The Mooooose is in the hoooouse! | World Tour Finals 2022 Full Results and Highlights
A record-breaking night of Strongman action as the GIANTS returned to Glasgow!
The Hydro Arena in Glasgow may have lost its bid for Eurovision, but on 8th October 2022, the venue played host to an event with even more glitz, drama and spectacle than the song contest itself – a Giants Live strongman show!
12 real-life Giants and almost 7,000 strongman fans joined Giants Live for the electrifying culmination of the 2022 World’s Strongest Man Qualifying Tour: The World Tour Finals.
The event was the last chance for the strongest men around the world to qualify for the 2023 World’s Strongest Man competition. Athletes included Australia’s Strongest Man – Eddie Williams, Scotland’s Strongest Man – Louis Jack, 5 x Ireland’s Strongest Man – Pa O’Dwyer, and the Giant from Ukraine – Pavlo Nakonchnyy.
The first of 5 trials facing the strongmen was the Nicol Stones – two HUGE Scottish boulders weighing 138kg and 114kg. The athletes’ challenge was to carry the stones as far as they possibly could. The un-even load and sheer bulk of the stones posed a particularly brutal test of grip and determination – there were jelly legs aplenty as the athletes pushed their pain barriers to the limit, stones smashing into their calves and tearing the skin from their hands!
All eyes were on Scotland’s Andy Black to take the win on this event after he lost out on the World Record last year to USA’s Kevin Faires (22.2m), but we don’t think anyone was quite prepared for what unfolded in Event 1…
Scotland’s Strongest Man, Louis Jack, kicked things off and set a high standard to follow with a respectable 19.75m distance – an impressive run, especially for his first time out on the Giants Live stage!
But the best was yet to come. We then witnessed not one, not two, not three but FOUR jaw-dropping moments of sports strength history as we saw the World Record broken first by pint-sized powerhouse and UK’s Strongest Man Paul Smith (23.10m), then by Andy Black (24.08), Mitchell ‘the Moose’ Hooper (24.14) and Kevin Faires (24.61).
What a way to start the show!
Four World Records in One Event at the Hydro Arena, Glasgow! Wow!
The second event was the Giant Anchor – a head-to-head race with a 125kg anchor and a 350kg chain! There were a few fumbles in this event, costing some of the athletes valuable points, but the standout race of the night was between Canadian Mitchell Hooper and USA’s Kevin Faires, with Hooper taking the win (22.16 seconds), closely followed by Pavlo Kordiyaka (22.96 seconds).
Mitchell Hooper and Kevin Faires go head to head on the Anchor Carry and Drag at the World Tour Finals 2022 in Glasgow
Event 3 was a giant 350kg Axle Deadlift for reps where we saw yet another World Record smashed as Ukrainian Pavlo Nakonechnyy battled it out against Estonian Rauno Heinla. Rauno managed 8 reps for second place in this event, but Pavlo took the win and the World Record with an astonishing 11 repetitions.
Rauno Heinla and Pavlo Nakonechnyy go head to head on the 350kg Giant Axle Deadlift at the World Tour Finals in Glasgow
The penultimate event was a giant circus dumbbell weighing 100kg which the athletes had to press overhead as many times as possible in 60 seconds. Latvian Aivars Smaukstellis and Ukrainian Pavlo Kordiyaka shared the win on this one with 7 repetitions each.
Pa O’Dywer and Pavlo Kordiyaka take on the 100 kilo Circus Dumbbell at the Giants Live World Tour Finals 2022
In a change from the ‘norm’, the final event was a heavy Power Stairs rather than the usual Atlas Stones decider. The athletes were tasked with hoisting 5 huge anvils weighing 200 to 250 kilos up a 1.5m staircase as fast as humanly possible!
Aivars Smaukstellis and Pavlo Kordiyaka battle the Power Stairs at the World Tour Finals 2022
It was a close finish with Mitchell Hooper ending on 52 points, taking a well-deserved first place, Aivars Smaukstellis not far behind him on 47.5 points, and Kevin Faires in third place with 46 points.
What a finale to complete the World’s Strongest Man qualifying stages!
Watch the replay of the full live stream [here] for just £7.99!
Get tickets for the next live show [here!]
| Ranking | Name Athlete | Final Result Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Mitchell Hooper
|
52 |
| 2 |
Aivars Šmaukstelis
|
47.5 |
| 3 |
Kevin Faires
|
46 |
| 4 |
Pavlo Nakonechnyy
|
40 |
| 5 |
Pavlo Kordiyaka
|
38 |
| 6 |
Rauno Heinla
|
29 |
| 7 |
Paul Smith
|
28.5 |
| 8 |
Pa O’Dwyer
|
27 |
| 9 |
Eddie Williams
|
23 |
| 10 |
Andy Black
|
19 |
| 11 |
Mark Felix
|
19 |
| 12 |
Louis Jack
|
18 |
