Strongman Archives

Whether as the founder of the world-famous Fortissimus strongman competitions or as the author of Louis Cyr’s biography, Paul Ohl had already contributed to strength sports in many ways. This week, he is unveiling a new project, just as ambitious as his previous endeavours.

Fortissimus: La planète des surhommes (Fortissimus: The Planet of the Supermen) is a 650-page essay (published in French) detailing the history of strength culture and sports, from Mesopotamian hero Gilgamesh to today’s strength athletes.

Earlier this year, at the Canada’s Strongest Man competition, Paul Ohl told Strongman Archives that he had worked on the book, which will be published on September 28, for over two years. Ohl has been fascinated with the world of strength for decades, fondly remembering a 1987 training session with the legendary Jón Páll Sigmarsson.

Why does strength fascinate us so much? Who really is the strongest man in history? These questions and many more are behind the book’s premise. Many interviews are featured, including some with "strength world leaders from Europe, the United Kingdom, the United States and Australia, as well as legendary international athletes from weightlifting, bodybuilding, powerlifting, armwrestling and strongman", according to the book’s press release.

Ohl also touches on the many tragedies that have afflicted the strength world over the years, stating that the small population of the "planet of supermen" is willing to pay a heavy price to be the strongest.

"It is in the nature of supermen to follow one single law:Fortius Unum. There can be only one: the strongest."

Strongman Archives is proud to have contributed, in a modest but not insignificant way, to Paul Ohl’s tireless work leading up to the publication of Fortissimus: La planète des surhommes, a historic essay in more ways than one.

The fifth qualifying group at the 2022 World’s Strongest Man features another Stoltman brother as a seeded athlete, as Luke Stoltman, twice 7th at WSM, headlines the group. The elder Stoltman proved his worth by winning Europe’s Strongest Man and the Giants Live World Tour Finals last year.

This group is the only one not to feature a former champion - in fact, it does not even feature a former top 5 finisher. Still, it is by no means an easy group. Evan Singleton has never made the WSM Final before, but this could very well be his year. Singleton won two Giants Live shows last year, proving his worth on the international scene. Eythór Ingólfsson Melsted, meanwhile, is looking to prove that his appearance in the 2021 Final wasn’t a fluke.

Three rookies will be competing in Group 2: Kelvin de Ruiter will be the first Dutch competitor since 2013 (Alex Moonen), Jean-Stephen Coraboeuf will be the first French competitor since 2000 (Jean-Marc Tocaven), and Kim Ujarak Lorentzen will be the first representative of Greenland in WSM history.

De Ruiter qualified by winning the 2021 Strongman Champions League World Finals, while Lorentzen is a multiple champion of Greenland’s Strongest Man. Coraboeuf won the Australian crown in 2019 - he has been living in Australia for many years but holds French citizenship, having grown up in New Caledonia.

The Events

Evan Singleton is normally terrific in loading events, but Luke Stoltman is no slouch either. There are many unknown quantities in this group… Perhaps one of the newcomers will surprise us in the Loading Race!

Singleton has also massively improved his deadlift in recent years, while it has been a tougher test for Stoltman. Another athlete to look out for in the Deadlift Ladder is Kim Ujarak Lorentzen, who has proven his ability by lifting 420 kg easily in training.

In the Car Walk, the American and the Scot have to remain the favourites! Singleton won the Car Walk twice in Giants Live competitions last year.

The Log Lift for reps should see Stoltman earn maximum points - he has been dominant in overhead events in recent years, no matter who he is up against. He managed 9 reps in 75 seconds with 150 kg at the Giants Live World Tour Finals this year. Singleton and Eythór Ingólfsson Melsted will also be expecting a good result here.

The Wrecking Ball Hold could be crucial in determining who makes it to the Stone Off. Jean-Stephen Coraboeuf has a strong grip, but Singleton is one of the best in the world in holding events. Stoltman may lose a few points here, but these perhaps won’t matter to him at this point.

If Kelvin de Ruiter is in the Stone Off, he could do well, having gotten good results in stone events in the Strongman Champions League in the past. Stoltman and Singleton are also very capable stone lifters, while Ingólfsson Melsted won his Stone Off against Robert Oberst last year.

Some Head-to-head Matchups

Evan Singleton 3-1 Luke Stoltman (most recent meeting: 2021 Arnold UK - Singleton 1st, Stoltman 9th)

Luke Stoltman 4-0 Eythór Ingólfsson Melsted (most recent meeting: 2022 Europe’s Strongest Man - Stoltman 2nd, Ingólfsson Melsted 7th)

Luke Stoltman 1-0 Kelvin de Ruiter (2022 Europe’s Strongest Man - Stoltman 2nd, de Ruiter 9th)

Our picks: Evan Singleton & Luke Stoltman

The fourth qualifying group at the 2022 World’s Strongest Man sets the stage for the return of 2019 WSM champion, Martins Licis, who did not take part in the competition in the past two years. After battling through multiple injuries, Licis has proven that he is now back to his best, winning the 2021 Rogue Invitational and the 2022 Arnold Strongman Classic. He is certainly one of the main contenders, if not the favourite, for the title this year.

This group is not an easy one: Licis will have to contend with Maxime Boudreault, who stood on the podium last year in Sacramento. Boudreault almost beat Licis in the Arnold USA competition two years ago, and he is always a threat.

Two newcomers who have done extremely well recently on the European strongman scene, Shane Flowers and Pavlo Kordiyaka, will be looking to put pressure on the two favourites. Kordiyaka just finished ahead of Flowers at Europe’s Strongest Man in April, the two men finishing 4th and 5th.

Welshman Gavin Bilton is also in this group after having dealt with some health concerns, and he will try to make the Final for the first time in his 3rd WSM appearance, while Nedžmin Ambešković is going to fly the Bosnian flag for the first time ever at WSM.

The Events

Multiple athletes in this group are fit and fast! Pavlo Kordiyaka and Shane Flowers are both young and should do well in the Loading Race, although nerves could play a role in their first ever WSM event. Maxime Boudreault and Martins Licis, meanwhile, have done very well in loading events in the past. In 2020, Licis won the Arnold USA with a phenomenal performance in the Loading Race to beat Boudreault.

The Deadlift Ladder will probably be difficult for Boudreault and Kordiyaka, for whom the deadlift has always been a weak point. Flowers will be expecting good points and so will Nedžmin Ambešković, who has lifted 440 kg in competition before. Licis could well win this event: he is a solid deadlifter and his great grip will allow him to save time on the first few lifts.

Licis, Kordiyaka and Flowers being fast athletes will again be an advantage for them in the Car Walk, while Boudreault has often struggled on yoke events.

The Canadian should bounce back in the Log Lift for reps, however, while the ever consistent Licis will be looking to put pressure on him.

The Wrecking Ball Hold is another good one for Licis and Boudreault, who have proven their worth many times in grip events.

This group features many very good stone lifters! If Licis has to perform the Stone Off, it should not be a problem for him, while Boudreault cannot afford to make a mistake in front of either Kordiyaka or Flowers. Being in second place going into this event could be a huge advantage in Group 4!

Some Head-to-head Matchups

Martins Licis 3-0 Maxime Boudreault (most recent meeting: 2022 Arnold Strongman Classic - Licis 1st, Boudreault 6th)

Maxime Boudreault 3-0 Gavin Bilton (most recent meeting: 2021 Giants Live World Tour Finals - Boudreault 7th, Bilton 10th)

Pavlo Kordiyaka 1-0 Shane Flowers (most recent meeting: 2022 Europe’s Strongest Man - Kordiyaka 4th, Flowers 5th)

Our picks: Martins Licis & Maxime Boudreault

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