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Mitchell "The Moose" Hooper continued his winning streak and reaffirmed his position as the definitive rising star in strongman, with a dominating victory at the 2022 Giants Live World Tour Finals. The event took place at the OVO Hydro arena in Glasgow, Scotland, on October 8th, with a packed audience cheering on the thirteen strongmen, as they competed across five tests of strength.
2022 Giants Live World Tour Finals - Complete Results
Nicol Stone Carry
The 2022 Giants Live kicked off with the Nicole Stone Carry.The unevenly weighted granite stones — weighing 114 kilograms (251.3 pounds) and 138 kilograms (304.3 pounds) each, had to be carried for maximum distance. World record holder Kevin Faires smashed his own time, carrying the stones for 24.61 metres. This is an improvement from his 22.2-meter run at the 2021 Giants Live World Tour Finals.
Interestingly, four records were set during the event - with Mitchell Hooper, Andy Black and Paul Smith finishing second, third and fourth respectively. Mitchell Hooper carried the stones for 24.14 metres, finishing second and setting a good start to the competition.
Carry & Drag
This fast-paced event involved strongmen carrying a 125 kg anchor down the lane fro 40 metres, loading it on a 350 kg chain and then pulling it all the way back to the finish. Mitchell Hooper, renowned for his agility and expertise in moving events, took first place with a sizzling 22.16 second run. Pavlo Kordiyaka and Kevin Faires closely followed, finishing in second and third place.
Axle Deadlift for Reps
The athletes had to lift 350 kg (771.6 lbs) on the axle bar for as many repetitions as possible within 60 seconds. The axle bar deadlift is infamous for being especially difficult compared to a normal deadlift, having zero flex and zero give to the bar.
The audience at the 2022 Giants Live were in for a show, with Pavlo Nakonechnyy winning the event with an impressive 11 reps. Rauno followed close behind with 8 reps. Mitchell Hooper stopped lifting after 7 reps and secured third place. This was obviously a strategy to conserve energy, a gamble which clearly went in the Canadian's favor.
Circus Dumbbell Press For Reps
The circus dumbbell used at the 2022 Giants Live were actually made of two atlas stones wrapped in steel, and weighed 100 kilos. The athletes had to lift the dumbbell overhead using one arm, lockout, and wait for the referee to signal down for a complete rep. Paul Kordiyaka and Aivars Smaukstelis, both performed seven repetitions and shared points for first place. Mitchell Hooper maintained his consistent effort, performing six reps to finish second. Pa O'Dwyer and Paul Smith, who both managed five reps.
Power Stairs
The Atlas Stones were replaced this year by the Power Stairs, which was once a staple at the World's Strongest Man competitions. Strongman fans will remember stellar performances on the Power Stairs by the "Dominator" Mariusz Pudzianowski and Brain Shaw.
Within a time limit of sixty seconds, the strongmen had to move implements weighing 200, 210, 225, 240 and 250 kg up three stairs each. Aivars Smaukstelis proved to be the dark horse at the 2022 Giants Live, finishing the task in a whopping 33.02 seconds. Pavlo Nakonechnny, Kevin Faires and Mitchell Hooper finished second, third and fourth respectively.
After five events, Mitchell Hooper had established a lead of 4.5 points and finished at the top of the pack with 52 points. Aivars Smaukstelis followed close behind, and secured second positon with 47.5 points. Kevin Faires came in third, while Ukranians Pavlo Nakonechnny and Pavlo Kordiyaka finished in fourth and fifth positions.
With this victory, Mitchell Hooper has announced himself as a potential contender for the 2023 World's Strongest Man. He had previously won the 2022 Arnold Strongman Classic UK, just two weeks ago. With the likes of Mateusz Kieliszkowski, Martins Licis, Tom Stoltman and Oleksii Novikov in the ranks, the strongman scene has never looked this competitive in a long time.
Following the win, Mitchell Hooper shared his thoughts on the 2022 Giants Live competition with Official Strongman.
Conclusion
- 1st - Mitchell Hooper - 52 points - Winner
- 2nd - Aivars Smaukstelis - 47.5 points
- 3rd - Kevin Faires - 46 points
- 4th - Pavlo Nakonechnyy - 40 points
- 5th - Pavlo Kordiyaka - 38 points
- 6th - Rauno Heinla - 29 points
- 7th - Paul Smith - 28.5 points
- 8th - Pa O'Dwyer - 27 points
- 9th - Eddie Williams - 23 points
- 10th (Joint finish) - Andy Black and Mark Felix - 19 points
- 12th - Louis Jack - 18 points
For more details regarding the 2022 Giants Live World Tour Finals, you can visit the Strongman Archives.
