The 2023 Britain’s Strongest Man contest took place on January 26th, 2023, in Sheffield, gathering a mix of Britain’s greatest and most talented Strongman athletes. Despite some very late withdrawals from Luke Richardson and Terry Hollands, it was still an incredible show, with the tension lasting until the final event. As a result of five events of intense competition, Adam Bishop was crowned 2023 Britain’s Strongest Man.
Adam Bishop took the top spot after winning four of five events. The only event in which he failed to finish first was the Viking Press, but he still put in a solid performance.
Gavin Bilton finished in second, having put up incredible performances over the course of the entire competition. The same was the case with the third-place finisher, Graham Hicks, but Bishop just seemed unbeatable on the day.
This was Adam Bishop’s second time winning Britain’s Strongest Man competition, as he had done the same in 2020. However, this time he seems much more dominant.
2023 Britain’s Strongest Man Final Point Standings
- Adam Bishop — 53.5 points
- Gavin Bilton — 50 points
- Graham Hicks — 48 points
- Paul Smith — 43 points
- Kane Francis — 35 points
- Andy Black — 34.5 points
- Mark Felix — 32 points
- Ryan Bennett — 31 points
- Louis Jack — 23.5 points
- Zake Muluzi — 17.5 points
- Cilléin Groom — 17 points
- Shane Flowers — 1 point (Withdrew After Event One)
Related: 2023 World’s Strongest Man Events & Date Adjustment Revealed
2023 Britain’s Strongest Man Event Recap
Event One — Deadlift Ladder
The deadlift ladder required the athletes to deadlift a series of progressively heavier weights, with Adam Bishop doing all five in the fastest time, winning the first event of the 2023 Britain’s Strongest Man.
Graham Hicks was aiming for the top spot, but finished three seconds after Bishop, claiming the second place. Gavin Bilton finished another 17 seconds after Hicks, which was enough for a third-place finish.
- Adam Bishop — 5 in 28.09s
- Graham Hicks — 5 in 31.79s
- Gavin Bilton — 5 in 48.35s
- Andy Black — 5 in 55.46s
- Mark Felix — 4 in 22.59s
- Paul Smith — 4 in 31.66s
- Kane Francis — 4 in 40.29s
- Louis Jack — 3 in 19.46s
- Zake Muluzi — 3 in 23.63s
- Ryan Bennett — 3 in 32.50s
- Cilléin Groom — 3 in 38.18
- Shane Flowers — 2 in 10.23s
Event Two — Car Walk
The second event of the 2023 Britain’s Strongest Man featured a specialized car rig. So, participants stepped inside, picked the car up from the floor, and aimed to complete the given distance in the fastest time possible.
Adam Bishop seemed unfazed by the weight of the car, who finished the track in a time of 17.16 seconds and won maximum points for the second time in this competition already.
Paul Smith was very close to Bishop, finishing just one second after him. Graham Hicks was once again in the top three, placing himself into title contention.
- Adam Bishop — 17.16 s
- Paul Smith — 18.46 s
- Graham Hicks — 19.66 s
- Mark Felix — 21.03 s
- Gavin Bilton — 24.35 s
- Ryan Bennett — 26.25 s
- Kane Francis — 34.54 s
- Andy Black — 38.64 s
- Cilléin Groom — 49.53 s
- Louis Jack — 52.46 s
- Zake Muluzi — 52.46 s
Event Three — Viking Press
The Viking Press is basically an overhead press, so it tested the shoulder strength of the 2023 Britain’s Strongest Man participants. The weight of the Viking Press was predetermined, so the goal was to perform as many reps as possible.
Although everyone expected Graham Hicks to win, Paul Smith took first place with 13 overhead press reps. However, Hicks managed to finish in second place, but shared it with Gavin Bilton and Ryan Bennett, as they all performed 12 reps.
- Paul Smith — 13 reps
- Graham Hicks — 12 reps
- Gavin Bilton — 12 reps
- Ryan Bennett — 12 reps
- Kane Francis — 10 reps
- Louis Jack — 9 reps
- Adam Bishop — 8 reps
- Andy Black — 8 reps
- Zake Muluzi — 6 reps
- Cilléin Groom — 5 reps
- Mark Felix — 1 rep
Event Four — Loading Race
The fourth event of the 2023 Britain’s Strongest Man presented a variety of different objects that had to be loaded onto a platform. So, by fully utilizing his quickness, Adam Bishop came out on top for the third time and finished all objects in a time of 39.09 seconds.
Gavin Bilton utilized his size and was the second man to finish all implements. In addition, Paul Smith outperformed Andy Black by just 0.05 seconds to finish in third.
- Adam Bishop — 4 in 39.09 s
- Gavin Bilton — 4 in 40.08 s
- Paul Smith — 4 in 41.60 s
- Andy Black — 4 in 41.65 s
- Kane Francis — 4 in 42.51 s
- Cilléin Groom — 4 in 44.61 s
- Louis Jack — 4 in 45.80 s
- Mark Felix — 4 in 49.84 s
- Ryan Bennett — 4 in 52.10 s
- Zake Muluzi — 3 in 39.45 s
- Graham Hicks — 4 in 43.70 s
Event Five — Power Stairs
The Power Stairs made a comeback to Strongman competitions just last year, but they have quickly established themselves as one of the most challenging and exciting events in modern sport. The demand of carrying heavy implements up a flight of stairs puts a significant strain on the entire body, making it a true test of strength and endurance for athletes.
Adam Bishop once again prevailed, being the only man to finish all 15 stairs in less than 40 seconds, which won him the title of 2023 Britain’s Strongest Man.
Likewise, Gavin Bilton and Graham Hicks battled for second, unable to catch up to the lead that Bishop had built up over the course of the competition. Bilton won the duel, finishing all 15 stairs in 5 seconds less than Hicks.
- Adam Bishop — 15 in 36.65 s
- Gavin Bilton — 15 in 47.35 s
- Graham Hicks — 15 in 52.99 s
- Mark Felix — 15 in 57.19 s
- Andy Black — 14 in 57.66 s
- Kane Francis — 14 in 55.37 s
- Ryan Bennett — 14 in 57.83 s
- Louis Jack — 11 in 50.79 s
- Zake Muluzi — 11 in 43.32 s
- Paul Smith — 9 in 29.27 s
- Cilléin Groom — 9 in 33.82 s
Related: Mitchell Hooper Wins The 2023 Australia’s Strongest International Competition
The 2023 Britain’s Strongest Man competition was a tremendous display of strength, especially from Adam Bishop, Paul Smith, Gavin Bilton, and Graham Hicks. They will now go on to prepare for the 2023 World’s Strongest Man, and judging by their performances here, they just might surprise everyone.
Published: 28 January, 2023 | 5:17 PM EDT
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