The 2022 Europe’s Strongest Man (ESM) will be held on April 2nd, 2022, at the First Direct Arena in Leeds, England. Athlete names for the competition were just released, and the stacked lineup proves why it is one of the most prestigious competitions currently. The event will be action-packed, and interesting to watch for strongman fans around the globe.
Luke Stoltman won the 2021 Europe’s Strongest Man, and he will try to keep the title for another year. However, he will have to fight hard, as the lineup is filled with World-class athletes.
Europe’s Strongest Man Lineup
- Konstantine Janashia
- Kelvin De Ruiter
- Aivars Smaukstelis
- Graham Hicks
- EythĂłr Melsted
- Pavlo Kordiyaka
- Evgeny Markov
Related: 2022 Britain’s Strongest Man Line-up REVELED
2022 Europe’s Strongest Man Competitors Breakdown
Luke Stoltman
Luke Stoltman is in very good shape currently, and it all started with a win in Europe’s Strongest Man 2021. He also had a brilliant performance in the 2021 WSM and won the 2021 Giants Live World Open. Luke excels at the overhead press events, especially the log lift, and he is definitely a frontrunner for the win this year.
Mateusz Kieliszkowski
Mateusz has competed in two tournaments since returning from a tricep injury. He placed second in the WUS Dubai and fourth in the Rogue Invitational in 2021. Mateusz is renowned for his pressing strength and speed in several medley events.
Mateusz had a third-place finish in the 2018 Europe’s Strongest Man and came second in the 2019 edition. The only accomplishment that is left for him is to win the competition.
Related: Brian Shaw Bench Presses 500 lbs In A Training Session With Nick Best
Konstantine Janashia
Konstantine is an amazing strongman athlete from Georgia. He has competed in the WSM 5 times and is known for his 4th place finish in 2016. Konstantine is also an amazing deadlifter.
Konstantine Janashia has competed in Europe’s Strongest Man four times and placed 2nd (2018), 3rd (2019), and 4th (2017). Like Mateusz, the only thing left to do for Konstantine is to win.
Kelvin De Ruiter
Strongman from the Netherlands, Kelvin De Ruiter, is best known for competing in The Strongman Champions League. He won the grand final of the 2021 Strongman Champions League (SCL), which is fought over 16 stages throughout the year. Kelvin seems in great shape, so it will be fun to see what he can do.
Aivars Smaukstelis
Aivars is a 4x WSM competitor, with his best placing being 8th at the 2020 WSM. Aivars also competes in the Strongman Champions League (SCL). At the 2021 SCL, he grabbed a second place finish, just behind Kelvin De Ruiter.
Oleksii Novikov
Novikov is a 2020 World’s Strongest Man, but he failed to qualify for the 2021 WSM finals, after which he started dominating every competition in which he took part. He won the WUS Bahrain, WUS Dubai and the Giants Live Strongman Classic.
Oleksii came second in the 2021 Europe’s Strongest Man, and without a doubt will put up an impressive performance this year as well.
Related: 2020 WSM Oleksii Novikov Shares His 5,000 Kcal Diet
Luke Richardson
Luke Richardson only competed once in this competition, which was in 2020. Luke surprised many people and won it, claiming the title of Europe’s Strongest Man. We will see if he can repeat that impressive feat of strength.
Graham Hicks
Graham Hicks is a very experienced strongman, having claimed a 3rd place finish in both the 2014 and 2021 Europe’s Strongest Man. However, he is dealing with a groin injury which forced him to withdraw from Britain’s Strongest Man. Hopefully, he can recover correctly and perform as he usually does.
EythĂłr Melsted
Melsted has not competed a lot throughout his career but took part in two WSM competitions. He will represent Iceland, which is a country with the most wins in the ESM, as Icelandic representatives have won it eight times.
Pavlo Kordiyaka
At 26-years-old Pavlo is relatively young for the sport of strongman, and this will be his biggest competition yet. He is also 2020 Ukraine’s Strongest Man.
Evgeny Markov
Markov is Russia’s Strongest Man. Although he has competed since 2014, this will be his debut at the Europe’s Strongest Man.
Related: Strongman Laurence “Big Loz” Shahlaei Prepares For A Powerlifting Competition
The 2022 Arnold Strongman Classic is scheduled to happen just a month before the 2022 ESM, and a few of these athletes will compete in both. It will be fun to see how they fare with that, but chances are that they will be even more prepared.
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