2nd at Britain’s Strongest Man 2023
Thomas Evans – USA
Fadi El Masri – Lebanon
Kristjan Jon Haraldsson – Iceland – Iceland’s Strongest Man
Interesting lineup. Novikov is always a force to be reckoned with, having won the title in 2020 and finishing 3rd last year, however in 2021 he didn’t make it past the heats to defend his title, so nothing is guaranteed. Luke either seems to have a great show or a bad show, not always making it to the final. But if he has a good show here, he can definitely beat even the mighty Ukrainian, which he has done in the past when he won Europe’s Strongest Man in 2021. Gavin Bilton has been on a great run this year, coming close to winning Britain’s Strongest Man and getting good finishes in Giants Live shows. He could surprise people and beat out Luke for a place in the final, or even Novikov if Novikov has a repeat of 2021. Then we have 3 people I’m not very familiar with. Out of those 3 names though, its the Icelandic champion that I would look out for the most. Strongmen from Iceland are always a threat!
Event 1 – Loading Race
5 implements, all varying distances from the platform, need to be lifted and loaded in the quickest time possible! First 3 athletes to take it on are Evans, Stoltman and Novikov! Novikov is as quick as expected, while Evans is going well. Stoltman makes a mistake loading the 2nd object and that puts him behind, but he catches Evans up on the final implement, but its not enough. Novikov first, Evans second, and Stoltman third. Next then its Bilton, Masri and Haraldsson. Bilton’s height will help with the loading, but how will hit fitness hold up running on sand? He too makes a mistake on the 2nd object, allowing Haraldsson to overtake him, wile El Masri isn’t too far behind the giant Welshman. Good finish for Haraldsson who is only around a second behind Novikov! Bilton finishes next, while El Masri runs out of time.
Event 2 – Deadlift Machine
6 barrels, loaded one at a time after a rep, making the overall weight go from 280kg to 380kg. Most reps wins! First up was El Masri, getting 4 reps. Next we see Bilton, who isn’t the best deadlifter, but does well to make 5 reps in this heat and on this machine which is more awkward to lift than on a regular bar. Luke up next and he too isn’t the best deadlifter. The 5th rep is a hard lift for him, and I think that’s probably it. He makes an attempt at another lift, but he’s out of energy now. Evans has been and gone off screen, and he too made it to 5 reps, so that’s 3 men tied for current 1st place, with 2 to go! Haraldsson was only able to manage 4 reps, meaning we now have Novikov left to go and he knows all he needs is 6. 5 reps so far and he’s looking strong, and yup, 6 reps complete and he needs no more! Another win for the former WSM!
Event 3 – Log Ladder
5 logs weighing between 125kg and 180kg must be lifted in order in the quickest time possible. Luke is known for being a massive presser, but isn’t always the fasted, while Novikov is a great presser AND quick. I expect them to be 1st and 2nd, though I have no idea how most of them will perform as I have little to no knowledge on their pressing abilities! First up we had Haraldsson who managed 2, along with El Marsi who got 2 as well, but in a slower time. Bilton and Stoltman go head to head next. Bilton should be good for around 3, maybe 4. Luke SHOULD get all 5, but we have seen him just seem to hit a wall sometimes. An easy 4 so far for Stoltman, and then an even easier 5th lift! Bilton was slow and took his time and indeed got a 4th rep in, but the 5th is too much for him. Good lifting from both! Finally its Novikov and Evans, and based on the first heat with Tom Stoltman getting all 5 done in just over 40 seconds, I’d expect Novikov to be aiming for a similar time too. Good start for both men, and its Evans who is actually just ahead of the former WSM! Novikov seems to really struggle on the 4th, while Evans gets the 5th lift in under 40 seconds!!! Novikov is unable to get all 5 in something of a surprise.
We are halfway through the heat now, so let’s check out the overall points:
Novikov is still on top after 2 events wins and a 3rd place, however Evans is closing the gap in second place. Luke only 2 points below him. Bilton and Haraldsson are only a few points behind Luke, and good placement in the next 2 events could still put them in with a chance at making the stone off!
Event 4 – Conan’s Wheel
Will this event once again change up the overall scores, or can the leaders keep hold of their positions? First up is El Masri, who sadly only managed 70 degrees. Haraldsson got 524 degrees, putting him in current 1st, but for how long? Bilton takes his turn now, and his body shape is not good for this type of event. However is he at least able to beat Haraldsson with 557 degrees. Now for Kovikov, who at Europe’s Strongest Man was only beaten by Kordiyaka who of course went away with a new world record. He’s moving quick and overtakes Bilton with no real issues. Its at 897 degrees that he finally drops it, and that will be near impossible to beat imo. Stoltman has got to try though, but like Bilton he just isn’t built for this type of event. 545 degrees for him, placing him behind Bilton and Novikov, which definitely helps Bilton out. Finally Evans gets his go, and before I finish typing out what I was going to say, he drops it at 69 degrees, which places him in dead last. Another instance of the Conan’s wheel changing things up!
Event 5 – Kettlebell Toss
7 huge kettlebells ranging from 20kg to 30kg have to be thrown over a 4.5m bar in the quickest time. This event typically favours the taller man, but Novikov is just so powerful that it almost doesn’t even matter. First up then was El Masri who got 4 bells over. 5 for Haraldsson. We join the action with Gavin Bilton who has the size for this event, and its showing as he gets a very quick 6, but the 7th, just like in Heat 1, won’t go over. The time for 6, just under 20 seconds, will definitely place him high at the end of this imo! Time for Evans to take his turn, and we know he has the POWER, but how will his fitness and technique hold up? Not as well as he would like as he gets the height for the 3rd bell, but not the right angle. He keeps going, but he runs out of power on the 6th bell. Only 5 for him, which could be disastrous for him making the final now. Luke now, and he cannot make the mistakes that Evans did. Take it slow and just make sure 6 go over is the best bet imo, and that appears to be what he’s doing. However the 6th bell didn’t go over on first attempt, but a little rest and he is able to launch it over the bar. I *think* this means Stoltman and Bilton go into the stone off now! Lastly then we have Novikov who is already in the final, so he just throws one bell over for the single point!
One event left, so let’s confirm who goes into the stone off!
It is indeed Bilton and Stoltman going into the stone off, with Novikov winning the heat. The performance on the Conan’s Wheel sadly put an end to Evans’ chances.
Event 6 – Stone Off
We have the castle stones, ranging from 140kg 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. Both men are good at the stones in general, so I can see them making all stones and it coming down to reps on the last stone to see who makes the final. Four stones down, and the 5th still looks easy for both men, so its down to the final stone at 200kg. Bilton goes first and gets it over, and Stoltman is able to pass it back. Now its down to reps of the 200kg stone. A slip for Bilton almost costs him, but he just gets the stone over in the allotted time. Stoltman passes it back nice and quick. Bilton sadly isn’t able to get a proper grip now, and time is up. Luke joins his brother Tom in the finals, while Gavin just misses out. Disappointment for sure as he has been so good this year in competitions and I for one would have loved to see him make the finals.
And there we have it, the next 2 qualifying spots go to Luke Stoltman and Oleksii Novikov as expected!
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