The first day of the 2024 Arnold Strongwoman & Strongman Classic took place on March 1st, in Columbus, Ohio, and it was very eventful to say the least. Unfortunately, not everything that happened turned out to be good, as Victoria Long and Maxime Boudreault were forced to withdraw due to injuries. The risk is always involved in the sport, but it doesn’t make the situation any less pitiful.
Victoria Long
Victoria Long won the past two editions of the Arnold Strongwoman Classic, making herself the biggest favorite for this year’s one as well. However, she is now officially out of the title race, having injured herself at the start of the competition.
The first event of the 2024 Arnold Strongwoman Classic was the Max Elephant Bar Deadlift. She opened up well, successfully locking out two out of her three attempts, seemingly having more in the tank. However, the third attempt proved to be the breaking point.
Not long after Victoria Long started pulling 302 kilograms (666 pounds), she dropped to the floor with a facial expression of pain. She then grabbed her hamstring, and it was immediately clear that she was injured. However, the extent of her hamstring injury has not been disclosed yet.
Victoria Long could not get up by herself, or even walk backstage. Instead, she needed assistance from people around her, and was basically carried. So, at first glance, her injury does seem more severe.
The reason for her injury might originate from last year, as she also injured her hamstring at the 2023 Kaos Classic Record Breakers. So, there is a chance that the injury did not heal properly, leading to the recent unfortunate situation.
Related: How To Watch 2024 Arnold Strongman & Strongwoman Classic [Free Livestream]
Maxime Boudreault
Maxime Boudreault has had his fair share of injuries. So, there is no doubt that he is always as cautious as possible. However, there was no way to predict his injury at the 2024 Arnold Strongman Classic.
Like Victoria, Maxime Boudreault got injured during the Max Elephant Bar Deadlift. However, in his case, the injury occurred during the first attempt, which was supposed to be fairly light and doable for him. Moreover, the muscle he injured was his Lat, which has happened to some other elite Strongmen in the past.
Contrary to Victoria, Maxime Boudreault’s injury did not seem as severe when it happened. However, he was unable to perform his remaining two attempts on the deadlift. Consequently, he was also not able to move on to the second event, the Timber Carry. So, hopefully, Maxime will not be out for too long, as some big competitions are ahead.
Related: Mitchell Hooper Gives His Prediction for 2024 Arnold Strongman Classic
Day one of the 2024 Arnold Strongwoman & Strongman Classic also had some good moments, as Lucy Underdown set a new World Record and Hafthor Bjornsson took the lead in his first competition back after four years. So, with day two ahead, hopefully there will be no more injuries, and a lot more good news.
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