Nick Best Announces His Decision To Retire From Strongman Competitions At The Age Of 54

Nick Best wraps up an incredible career, which spanned over 16 years.

Andrew Smith
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Andrew Smith
Andrew is a professional writer and a workaholic. He studied sports for 4 years and trained soccer for almost 15 years. In addition, for the past...
| Updated by Ash, ACE, MSc
4 Min Read
Nick Best Retires
Nick Best Retires - Image via @nickbeststrongman @zoiephotography Instagram

The 2022 Official Strongman Games took place on November 12-13, 2022, in Daytona Beach, FL, and surprisingly to everyone, Nick Best announced his retirement at the end of it. Best competed in the Masters 50+ Years Old division, where he ended up finishing in second-place, just behind another iconic Strongman, Mark Felix. Having turned 54-years-old a few days ago, Nick thinks that now is the right time to retire.

The risk of injury in strongman is extremely high, making Nick Best’s decision all the more understandable. It was just a matter of waiting for the right opportunity, which proved to be the 2022 Official Strongman Games. Nick firstly took off his shoes and placed them on the platform, which signified that he would be wrapping up his career. Just moments later Nick confirmed the meaning of his actions. During the interview, he also thanked everyone for their support.

Watch the moment when nick placed his shoes on the floor here:

Related: Nick Best Smashes a 600-lb (272-kg) Deadlift for 16 Reps 5 Days Before Turning 54

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A Look Back At Nick Best’s Strongman Career

Nick Best had his debut in professional Strongman back in 2006, when he took part in the America’s Strongest Man contest. He got a sixth-place finish and it was clear that his potential was enormous. Soon enough, podium finishes started becoming a standard for him. Nick ended up taking part in 36 International competitions and winning three of those.

  • 2016 Masters 40+ World’s Strongest Man — First-place
  • 2016 Giants Live North American Open — First-place
  • 2010 All-American Strongman Challenge — First-place

Apart from these, Nick Best has also impressively taken part in ten World’s Strongest Man contests. At the 2010 WSM, Nick placed sixth in his first appearance at the most prestigious Strongman show. He also made the finals in the 2017 WSM, but finished in tenth place.

Although Nick Best will not compete in any more full Strongman competitions, he could be back to perform single events or break World Records.

Related: Strongman Nick Best Scores 10 Reps Of 700-lb (317.5-kg) 13-Inch Deadlift At 2022 Clash Of The Masters

As his Strongman appearances got less frequent in recent years, Nick Best started focusing on powerlifting again. In 1985, he began competing in this sport, which became his first love. In 2016, Nick returned to powerlifting after stepping away from the sport in the 2000s. He has so far taken part in 33 sanctioned meets and won 20 of them. In addition, we will probably get to see him compete in powerlifting at least a few more times

Nick Best’s Competition History

Personal Bests

Equip Squat Bench Deadlift Total Dots
Wraps 870.8 529.1 870.8 2226.7 555.07
Single-ply 815.7 551.2 815.7 2155 537.54

Competition Results

Place Fed Date Competition Division Total Dots
1 WRPF 2022-05-01 FQ Classic 2 M50-54 2028.3 506.13
3 WRPF 2021-04-24 Kern US Open Open 2028.3 505.81
NS WRPF 2019-04-27 Kern US Open Open
1 IPL 2018-11-17 Old Dogs World Cup Masters 50-54 2182.6 543.64
2 IPL 2018-09-14 Olympia Pro Powerlifting Open 2155 537.54
3 USPA 2017-04-15 CETC US Open Powerlifting Championships HW 2226.7 555.07
1 USPA 2017-01-07 American Cup Los Angeles Fit Expo Open 2221.2 552.13
1 USPA 2016-04-23 Nevada State Powerlifting Championships Open 2171.6 540.78
1 USPA 2016-04-23 Nevada State Powerlifting Championships Masters 45-49 2171.6 540.78
DQ USAPL 2000-07-09 Mens National Powerlifting Championships M-O
1 USAPL 1999-04-10 California State Open 1973.1 507.25
3 USAPL 1998-07-03 Mens National Powerlifting Championships M-O 1940.1 501.06
1 USAPL 1998-04-03 California State Open 1973.1 507.25
1 USAPL 1997-07-26 Mens Nationals Open 1989.7 511.5
1 ADFPA 1997-02-01 California State Open 2022.7
1 WDFPF 1996-08-24 World Powerlifting Championships Open 1907 490.24
1 ADFPA 1996-06-15 Mens Nationals Open 1967.6 505.83
1 ADFPA 1996-04-13 California State Championships Open 2006.2 515.75
4 ADFPA 1995-07-15 Mens Nationals Open 1901.5 488.83
1 ADFPA 1995-03-25 California State Open 1885 484.58
1 ADFPA 1994-12-11 Outlaw Christmas Open Open 479.5 128.82
1 ADFPA 1994-10-15 Beale Open and California State Deadlift Open 1796.8 482.7
5 ADFPA 1994-07-16 Mens Nationals Open 1857.4 498.98
1 ADFPA 1994-04-23 California State Open 1758.2 472.33
2 ADFPA 1994-01-23 California State Squat Open 661.4 170.03
1 ADFPA 1993-10-23 Azusa Classic Open 1769.2 475.29
4 ADFPA 1993-07-10 Mens Nationals Open 1780.2 478.26
2 ADFPA 1993-03-13 California State Championships Open 1802.3 484.18
7 ADFPA 1992-06-06 Mens Nationals Open 1648 442.72
1 ADFPA 1991-11-02 Northern California Open 1631.4 438.28
1 USPF 1991-08-24 East Beach Open Natural 1625.9 436.8
1 USPF 1991-08-24 East Beach Open Open 1625.9 436.8
3 USPF 1985-04-01 El Dorado Gold Championships High School 940 288.83
Data Source: Open Powerlifting. Last Updated: August 17, 2023

Robert Oberst hinted toward the second season of the hit TV show “The Strongest Man In History”, where Nick Best was expected to be one of the main characters again. However, it is not clear if anything will change now that Nick has announced his retirement. Regardless of that, Nick has been one of the men that have helped shape the sport into what it is today. So, his legacy will forever remain one of the greatest.

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Andrew is a professional writer and a workaholic. He studied sports for 4 years and trained soccer for almost 15 years. In addition, for the past three years Andrew has been implementing functional training, with a dream or a plan to enroll in the special forces.
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