The sport of Strongwoman is reaching new heights with each passing year. However, 2023 has been especially progressive for the sport, and two ladies played a very big role. The women in question are Lucy Underdown and Rebecca Roberts, and they have been going head-to-head for victory in the majority of this year’s competitions. They once again faced each other at the 2023 Official Strongman Games, which took place on December 1-3, in West Virginia. Their encounter was very tense as the title of the World’s Strongest Woman was on the line. As expected, their showdown was as tight as it could be. However, Rebecca Roberts did manage to get the better of Lucy on a tie-breaker and ultimately become the champion.
Once all six of the 2023 World’s Strongest Woman events were completed, Rebecca Roberts and Lucy Underdown were tied at 49 points each. However, since Rebecca beat Lucy in the final event of the competition, the tie-breaker belonged to her, and she claimed the title. Moreover, this is the second World’s Strongest Woman title that Rebecca won, the first one being in 2021.
Check out the moment that Rebecca Roberts won the title:
Rebecca Roberts’ Full Performance
- Stand or Submit Press Medley: 3 reps – 49.39 s (Seventh-Place)
- Stix and Stone Carry: 29 seconds (Third-Place)
- Kabuki Strength Deadlift Ladder: 4 barbells – 44.77 s (First-Place)
- Goruck Survival Challenge: 41.27 seconds (First-Place)
- Sandbag Toss: 6 bags – 30.16 s (First-Place)
- Atlas Stones: 6 stones – 47.13 s (Second-Place)
The first event tasked the women with completing an overhead press medley with four implements. Those were a 215-lb barbell, 123-lb dumbbell, 242-lb Anchor Yoke, and a 188-lb Block. Rebecca Roberts had a perfect start to the competition, winning the event as the fastest woman to lift three of the implements.
The women from the open weight class then performed the second event, where they had to carry a 550-pound frame for 50 feet. That was not all though, as they then needed to carry a pair of stones (220-lb + 185-lb) for another 25 feet. Rebecca Roberts continued to extend her lead over Lucy Underdown on the second event, having finished in second place with a time of 29 seconds.
The third event of the competition was undoubtedly the favorite one for Lucy Underdown, as the women had to perform five deadlifts of increasing weight (455-lb to 600-lb). Being the World Record holder, Lucy dominated everyone. She was one of three women who completed all five deadlifts, but finished in nearly half the time that the rest did. On the other hand, Rebecca Roberts placed sixth with four successful lifts, which allowed Lucy to catch up overall.
Wearing a 63-pound rucksack from the start of the event four, the women first had to carry a 200-pound sand medicine ball and then do the same with a 250-pound sandbag. Once it was done, they then had to perform a sled pull. Riding a momentum wave from the deadlifts, Lucy also managed to win the Survival Challenge, but Rebecca Roberts only fell one place short of her. So, with another second-place finish, Rebecca managed to stay in the lead going into the third day.
The penultimate event that the women had to perform was a Sandbag Toss, where they threw six bags over a high beam. The weights were as follows: 2x 30 pounds / 2x 35 pounds / 2x 40 pounds. Rebecca Roberts finished in fourth place with a time of 30.16 seconds, thus losing the overall lead with one event to go.
The last event of the 2023 World’s Strongest Woman was the Atlas Stones. Six separate stones ranging in weight from 200 pounds to 325 pounds waited on the competition floor for athletes to load them onto a platform in the shortest time possible. Well, Rebecca Roberts finished in second with a time of 47.13 for all stones. Luckily for her, Lucy Underdown placed fourth with five stones lifted. So, since Rebecca placed better in the final event, she won the tie-breaker.
Rebecca Roberts has had a mind-blowing year, having successfully won the 2023 UK’s and Britain’s Strongest Woman competitions. Moreover, she also took home silver medals from the 2023 Arnold Strongwoman Classic and 2023 OSG European Championships. However, nothing can compare to her newest success, as she is the World’s Strongest Woman.
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