Thor retains Open title as Flores pulls 511kg!

Ghana’s Evans Nana produced the contest of his life to take second overall and take his first Giants Live podium, with 20-year-old Matyáš Funiok also claiming a podium place in a contest that he only found out he would be competing in just a few days earlier! With new blood continuing to come to the fore in the Strongman community, Britain’s Adam Bishop, having matched his 470kg deadlift PB, announced his retirement from international competition.

Björnsson, aka The Mountain, came into the contest as the reigning Strongman Open champion and world record holder in the deadlift, but after some injury issues in his build-up decided to focus on the overall show result and not commit to bettering his 510kg record. Even so, he locked out 480kg in emphatic style, at which point he withdrew, allowing Flores to move up to the new world record figure, having comfortably lifted 470kg.

The comparatively diminutive figure of Flores, who had achieved a 504kg training lift in the weeks preceding the show, kept the crowd waiting as he prepared for his record attempt and did not disappoint. The colossal weight broke from the floor with sufficient speed to clear his knees, and though it stalled as it passed his enormous thighs, he was able to inch it to full lock out and gain the down signal from referee and four-time World’s Strongest Man, Magnús Ver Magnússon.

The crowd erupted as Flores celebrated his lift, and in the aftermath, as he spoke with show host Neil Pickup, Björnsson came from backstage to pay tribute to the 26-year-old’s unprecedented achievement, commenting that for such a young lifter, it was a feat that defied belief. Flores himself proudly displayed the tattoo of his late dog on his shoulder, telling the story of how his beloved pet’s death encouraged him to first attend the gym, where he would discover his freakish strength!

Flores was not the only athlete to break his personal best, as several competitors achieved new records: the Ghanian Gladiator, Evans Nana, joined the 1,000lb club, as did America’s Bryce Johnson and James Jeffers, of Canada. Nick Guardione managed 425kg, whilst Bishop claimed third with a lifetime best equalling 470kg. Trey Mitchell, a former WDC winner, was disappointed to come away with just 425kg, whilst Mexico’s Austin Andrade failed in his effort to better the American Record with a 480kg miss and would have to be content with 453.5kg.

With the World Deadlift Championship decided, it was time to move on with the rest of the show. Surprisingly, Flores participated in all the next four disciplines but would not place highly in any and had clearly focused all his energy on his deadlift. The Load & Push provided a contrasting increase in pace, and it was England’s Ben Glasscock who would claim a memorable event win from Czechia’s Matyáš Funiok and Nick Guardione. Jeffers, having made such a good start in the deadlift, re-injured his damaged forearm lifting the anvil and was forced to withdraw from the remainder of the contest.

Event 3, the Titan’s Toss, was a new event for Giants and a variation on the traditional Bag Toss. Having been previously performed at World’s Strongest Man, only Tom Stoltman and Maxime Boudreault had ever completed all ten bags, and it would remain that way after all eleven athletes had taken their attempts. Hafþór Björnsson was once again top of the pile as he bettered the time of Funiok by just over 1.5 seconds. Five athletes in all cleared the 12-foot bar with 9 of the 10 bags, with a few of them slamming into the bar with their final implement. Bilton and Bishop were back in the points, placing 4^th and 5^th respectively, whilst Evans Nana continued what was shaping up to be an excellent night with a 3^rd place finish.

Having placed 3^rd at World’s Strongest Man earlier in the year, Big Tex, Trey Mitchell, was struggling for points and languishing towards the foot of the leaderboard. A joint victory in the Dumbbell Press for Reps with Evans Nana and Ben Glasscock would see him move up the standings. Nana would cement his second place overall, whilst Glasscock would go into the stones 3.5-points adrift from Funiok who had tied with Björnsson for joint 4^th with 6-reps. Thor’s lead over Nana was just 2-points, but as the world record holder in the Castle Stones and one of the greatest stone lifters in history, he would surely convert the overall victory.

In the opening heats, Bryce Johnson, who was second last year, completed all 5 stones in a fast time of 25.33-seconds to set the early pace. The penultimate pairing would see Funiok attempt to hold off Ben Glasscock who was looking to move up to a podium place. The young Czech phenom once again proved his massive talent with a time of 22.87-seconds that would prove enough to win the event and secure what will surely be the first of many Giants Live podiums.

In the final heat, Thor made no mistakes as he one-motioned all five stones in 23.13-seconds to take second and take the overall victory by 5-points. Evans Nana knew he would need to load the full set of implements and did so in 29.19-seconds to keep 1.5-points clear of Funiok. Nana has recently been working with Terry Hollands and had Luke Richardson in his corner throughout the contest. His performance was by far his best yet at a Giants show and he is beginning to look like an athlete that could begin to challenge for major contest victories.

In his winner’s interview, Thor confessed he had withdrawn from the contest just a few weeks out due to an ongoing knee problem. He described his reinstatement as a “miracle” and paid tribute to his fans, support team and parents – particularly his father. Having seen his deadlift world record bettered he admitted that his own record attempts had taken a toll on his body and it is testament to his incredible competitiveness and genetic ability that he was still able to lift 480kg and retain his Strongman Open title.

As the likes of Nana, Funiok and Ben Glasscock continue to demonstrate their massive potential, Björnsson has once again proven why he is rightly regarded as one of the strongest men to have ever lived.

For anyone who missed the show, the contest is still be available to stream through www.officialstrongman.com

Overall Standings

Event Results

Event 1: SBD World Deadlift Championships

Round 1: 400kg, Rd 2: 425kg, Rd 3: 453.5kg, Rd 4: 470kg, Rd 5: 480kg, Rd 6: 490kg, Rd 7: 501kg, Rd 8: 511kg

Event 2: MIRAFIT Load & Push

Anvil: 120kg for 10m, tyre: 100kg for 15m, sack: 150kg for 20m, loaded wheelbarrow for 20m, 75-second time limit

Event 3: IRONRHINO Titan’s Toss

12-foot bar, 10 x 30lb sandbags, 2 at 7m, 2 at 8m, 2 at 9m, 2 at 10m, 1 at 11m, 1 at 12m, 75-second time limit

Event 4: VITAKICK Dumbbell Press for Reps

Implement weight: 95kg, 60-second time limit

Event 5: Castle Water Stones

Stone weights: 120kg, 140kg, 160kg, 180kg, 200kg, 60-second time limit