World record falls, buses move as Strongest Man competition wraps up in Sacramento

Next time you’re moving one of those puny concrete pavers in the side yard, try lifting it behind your neck and onto your shoulders. Try 30 of them.

Now imagine adding another paver as the sun beats down on you on Capitol Mall with hundreds of people cheering you on and TV cameras trained on your every move.

Welcome to the 45th World’s Strongest Man competition, which completed its second consecutive run Sunday in Sacramento with a fierce rivalry and more than bragging rights on the line.

After three days of qualifiers and two days of finals, the event came down to the wire between Ukrainian contender Oleksii Novikov, the 2020 winner and Tom Stoltman of the United Kingdom, who took the title in 2021 when Sacramento first hosted the event.

For these two, the bar was way too high for us mere mortals.

In the Flintstone Barbell event Saturday, the world record was broken multiple times between the men. The previous world record was 463 pounds lifted by Gary Taylor from Wales in 1995, according to tournament director Colin Bryce.

The event went to an unanticipated eighth round before Novikov took the title with an astounding 542 pounds, beating his Scottish rival, the first strongman on the autism spectrum, who lasted seven rounds.

“No one knew this was going to happen,” a spokeswoman for the event said.

And it was pure fun as Novikov walked up to the barbell nodding his head to people chanting his name. Around 1,800 fans, some holding “Ukraine Strong” signs and flags, cheered loudly while Novikov waved his hands encouraging them to cheer louder.

The crowd held its breath when Novikov lifted the barbell onto his shoulders before bursting out in yells of excitement as he lifted the barbell into the air, signaling his event win and the new record. Stoltman then walked up and raised Novikov’s arm in the air as the men celebrated.

Novikov, at 6-foot-1 and nearly 300 pounds of muscle, said that he would’ve kept lifting.

“What number are you thinking for me? I must do it,” Novikov said. He said it’s important for him to win this tournament for his nation, which has been under siege by Russia since February.

The competition between Novikov and Stoltman continued Sunday as the 10 finalists were tasked with pulling a Regional Transit bus. Novikov finished first with a blistering time of 41.51 seconds, besting Stoltman by nearly 3 seconds.

But Stoltman returned to the top of the leaderboard during the power stairs, where the athletes had to duck-walk 500-pound implements up nine stairs. The Scot finished in 41.04 seconds, just behind Maxime Boudreault, who conquered the event in 39.07 seconds.

Stoltman went ahead by 1½ points after Novikov could only muster six stairs in 34.20 seconds.

It all came down to the final event as competitors were challenged with the Atlas stones. American Martin Licis surged to the top of the ranking with five reps in 45.74 seconds before Stoltman and Novikov took to the stage.

Stoltman did not disappoint, completing his five reps in 25.76 seconds, good enough for the full 10 points in the round and a final score of 53½ points. Novikov ultimately ran out of steam, getting in one rep before bowing out. He finished tied with Licis with 43 total points.

The event, which was held for the second consecutive year in Sacramento, will be held next year in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

Full coverage of the competition will be broadcast on CBS Sports Network and CBS (Ch. 13) beginning July 9.

This story was originally published May 29, 2022 at 2:58 PM.