WSM Qualifying Round Previews: Group 3
2022-05-21 by Éloi Fournier
The third qualifying group at the 2022 World’s Strongest Man could mean redemption for 2020 WSM champion, Oleksii Novikov, who missed the Final last year. In fact, Novikov did not make the Final in 2 of his 3 appearances (2019 & 2021) - and in this group are two men who directly contributed to the Ukrainian being eliminated in the Qualifying Round in those two years.
Trey Mitchell made a name for himself on the international strongman scene by defeating Novikov, 14 reps to 13, in the Last Man Standing event in 2019 to qualify for his first WSM Final. Mitchell was eliminated in 2020, the year Novikov won, but bounced back in Sacramento last year by finishing in 4th place overall.
Great Britain’s Adam Bishop is a familiar face at World’s Strongest Man, having made it to the top 10 for the past three years. Each time, he won the stone eliminator in his group to qualify for the WSM Final… each time benefitting from an injury to a direct competitor from the United States (Robert Oberst in 2019, Evan Singleton in 2020 and Jerry Pritchett in 2021). Let’s hope we’re not jinxing anyone!
Also in Group 3, Rob Kearney is making his return to World’s Strongest Man after a three-year absence. The man called “World’s Strongest Gay” nearly reached the Final his last time out, and his impressive showing (5th place) at the Arnold Strongman Classic shows that he is a legitimate threat after coming back from a serious tricep injury as well as a bout with testicular cancer.
Grzegorz Szymański is another man who has battled testicular cancer and is making his return after a long time out of the sport. The Polish strongman was a finalist back in 2016, finishing 8th, but had to quit training for multiple years. However, he has been competing in the Polish strongman cup for the past year.
Newcomer Mika Törrö of Finland rounds out the group; Törrö finished 3rd in the Strongman Champions League World Finals in 2021 and he is the first Finn to take part in WSM since Juha-Matti Järvi in 2013.
The Events
This group is tough, and the Loading Race is hard to call! However, Oleksii Novikov is the total package and his athleticism should serve him well in this opening event.
Adam Bishop comes into the Deadlift Ladder with a big reputation - the Brit has won his last 7 deadlift events (for reps) at WSM, whether in the Qualifying Round or in the Final. Rob Kearney is a strong deadlifter too, but the grip element could be a hindrance for him, while Trey Mitchell should get big points in this event.
Novikov and Kearney have to be the favourites for the Car Walk! They are both well known for their speed in yoke events.
Another good event for Kearney, the Log lift for reps, is next - this one should also give good points to Mitchell and Novikov, while the Wrecking Ball Hold could go either way depending on who needs a big result in order to qualify for the Final.
The Stone Off could be a challenge for the diminutive Kearney, if he makes it, while Bishop could have a tough go of it if he ends up facing Mitchell or Novikov. And, for the sake of the latter two, we hope that they don’t have to pass a heavy stone to one another all afternoon, as was the case in 2019.
Some Head-to-head Matchups
Oleksii Novikov 4-1 Trey Mitchell (most recent meeting: 2022 Arnold Strongman Classic - Novikov 2nd, Mitchell 7th)
Oleksii Novikov 6-1 Adam Bishop (most recent meeting: 2021 Europe’s Strongest Man - Novikov 2nd, Bishop 10th)
Oleksii Novikov 4-1 Rob Kearney (most recent meeting: 2022 Arnold Strongman Classic - Novikov 2nd, Kearney 5th)
Trey Mitchell 4-0 Adam Bishop (most recent meeting: 2021 Shaw Classic - Mitchell 1st, Bishop 7th)
Our picks: Oleksii Novikov & Trey Mitchell