2022 UK’s Strongest Man, one of the most physically and mentally demanding Strongman contests currently, took place from June 3-5, 2022, in Milton Keynes, England. It is known as a tough competition because of its qualifying process, as athletes have to go through quarterfinals on day one, semifinals on day two, and compete in the finals on day three. Following the qualifying process, only the eight of the best Strongmen get the chance to compete for the title of the Strongest In UK. The finals consisted of five events.
Paul Smith won the 2022 UK’s Strongest Man with an unbelievable performance. Louis Jackson finished in second place, while the 2x defending champion, Gavin Bilton, took a bronze medal home. Paul dominated the field, having won two events, and claimed two second-place finishes. So Paul went into the final event just looking to wrap up his performance.
2022 UK’s Strongest Man Leaderboards and Point Standings
- Paul Smith (ENG) — 33.5 points
- Louis Jack (SCO) — 26 points
- Gavin Bilton (WAL) — 25.5 points
- Cilléin Groom (IRL) — 24.5 points
- David Ramplee (WAL) — 24 points
- Matt Diamond (WAL) — 16.5 points
- Scott Milne (SCO) — 15 points
- Andrew Flynn (ENG) — 15 points
Related: 2022 Britain’s Strongest Man Results: Tom Stoltman Wins
2022 UK’s Strongest Man Event Results & Recap
Event One — Arm-Over-Arm Pull
The first event of the 2022 UK’s Strongest Man was the classic arm-over-arm truck pull. The truck weighed 8,500 kilograms (18,739 pounds) and it had to be pulled for 25 meters. If the competitors could not cover the full distance in 75 seconds, then the person who pulled it closest to it ranked higher.
Only David Ramplee of Wales was able to pull the massive truck for the full distance before the time cap ran out. Paul Smith placed second, as he covered the most distance in the 75 seconds, while Scott Milne trailed him by less than one meter.
- David Ramplee — 25 meters in 72 seconds / 8 points
- Paul Smith — 18.35 meters / 7 points
- Scott Milne — 17.7 meters / 6 points
- Cilléin Groom — 14.05 meters / 5 points
- Gavin Bilton — 13.1 meters / 4 points
- Andrew Flynn — 7.35 meters / 3 points
- Louis Jack — 7.2 meters / 2 points
- Matt Diamond — 6.9 meters / 1 point
Event Two — Sandbag to Shoulder
The competitors had to lift a 150-kilogram (330.7-pound) sandbag up to their shoulders for as many reps as possible.
Paul Smith followed his second-place finish from the first event with a shared victory in this event. Gavin Bilton proved that he is still fighting, despite participating in the 2022 World’s Strongest Man just a week ago.
- Paul Smith — Five reps (T-first) / 7.5 points
- Gavin Bilton — Five reps (T-first) / 7.5 points
- Cilléin Groom — Four reps / 6 points
- David Ramplee — Three reps (T-third) / 4 points
- Andrew Flynn — Three reps (T-third) / 4 points
- Louis Jack — Three reps (T-third) / 4 points
- Matt Diamond — Two reps / 2 points
- Scott Milne — One rep / 1 point
Event Three — Squat for Reps
The setup for the squat event was supposed to utilize a car. However, that was not a possibility, so they used a large steel frame loaded with two humongous tires. The initial weight was supposed to be 250 kilograms (551.2 pounds), but it is unclear if that changed with the setup.
Having won two consecutive events, Paul Smith was likely to acquire the overall victory. Being a very consistent athlete, there was almost no way that Paul dropped his lead. Cilléin Groom of Ireland also got his second consecutive top-three event finish.
- Paul Smith — 24 reps / 8 points
- Cilléin Groom — 22 reps (T-second) / 6.5 points
- Matt Diamond — 22 reps (T-second) / 6.5 points
- Louis Jack — 20 reps / 5 points
- Scott Milne — 18 reps / 4 points
- Gavin Bilton — 15 reps / 3 points
- Andrew Flynn — 14 reps / 2 points
- David Ramplee — 10 reps / 1 points
Event Four — Block Press
The penultimate event of the 2022 UK’s Strongest Man was a block press. Athletes were tasked with lifting and pressing up four progressively heavier blocks. The weight increments were 90 kilograms (198 pounds), 100 kilograms (220.5 pounds), 110 kilograms (242.5 pounds), and 120 kilograms (264.5 pounds).
Louis Jack and Paul Smith were the only ones able to lift all four blocks, but Jack outperformed Paul by less than five seconds. With another seven points to his name, Paul Smith cemented his first place.
- Louis Jack — 4 in 61.97 seconds / 8 points
- Paul Smith — 4 in 66.23 seconds / 7 points
- Matt Diamond — 3 in 48.64 seconds / 6 points
- Gavin Bilton — 3 in 64.36 seconds / 5 points
- Cilléin Groom — 3 in 70.08 seconds / 4 points
- David Ramplee — 2 in 46.67 seconds / 3 points
- Scott Milne — 1 in 32.08 seconds / 2 points
- Andrew Flynn — 1 in 44.25 seconds / 1 points
Event Five — Flag Hoist
Athletes had to hoist five flags, that is, lift the stands, as quickly as possible. The time limit was 75 seconds. While the weights were: 250 kilograms (551 pounds), 275 kilograms (606 pounds), 300 kilograms (661.4 pounds), 325 kilograms (716.5 pounds), and 350 kilograms (771.5 pounds).
David Ramplee won the event, as he was the only athlete who lifted all four flags. Louis Jackson placed just ahead of Gavin Bilton, which also earned him a second-place overall. Paul Smith only needed one point from this event to win the 2022 UK’s Strongest Man, but he earned four points.
- David Ramplee — 4 in 55.35 seconds / 8 points
- Louis Jack — 3 in 25.1 seconds / 7 points
- Gavin Bilton — 3 in 25.54 seconds / 6 points
- Andrew Flynn — 3 in 45.22 seconds / 5 points
- Paul Smith — 1 in 5.94 seconds / 4 points
- Cilléin Groom — 1 in 6.04 seconds / 3 points
- Scott Milne — 1 in 12.9 seconds / 2 points
- Matt Diamond — 1 in 20.7 seconds / 1 point
Related: Strongman Rauno Heinla Sets a Massive 580-kg (1,278.7-lb) Silver Dollar Deadlift World Record
Coming into the 2022 UK’s Strongest Man, all eyes were pointed towards Gavin Bilton and Paul Smith, as they were the two biggest names in the contest. However, Paul Smith’s consistent performance from start to finish earned him the win over an already tired Bilton. The UK’s Strongest Man competition this year uncovered some new rising stars in the sport, such as Louis Jack and Cilléin Groom.
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