Life
Mateusz has been one of the world’s most formidable strongmen since he burst onto the scene in 2015. He has twice finished runner-up at World’s Strongest Man and is regarded as arguably the best athlete to have never won that title.
Having placed 2nd three times at the Arnold Classic, Kieleszkowski has also finished runner-up at Europe’s Strongest Man. He hails from a small village in Poland, called Chlebów, where before his strongman career took off, he worked for his father’s lumber company.
Inspired to begin training by his schoolteacher, he was advised not to start lifting too young, but his interest in strength sports prevailed and he won the Arnold Amateur World Championship at just 20 years of age!
Career
Having won the Amateur World’s in 2014, Mateusz became the youngest Strongman competitor in Arnold Classic history when he competed at the 2015 competition, placing an incredible 3rd – an achievement he has said he is most proud of in his career.
Showing awesome talent in carrying events such as loading races and super yokes, Kieliszkowski began to prove himself as a tremendous overhead lifter, particularly in the Dumbbell Press where he established world records in both the Giant Circus Dumbbell (150kg/331lb) and Cyr Dumbbell (145kg/320lb). His prowess as a natural stone lifter was cemented when he achieved a world record five repetitions with the 186kg/410lb Odd Haugen Tombstone to Shoulder at the Arnold.
A five-times Poland’s Strongest Man winner, Kielszkowski has tasted success on the Giants Live stage, winning the World Tour Finals in 2018 and 2019, as well as the 2019 Wembley event. Up until 2023 he had never failed to qualify for the World’s Strongest Man Final and came close to winning in 2018 and 2019. He would surely have tasted even more success were it not for his only real weakness – the deadlift.
In 2020 Mateusz placed 2nd at the Arnold classic but would then miss WSM due to a triceps injury that required surgery. With the ensuing complications, Mateusz would not return to WSM until 2023, where he went out in the group stages for first time in his career, having missed some seventeen months of competition.
Recovering from double knee surgery, he finished 3rd at the 2023 Rogue International, having zero’d in the opening deadlift event. Winning the next two disciplines, the Pole proved, once again, that he is still capable of destroying his opponents in certain events.
Best Title
At just 25-years-of-age, Mateusz secured his first Giants Live victory at the 2018 World Tour Finals in Manchester. Coming from behind after a bad placing in event 2, the Deadlift for Reps, he won the final two events of the night to pip 2019 World’s Strongest Man, Martins Licis, to the title by just half a point. In the final event – The Atlas Stones – Kieliszkowski produced a stunning 16.09 second world record to steal a famous win in what was one of the most exciting finishes in Giants Live history.
Competition Results
Best Lifts
Competition Lifts
Training lifts
Media
Mateusz can be found on Instagram under the handle @Kieliszkowskimateusz, where his 167k followers are kept up to date with his training activities and contest performances. He also has a YouTube channel: Mateusz Kieliszkowski and has now accumulated 68k subscribers. His performance at World’s Strongest Man will be aired on UK television’s Channel 5 over the festive period.
