Strongman Archives

Completing one strongman competition is no easy task... but finishing a contest and then driving 11 hours during the night to try to defend your national title is just not feasible. Pavlo Kordiyaka now knows all about it.

The 2020 Ukraine's Strongest Man champion had not entered a competition this year due to a nagging lower back injury when he decided to accept an invite to the Marijampolė International in Lithuania on Saturday, August 21. Kordiyaka is used to competing in Marijampolė, having taken 3rd place in the 2019 edition of the show.

After confirming his presence in Lithuania, Kordiyaka got word that the Ukraine's Strongest Man contest had been moved forward to Sunday, August 22.

"The Ukrainian federation changed the dates… I chose to try!" Kordiyaka told Strongman Archives.

Although he defeated Oleksii Novikov in 2020, Kordiyaka needs the exposure – the Ukrainian has not gotten many international invites over the years. The Marijampolė International is also a great stepping stone for Eastern European athletes: Aivars Šmaukstelis, Oleksii Novikov and Ivan Makarov are some of the strongmen who have thrived in Marijampolė before getting bigger opportunities.

2,000 Kilometres Behind the Wheel

Therefore, Pavlo Kordiyaka left his hometown of Lviv and drove 9 hours to Marijampolė in order to compete last Saturday. Kordiyaka did very well, finishing 2nd overall despite not getting a rep in the Deadlift due to his back injury. The competition was won by local hero Audrius Jokūbaitis, while former World's Strongest Man competitors Dainis Zageris and Ervin Toots struggled, the latter being forced to withdraw due to injury.

After the show, Kordiyaka accepted his trophy and quickly left! He had to drive over 11 hours to the small village of Slavske, in southwestern Ukraine, in order to try to defend his Ukraine's Strongest Man title early in the afternoon.

Unfortunately for Kordiyaka, it did not work out as well as he had hoped. He struggled in the opening events and withdrew, telling Strongman Archives that he was "extremely exhausted". With four-time champion Oleksii Novikov also unable to compete, veteran Oleksandr Kochergin dominated the show, winning five of six events.

Future Plans

Despite losing his national crown, Kordiyaka is far from disappointed. The 26-year-old has more contests planned, including the Savickas Classic in September, the Emirates Strongest Man contest in October and the Official Strongman Games in November. A top-2 finish in Dubai would earn him a WUS spot for 2022, while a top-3 finish in the Official Strongman Games would give him a guaranteed Giants Live invite.