'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
The 2022 Rogue Invitational is being held from October 27-30 at the Dell Diamond Stadium in Greater Austin, Texas. The first day kicked off with a CrossFit event - The Texas Trail, which was won by Danielle Brandon and Jayson Hopper. The much-awaited strongman event kicked off on October 28, with ten of the strongest athletes in the world going head-to-head.
The Rogue Invitational Strongman includes six grueling tests of strength, stamina and agility. With the winner projected to take home $112,118, Day One of the Rogue Invitational saw fierce competition in three events - Tower Of Power, Cyr Bell Ladder and Rogue Husafell Sandbag Carry.
Ukrainian phenom Oleksii Novikov put up a consistent effort throughout the day to end atop the leaderboard on the first day of the Rogue Invitational.
He was closely followed by Trey Mitchell, who had the support of the home crowd behind him. Last year's Rogue Invitational winner Martins Licis made a grave error with the Husafel Sandbag Carry and is third, six points behind Novikov.
The day was officiated by four-time World's Strongest Man Magnus Ver Magnusson and the "Vise Grip Viking" Odd Haugen.
2022 Rogue Invitational Strongman Day One Results - Complete Breakdown
Event One - Tower Of Power (Deadlift For Reps)
- Pavlo Nakonechnyy — 12 reps — Winner
- Trey Mitchell — 10 reps
- Martins Licis — 9 reps
- Oleksii Novikov — 9 reps
- Bobby Thompson — 8 reps
- Mitchell Hooper — 8 reps
- Rob Kearney — 7 reps
- Eythór Ingólfsson Melsted — 2 reps
- Kevin Faires — 2 reps
- Maxime Boudreault — No lift
Rogue pulled out all the stops while constructing the Tower of Power. A structural marvel, the Tower of Power consisted of an elevated platform on which the athletes had to perform the lift, with three barrels weighing a total of 900 lbs attached below. While eight-figure straps were not allowed, normal lifting straps were permitted. Within the 60-second limit, athletes had to pull as many reps as possible.
Kevin Faires went first, locking out two clean repetitions. American Bobby Thompson set the pace early, repping the weight eight times and narrowly missing the ninth. Oleksii Novikov pulled ahead with nine reps, showcasing his immense deadlift strength. One of the lighter athletes on the field, Rob Kearney did seven reps, hitching the weight up his thighs for the last two reps in strongman style.
Licis, who was next, managed nine reps and tied with Oleksii. 2022 Arnold Strongman Classic and Giants Live Scotland winner Mitchell "The Moose" Hooper pulled eight reps in the time limit.
The Big Texan Trey Mitchell was next. Spurred on by the local crowd, he pulled ten clean repetitions to advance to the top of the board. However, Pavlo Nakonechnyy had other plans.
"Wide" Pavlo put on a deadlift masterclass, easily pulling 12 reps with time to spare. Incidentally, he was the only athlete not to do equipment checks before the event. However, the 900-lb weight posed no threat to him.
Event Two - Cyr Bell Ladder
- Oleksii Novikov — 5 reps in 116.86 s — Winner
- Trey Mitchell — 4 reps in 49.39 s
- Martins Licis — 3 reps in 32.52 s
- Rob Kearney — 3 reps in 49.81 s
- Eythór Ingólfsson Melsted — 2 reps in 20.93 s
- Maxime Boudreault — 1 rep in 6.18 s
- Bobby Thompson — 1 rep in 6.89 s
- Mitchell Hooper — 1 rep in 7.31 s
- Pavlo Nakonechnyy — 1 rep in 13.19 s
- Kevin Faires — 1 rep in 17.91 s
A perfect test of overhead strength, core strength and stability, the Cyr Dumbbell Ladder is named after Quebecois strongman Louis Cyr.
The athletes had to lift dumbbells weighing 253, 274, 280, and 285 pounds each over their head, lock out completely and wait for the referee's down signal - all within two minutes.
Unsurprisingly, Oleksii Novikov took the win, demonstrating perfect form and control with the extremely technical lift. After locking out the three lighter dumbbells, he repped the 285 lb dumbbell twice.
Trey Mitchell came close, finishing one rep with the heaviest dumbell, and finished second. Martins Licis took third place, narrowly beating Rob Kearney on time. They both managed one rep with the 280 lb dumbell.
Despite having sufficient shoulder power, Pavlo Nakonechnyy and Mitchell Hooper could not lock out the rep and ended the bottom of the pile.
Event Three - Rogue Husafell Bag Carry
- Mitchell Hooper — 225′ 0″ — Winner
- Oleksii Novikov — 213” 9”
- Pavlo Nakonechnyy — 208′ 4″
- Trey Mitchell — 158′ 2″
- Rob Kearney — 148′ 3″
- Martins Licis — 136′ 8″
- Bobby Thompson — 135′ 8″
- Kevin Faires — 133′ 2″
- Eythór Ingólfsson Melsted — 129′ 6″
- Maxime Boudreault — 105′ 4″
The Husafell Stone is a legendary lifting stone weighing 186 kg (410 lb) located in a farming estate in Husafell, Iceland.
Used as a metric of strength for over 200 years, it has been used in many strongman competitions across the globe. The 2022 Rogue Invitational organizers have emulated the shape and size of the stone and incorporated it into a sandbag weighing 400 lbs. The athletes had to carry the weight up and down the 75- foot course for a maximum distance, with no drops allowed.
Mitchell Hooper was among the favorites going into the event. He lived up to his billing with a blazing performance, carrying the Husafell Bag 225 feet.
Oleksii Novikov secured second place with an impressive run of 213” 9”, closely followed by fellow Ukrainian Pavlo Nakonechnyy, who managed a 208′ 4″ run. Trey Mitchell continued his string of consistent performances to finish fourth with 158′ 2″.
2022 Rogue Invitational Strongman - Day One Leaderboard
- Oleksii Novikov — 26.5 points
- Trey Mitchell — 25 points
- Martins Licis — 20.5 points
- Pavlo Nakonechnyy — 20 points
- Mitchell Hooper — 18.5 points
- Rob Kearney — 17 points
- Bobby Thompson — 13.5 points
- Eythór Ingólfsson Melsted — 10.5 points
- Maxime Boudreault — 7 points
- Kevin Faires — 6.5 points
The 2022 Rogue Invitational can be watched live on the Rogue website or on their YouTube channel. Check out the links below to watch the Rogue Invitational live:
Martins Licis shared his thoughts on his performance at the first day of the 2022 Rogue Invitational on YouTube:
With one day of competition left and three events left to go, Oleksii tops the leaderboard with a narrow lead of 1.5 points. Can he hold on to the lead and emerge as the 2022 Rogue Invitational Champion, or will we see a new winner?
