Novikov Conquers the Royal Albert Hall
2021-07-24 by Éloi Fournier
Saturday evening in London, Oleksii Novikov set out to prove that his 2021 World's Strongest Man Qualifying Round elimination was just a fluke. He made a great case for himself.
The 2020 World's Strongest Man title winner took his first international victory since last March by scoring 44.5 points at the inaugural Giants Live Strongman Classic. Novikov was delighted with the win, which was decided on the final event, the Atlas Stones. Had the Ukrainian been 2.14 seconds slower on the final stone, he would have lost the title.
The man putting pressure on him was Evan "T-Rex" Singleton, who finished on 43 points. In the past, Singleton has struggled in the Atlas Stones, but he delivered in a big way at the Royal Albert Hall, completing the set in just over 20 seconds.
Singleton arguably lost the title in the first event, the Max Axle Press, where Novikov nailed a solid 190 kg press while the American just missed. "T-Rex" had the power and launched the 190 kg axle over his head, but lost control of the bar while attempting to lock his elbows.
Cheick "Iron Biby" Sanou had no such problems. The big man from Burkina Faso made 190 kg look easy, and managed 205 kg before attempting a new World Record at 217 kg. Unfortunately, Sanou failed after two very difficult cleans... But he did not give up. After his attempt, he pleaded his case with officials Colin Bryce and Darren Sadler in order to have another crack at the World Record. The organizers obliged, and Biby delivered. Despite the fatigue from his previous attempt, Sanou bent himself backwards and effortlessly pushed the bar off his chest for a good lift. He was then so relieved that he collapsed to the ground as the English crowd roared for him.
Iron Biby kept the momentum going in the Hercules Hold, gripping the pillars for just over 75 seconds, giving him the win over Evan Singleton. Surprisingly, Mark Felix only took 3rd place in that event, which marked his first Hercules Hold defeat in a Giants Live contest. Unfortunately for Felix, he suffered a hamstring injury in the Deadlift and had to pull out of the competition.
Felix was not the only athlete to suffer in the Strongman Classic. The Stoltman brothers seemed exhausted from the get go, with Luke notably failing the 190 kg axle. Tom, meanwhile, did not seem to be in his best shape only a month after winning his first World's Strongest Man title. This was expected – and so was Tom's performance in the Atlas Stones. The younger Stoltman won the event easily, finishing in under 17 seconds, allowing him to salvage 5th place overall.
Sadly for Cheick Sanou, he had to retire before the final event due to a bicep injury. According to Colin Bryce, the organizers made the decision to take Iron Biby out of the contest to avoid aggravating his condition. Despite this, Biby had sent his message, taking 3rd overall and proving that he can master more than just the overhead events.
Shahlaei's Heroic Comeback
On June 13, 2019, Laurence Shahlaei suffered what was thought to be a career-ending injury when he tore his Achilles tendon at the World's Strongest Man contest. However, this was not the way he wanted to leave the strongman scene.
Shahlaei made his comeback at the Strongman Classic, and he showed that he still belonged, finishing ahead of current UK's Strongest Man Gavin Bilton and 2020 WSM finalist Aivars Šmaukstelis.
The London crowd professed its love for Shahlaei many times during the contest, and the 2016 Europe's Strongest Man champion paid them back with solid performances in multiple events. "Big Loz" delivered an especially gutsy effort during the Deadlift, grinding out 4 difficult reps of the 350 kg axle.
After placing the fifth Atlas stone on its podium in a very respectable time, Shahlaei addressed the crowd for one last time.
"It's been an amazing journey, with lots of ups and downs. But this [pointing the crowd], this has been incredible here tonight. What a place to go out, in front of so many fans!"
Shahlaei thanked the crowd and underlined all the work done by Colin Bryce and Darren Sadler to make the sport of strongman better – Big Loz also thanked them for having given him the chance to compete one last time.
2022 WSM
As with every Giants Live competition, the top three finishers are guaranteed an invite to the following year's World's Strongest Man contest. Oleksii Novikov, Evan Singleton and Cheick Sanou will therefore all get invites. If Sanou accepts, it will be his first WSM appearance. The athlete from Burkina Faso was slated to compete at the 2018 WSM, but a bout with malaria prevented him from doing so.
The next stop in the World's Strongest Man Qualifying Tour will take place on August 14, with the Giants Live World Open in Manchester, England. The top six finishers from the Strongman Classic will be there, but Rauno Heinla, Gabriel Peña and Mikhail Shivlyakov are going to challenge them. The contest will feature the 2021 World Deadlift Championships.