'I went to Giants Live at the Utilita Arena and witnessed a world record being smashed'
Everyone has their own traditions during Christmas and New Year, and for me, nothing beats sitting back and watching Worlds Strongest Man on Channel 5. It is something I have done every year since I was young, so when I found out Giants Live was coming to the West Midlands, I was beyond excited!
Legends Magnús Ver Magnússon, Bill Kazmaier, and Colin Bryce were on hand to lend their expertise during the Strongman Open and World Log Lift Championships, which were hosted by Neil Pickup. It began with thunderous introductions for the supersized competitors, setting the stage for an action-packed evening at the Utilita Arena in Birmingham.
Mitchell Hooper, who was recently crowned the Strongest Man on Earth at the Shaw Classic, 2020 Worlds Strongest Man (WSM) Oleksii Novikov, and Brit Luke Richardson were among the lineup for the hugely anticipated event which took place on Saturday (September 7). Cheick 'Iron Biby' Sanou, from Burkina Faso, was also vying to beat his incredible Guinness World Record of 230kg in the Max Log Lift.
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Spectators cheered as they entered the Utilita Arena, and the series of gruelling challenges began with the World Log Lift Championships. Athletes were tasked with pressing an enormous wooden log overhead, which started at a whopping 170kg.
Debutant Paddy Haynes and Aivars Šmaukstelis gave it their best shot but failed to lift 170kg, while Evan 'T-Rex' Singleton, Gavin Bilton and Kevin Faires managed to press the large log overhead but were unable to take it a step further when tasked with lifting 185kg. Former WSM Oleksii Novikov, Luke Richardson, Maxime Boudreault, Thomas Evans and Nathan Goltry managed an impressive 185kg. Tragedy then struck for Goltry, who was very nearly crushed after losing his balance while trying to press 200kg.
Fans gasped in disbelief as they watched Goltry fall to the ground, a moment Colin Bryce described as 'terrifying.' Laurence Shahlaei said the 31-year-old had taken a 'nasty knock' and described him as 'one hell of a warrior.' Medics treated the injured American before he was rushed to A&E.
Only Mitchell 'Moose' Hooper and Ondřej Fojtů cleared 210kg with all eyes on Iron Biby to beat his own record of 230kg with an attempt at a remarkable 231kg. Biby leaned back, heaved the huge log overhead, then brought his head through, straightening his arms more fully to smash his own Guinness World Record.
Clearing the record weight with relative comfort, there was little doubt his massive arms and shoulders would fail him! We had just witnessed greatness with the man from Burkina Faso saying it was a 'blessing.'
Next up was the Truck Pull which saw an 8.5-tonne IVECO be hauled across 20m. Brit Paddy, from Oxford, was the first to take on the challenge and managed an impressive time of 28s. He was followed by Šmaukstelis and Faires before the 'Welsh Bull' Gavin Bilton went head-to-head with Evan Singleton.
Evans faced Boudreault while Ukrainian Novikov took on Richardson, who ended up winning the event with a blistering time of 23s. Hooper came in second with just two seconds separating the pair, and Boudreault took the third spot, completing the 20m track in 26s.
Athletes then had just 60 seconds to complete as many reps as possible in the 350kg Axle Deadlift. Welshman Gavin Bilton crashed out of the event after just one rep, having sustained a serious leg injury.
Brit Paddy Haynes put in an impressive performance with seven reps and was followed by Faires, Evans, Richardson, Novikov and Singleton. But it was Mitchell Hooper who dominated, securing the win with eight reps, with MC Neil Pickup saying 'his strength is his lack of weaknesses.'
It was then onto the penultimate event, which was the Sandbag Toss. Competitors were tasked with throwing six bags weighing from 18kg to 28kg over a 16ft bar in just 60s.
Canadian Maxime Boudreault secured the win by hurling the six bags over in just 16 seconds and did so with such explosiveness that one of them split and had to be replaced! Hooper was not far behind with an impressive time of 17s with Singleton placed in third with 20s.
It all came down to the Power Stairs where they had just 60 seconds to ascend 15 huge steps with mind-blowingly heavy weights ranging from 200kg to 250kg. Boudreault maintained his winning streak, completing the event in just 36s, with Evan Singleton just a second behind and Šmaukstelis taking the third spot with 40s.
As the 'Moose' Mitchell Hooper had established an unassailable lead before the event had even begun, he had to lift just one of the weights to secure victory and instead turned his efforts to cheering on his friend Luke Richardson. Having been plagued by injury for the last three years, the Brit was thrilled to have placed second overall, with Maxime Boudreault taking third.
Hooper said after taking the Strongman Open title that he aims to 'push the sport forward and inspire the most people' in the hope of being the 'greatest.' It was an action-packed evening filled with highs and lows, from records being smashed to terrifying injuries. It was exhilarating to see a group of Herculean beings take on such incredible feats of strength, and I loved every second!
Tickets can be purchased here for the 2025 Strongman Open and World Log Lift Championships at the Utilita Arena in Birmingham.
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