The Giants live event that is happening over the weekend has been gaining a lot of buzz among the Strongman fans in the last couple of months.
The strongman legend Bill Kazmaier will be making his strongman return for one night only in a Hercules hold event against fellow veteran and retired strongman Magnus Ver Magnusson, the top placing strongmen will be getting a direct spot for the next year’s WSM competition and of course, the 500kg deadlift challenge is on the line.
Now since the announcement of the challenge, a lot of top guys had to pull out due to various injuries. Internet sensation Larry Wheels proved to the world that he is human by tearing his biceps while doing atlas stones lifts, Brian Shaw tore his forearm during WSM, the mighty Mountain tore his plantar fascia during monster truck pulls(also at during this years WSM) and Benni Magnusson had a minor hamstring tear about a month ago which still hasn’t quite healed yet.
All this shakes things up a bit as these 4 could easily take the top spots in deadlift challenge, regardless of how prepared the other guys are. Since the “heavy hitters” are out of the competition let’s see who the rest of the deadlift gang is left and who has the best chance of coming in on top.
Confirmed “Giants Live” competitors:
- Mateusz Kieliszkowski
- Mark Felix
- Rob Kearney
- Adam Bishop
- Tom Stoltman
- Luke Stoltman
- Mikhail Shivlyakov
- Martins Licis
- Rauno Heinla
- Jerry Pritchett
Deadlift only competitors:
- Vlad Alhazov
- Peter Bremner
- Nedzmin Zahida Ambeskovic
There’s a lot of guys on the list but keep in mind, a lot of these guys will be competing in the rest of the events after the deadlift, so don’t expect everyone to go balls out on the deadlift. With that out of the way let’s see who has the best chance of placing in the top 5.
5. Rauno Heinla
Rauno pulled 430kg at this year’s Arnold Strongman Africa with relative ease. Let’s add another 10 kg to that number as a pr and that should put him in the bottom five spots, which I’m guessing, will be reserved for the guys that pulled in that 430-450kg range.
4. Mikhail Shivlyakov
is also in this bottom five range, his best Elephant bar deadlift is at around 430 kg but on a regular bar, he can pull up to 440kg… and since this event will be executed on a standard powerlifting bar, he cracks the top 5.
Who of these two gets squeezed out of the top 5 depends on who will be left standing once the competition reachers 430kg+ range and it will also depend on what the deadlift monsters will be able to pull for the top spot.
3. Nedzmin Zahida Ambeskovic
I know next to nothing about this dude, except that he is Bosnian and huge as fuck. He posted on his facebook one of his last training sessions where he pulls 440kg in training.
Come competition day, if everything goes as planned and he gets his timing on point, this 440kg could easily turn into a 450kg or a 460kg deadlift.
Which is a just around a heavy “warm up” set for guys like Jerry Pritchett. So a 450 kg deadlift puts him above a lot of top guys and maybe even at the bottom of the top 3, but not higher.
2. Vlad Alhazov
This guy is a monster. He squats nearly 600kg(fully equipped) and deadlifts 470kg with a belt and straps. Now that most of the top guys are mostly out of the competition so this opens room for the Russian monster to come and dominate. I’m not sure if he has what it takes to take out someone like Pritchett, but he has what it takes to push Jerry to the limits.
1. Jerry Prichett
So far only four guys on this planet held 500kg in their hands while deadlifting. Eddie Hall, Mountain, Bennie Mag, and Jerry. Had Bennie not injured his hamstrings and came in shape to the deadlift challenge, he would be in the top 2 spots but unfortunately for him and fortunately for Pritchett, Magnusson had to pull out. In Pritchet’s last deadlift session, he pulled 452 kg.
The rest of the guys competing are not gonna go down without a fight, and who knows how many hamstrings will be torn by the time last round rolls over. But if everything goes as I assume it should be, Jerry takes the challenge.
However, the question now remains can he pull the 500kg or even the unfathomable 501kg? I think he’s gonna go and give it a shot, but won’t quite make it.
The record will have to wait for one of the guys that pulled out. Larry Wheels in a few years will for certain be aiming for Eddie Hall’s deadlift record and so will Thor Bjornsson and Benni Magnusson. Brian Shaw has it him, but his body just keeps breaking down.
Martins Licis is a great deadlifter, but he’s fresh of the WSM win and will be competing in the rest of the events, so I really don’t believe he will be going for any earth-shattering numbers. The guys that are competing solely in the deadlift will go balls out and give the strongman one hell of a run for their money.
