Richardson Returns to Win Europe’s Strongest Man

Saturday, April 6^th, First Direct Arena, Leeds

Yorkshire’s Luke Richardson finally laid to rest the injury-stricken chapter of his Strongman career and claimed his second Europe’s Strongest Man title! On his first appearance at Europe’s since winning back in 2020, he reminded the 10,000-strong crowd why he was nicknamed “The Future”. Closing out his victory in style, with an event winning performance in the Castle Stones, he finished 3.5-points ahead of runner-up Paddy Haynes, who produced the performance of his career. Rounding off the podium was Poland’s Mateusz Kieliszkowski who led the contest through the first three events.

Defending champion, Luke Stoltman, was forced to withdraw after three events. Struggling with some health issues, he looked below par for a man who has twice won this title. Welsh Bull, Gavin Bilton, also ended his night in disappointment after appearing to sustain a muscle tear in the Castle Stones. 2023 Champion, Pavlo Kordiyaka, underperformed in the Press Medley and was unable to get back on terms with Ondřej Fojtů, who missed the podium by just half a point from Kieliszkowski.

It was the Pole who took the opening event, by just 2-seconds from Fojtů. Making his first Giants Live appearance since his 2019 World Tour Finals win, he got his evening off to the perfect start. Like Richardson, the man they call “The Terminator” has had a string of serious injuries that have kept him side-lined for most of the last four seasons. Dubbed “The Returnimator” by emcee Neil Pickup, Kieliszkowski performed brilliantly in the Shield Walk and Carry and Drag, to establish a 3-point lead.

Paddy Haynes had predictably struggled in the Press Medley, but responded immediately in the Shield Carry with the best performance of the night. Shattering Tom Stoltman’s world record with the 200kg shield, the Englishman completed four and a half lengths of the 20m course to establish a new mark of 89.99m! Kordiyaka was just short of the old mark, but no one came close to Haynes’s remarkable carry.

Paddy would take another event win in the Axle Deadlift, sharing top honours with Rauno Heinla in an outrageous display of pulling power for a man of “just” 130kg. His second place in the Stones – an event he won at Britain’s earlier this year – saw him leapfrog both Fojtů and Kieliszkowski to take 2^nd overall. Coming off the back of his 4^th place finish at Britain’s Strongest Man, this result will compensate for his disappointment in missing the podium in Sheffield. It also guarantees his qualification to World’s Strongest Man later this year in Sacramento and marks the arrival of Haynes as one of the World’s elite Strongmen.

It was the deadlift that saw Kieliszkowski’s challenge founder. His 3-reps were good enough for just equal eighth, as Richardson pulled ahead with 5-reps to assume the overall lead for the first time. The Englishman had placed no worse than 4^th in any event and had shared victory on the Carry and Drag with Mateusz. Nevertheless, his single-point lead over Fojtů going into the stones was a slender one and he couldn’t afford to make any slip-ups.

Just as he had done in 2020, when he won his first European title, Luke powered through his stone-run, producing an event winning time and leaving no doubt as to the recipient of the winner’s trophy. His victory was met with rapturous applause from a knowledgeable crowd who were fully aware of the struggles Richardson has overcome since tearing his biceps in 2021. His win in Leeds is testament to his indomitable spirit and steadfast refusal to allow injury to deter him from his pursuit of Strongman success.

Darren Sadler paid tribute to Richardson, praising his fortitude and the tremendous performance he produced on the night. His win was especially impressive coming off the back of his early withdrawal from Britain’s Strongest Man, where like Stoltman this time around, he too had suffered with some health problems. With World’s Strongest Man just 6-weeks away, Richardson’s confidence will have received a massive boost and he will be considered one of the favourites to progress through the qualification rounds, into the Grand Final. In his winner’s interview he promised he would return to win more titles and at just 27, his future looks bright indeed!

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

Event Results

Event 1: Essence, Vitakick Press Medley

Implements: 90kg Dumbbell x 2-reps, 150kg Safe press x2-reps, 150kg Axle press x2 reps, 150kg Log Press x 2 reps.

Event 2: SBD Shield Walk

200kg shield for maximum distance.

Event 3: Badrhino Carry and Drag

125kg Anvil carry for 20m, 350kg drag for 20m.

Event 4: Mirafit Axle Deadlift for Reps

350kg Axle.

Event 5: Castle Water Stones

Implement weights: 120kg, 140kg, 160kg, 180kg, 200kg.

Overall Standings