Mitchell Hooper has decided to post a YouTube video giving his predictions for the 2024 Arnold Strongman Classic, just one day before the competition starts. In the video, he dissected the lineup, all five of the events, and then finally revealed his thoughts on what the top four will look like.
Mitchell Hooper has had an incredible 2023, having won the Arnold Strongman Classic, among other things. However, this year he is facing an even tougher lineup of athletes, including Hafthor Bjornsson and Martins Licis. Both of those men have previously won the competition as well. So, it is set to be a battle of the champions.
Related: How To Watch 2024 Arnold Strongman & Strongwoman Classic [Free Livestream]
Mitchell Hooper’s 2024 Arnold Strongman Predictions
Mitchell Hooper first took a few minutes to list the lineup of athletes for the 2024 Arnold Strongman Classic, having many words of praise for all of his rivals. He then moved on to the predictions, but first discussed each event one by one.
Event One — Max Elephant Bar Deadlift
Mitchell Hooper pointed out that deadlift briefs will not be allowed this year, contrary to the previous editions. So, it will be more about the raw strength of the athletes, as the briefs allowed them to lift a bit more weight previously.
“Based on training footage, Thor (Hafthor Bjornsson) has the edge. I think that he doesn’t just have the edge, I think he has a pretty decent edge. I think that he will hit 460-kg… Slightly behind that are me and Bobby (Thompson)… I think just behind us are Martins (Licis) and Tom (Stoltman).”
Event Two — Frame Carry
Mitchell Hooper hopes to perform well on the deadlift, which would allow him to be one of the last competitors to walk out for the Frame Carry. He believes that this would be a great advantage, as he would know what results he should be going for instead of giving his absolute all and wasting energy.
“Something goes wrong here, something stupid, which could cost you a lot of points quickly. I’m very confident in my grip, and I know that I can move faster than anyone else in the field. So I have myself winning this event.
I have Mateusz (Kieliszkowski) coming second. That is obvious, he is the current record holder. I have Max (Maxime Boudreault) coming in third. He has had a phenomenal time on this before and he probably has the strongest grip.”
Event Three — Dinnie Stone Carry
Dinnie Stone Carry will be the first event of day two at the 2024 Arnold Strongman Classic. It will be an incredibly difficult challenge, which will undoubtedly make the remaining two events much harder as well.
“Top three in this event, I got Martins (Licis), myself, and Mateusz (Kieliszkowski). I don’t know why, I haven’t seen results from them.”
Event Four — Apollon Wheel
The Apollon Wheel will basically be an Axle Overhead Press, but the athletes will have to clean the bar up from the floor first. So, upper body strength will play a massive role when it comes to this event.
“I’ve trained this harder than anything else… I think me and Tom are one and two on this… I think third in this event is Mateusz (Kieliszkowski), I don’t totally know why, but I know that he is good at everything that is not the deadlift.”
Event Five — Stone Medley
The Stone Medley will consist of multiple parts, including a Stone Press, Stone Load, and Stone to Shoulder. Hooper believes that the first two parts will not be too difficult for anyone, but that the Stone to Shoulder will be what decides the rankings. Hooper did not give any specific top three predictions, apart from the fact that Mateusz Kieliszkowski could perform well.
Overall Predictions
“I think in fourth will be Thor (Hafthor Bjornsson); in third will be Mateusz (Kieliszkowski); in second will be Martins (Licis), and I think I will be in first. That being said, I can see Tom and Oleksii come in and have an unreal performance…
Objectively, I think across the board I lose the least amount of points.”
Watch the full video here:
Mitchell Hooper believes that it is important to have self-confidence when it comes to performing at such a big show as the 2024 Arnold Strongman Classic. However, he does not view the other competitors as just his rivals, but is also excited to spend some time with them. Notably, he is looking forward to facing Hafthor Bjornsson, as he has never had the chance to do so.
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