2015 WSM thread

[lhprop1]

Lineup was just announced.


Heat 1:
Mateusz Baron (POL)
Adam Bishop (ENG)
Jean-François Caron (CAN)
Martin Forsmark (SWE)
Robert Oberst (USA)
Brian Shaw (USA)

Heat 2:
Hafthor Bjornsson (ISL)
Graham Hicks (ENG)
Rafal Kobylarz (POL)
Akos Nagy (HUN)
Dimitar Savatinov (BUL)
Josh Thigpen (USA)

Heat 3:
Nick Best (USA)
Benedikt Magnusson (ISL)
David Nystrom (SWE)
Zydrunas Savickas (LTU)
Laurence Shahlaei (ENG)
Mikhail Shivlykov (RUS)

Heat 4:
Johannes Arsjo (SWE)
Mark Felix (ENG)
Jerry Pritchett (USA)
Krzysztof Radzikowski (POL)
Gerhard Van Staden (RSA)
Dainis Zageris (LAT)

Heat 5:
Matjaz Belsak (SVN)
Mike Burke (USA)
Mike Caruso (USA)
Eddie Hall (ENG)
Ole Martin Hansen (NOR)
Grzegorz Szymanski (POL)


Notable absents: Dave Ostlund (lat tear), Warrick Brant (pec tear), Jason Bergmann (had qualified), Ervin Katona (had qualified), Martin Wildauer (had qualified)

Prelims are April 19-22
Finals are April 25-26

Stones in the heats will count for double points to prevent guys from sandbagging

[Iceman1800]

No Terry Hollands either. I'm picking Shaw to win it all.

[lhprop1]

No Terry Hollands either. I'm picking Shaw to win it all.

Terry retired. He announced it on either on his FB page or on SugdenBB (I can't remember which) a few months back.

These few years where we have Z, Shaw, Thor, (and Burke, and sometimes Lalas) all in the mix will be looked back on as legendary battles like the ones between Kaz, Capes, and Sigmarsson. We're living in a golden era right now. Enjoy it.

[308smk]

I'm gonna go with

Shaw
Savickas
Thor/kyrstof
Eddie

But then again I don't follow strongman that closely so I could be way off.

[lhprop1]

I'm gonna go with

Shaw
Savickas
Thor/kyrstof
Eddie

But then again I don't follow strongman that closely so I could be way off.

It's really a toss up between Shaw, Z, and Thor. All are very equally matched and it will depend on nothing more than who has a good day.

Burke is a dark horse, too. If he wears his big boy pants and has a great contest, he would come out on top.

[308smk]

It's really a toss up between Shaw, Z, and Thor. All are very equally matched and it will depend on nothing more than who has a good day.

Burke is a dark horse, too. If he wears his big boy pants and has a great contest, he would come out on top.

Yeah I hear you.

I think shaw has the momentum from the last 2 Arnold's which is why I put him as the favourite

Savickas is consistently one of the best.

Thor has something to prove and will be a top contender if he stays healthy

Eddie is a monster and I think if he can use that strength productively in the events he should place well. If he can get his glutes up to speed anyways.

Mike Burke i was thinking about putting him in there but I don't know if he can hang with the really big names, considering he has an actual job etc. Definitely an underdog to watch, I'll be rooting for him.

[NorthStrong]

I say the finals will have the same top 3 as last year, but the order is too hard to guess. WSM is very well suited to Thor, but I think Z will take it again to be honest. I think he really wants the fifth title, and I'd like to see him get it. It's so competitive though it's anyone's game. Shaw is also very strong and mobile.

Who do you guys see making the finals from the heats posted? I'm seeing this.

1 - Shaw / Caron or OB
2 - Thor / Hicks
3 - Z / Loz (if healthy)
4 - Pritchett / Radz
5 - Burke / Hall

[TheIronAsylum]

inn

Shaw Z or Thor


where is it being held this year

[TomMutaffis]

Looks like a great group of athletes.

Here is how I think that things will shake out in the prelims:

Heat 1:
Mateusz Baron (POL)
Adam Bishop (ENG)
Jean-François Caron (CAN)
Martin Forsmark (SWE)
Robert Oberst (USA)
Brian Shaw (USA)

-> Shaw should win and then the second spot is a toss up and really depends on the events. Mateusz, Oberst, and Caron all have a good shot at the second spot.

Heat 2:
Hafthor Bjornsson (ISL)
Graham Hicks (ENG)
Rafal Kobylarz (POL)
Akos Nagy (HUN)
Dimitar Savatinov (BUL)
Josh Thigpen (USA)

-> Thor should win and second spot will likely go to either Hicks or Dimitar depending on events and who shows up in better condition.

Heat 3:
Nick Best (USA)
Benedikt Magnusson (ISL)
David Nystrom (SWE)
Zydrunas Savickas (LTU)
Laurence Shahlaei (ENG)
Mikhail Shivlykov (RUS)

-> Savickas for the win and second spot is really a toss up. I would say Loz but am not sure if he is 100% at this point. Benni could also be a strong contender if there are static events, or Best if there is farmers/yoke and squat since he is tough to beat in all of those events.

Heat 4:
Johannes Arsjo (SWE)
Mark Felix (ENG)
Jerry Pritchett (USA)
Krzysztof Radzikowski (POL)
Gerhard Van Staden (RSA)
Dainis Zageris (LAT)

-> I would expect Radz to win and Pritchett to take the second spot, although either one could win depending on events and how they show up.

Heat 5:
Matjaz Belsak (SVN)
Mike Burke (USA)
Mike Caruso (USA)
Eddie Hall (ENG)
Ole Martin Hansen (NOR)
Grzegorz Szymanski (POL)

-> This will be an interesting heat, I would expect Burke to be the man to beat and Eddie Hall will also be tough if there are static events. Mike Caruso may surprise some people as he is very well rounded in terms of speed, static strength, and conditioning.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

For the finals I think that Shaw, Z, and Thor will take the podium spots. With the stones counting for 2X points that favors the taller athletes, although Z has proven in the past that he can be competitive on the stones and neither Shaw or Thor are likely to be near the top on pressing events unless there is a dumbbell (in which case Shaw would be the favorite).

I am definitely excited to see how things play out and hope that all of the athletes put on great performances and enjoy the experience!

[NorthStrong]

I'm not sure if the double points for stones is happening in the finals, I highly doubt it. I think it was just for the heats so that the athletes would actually do the stones. I might be wrong.

[Larfleeze]

Qualifying




Finals

Day 1 April 25th

Super Yoke

Deadlift for reps

Truck Pull

Day 2 April 26th

Power Stairs

Log Press for max

Atlas Stones

[bigfor15]

Top 3 will be Shaw, Savickas, and Thor (in no specific order), but I wouldn't put it past Burke to shake things up this year. I'm also interested to see who else comes out of heats 2-4, especially 4. Seeing Felix in the mix with Radz and Arsjo makes me feel like it will be a barn burner.

Eddie is a monster and I think if he can use that strength productively in the events he should place well. If he can get his glutes up to speed anyways.

This will never stop being funny.

[Sportacus88]

Here are my thoughts on who goes through (just for fun)

Heat 1:
Mateusz Baron (POL)
Adam Bishop (ENG)
Jean-François Caron (CAN)
Martin Forsmark (SWE)
Robert Oberst (USA)
Brian Shaw (USA)


-> Brian Shaw goes through, with Baron, Caron, and Oberst fighting for the 2nd spot.

Baron is the most well rounded out of the 3, but Caron always turns it on for the deadlift, and lucky for him he has deadlift for reps in his heat.

It will be interesting to see how much Shaw puts into the deadlift, given how strong Baron and Caron are at it as well.


Heat 2:
Hafthor Bjornsson (ISL)
Graham Hicks (ENG)
Rafal Kobylarz (POL)
Akos Nagy (HUN)
Dimitar Savatinov (BUL)
Josh Thigpen (USA)

-> Thor and Hicks should go through given the events. I see Dimitar losing big points due to the loading race, and the conans circle, which will allow Hicks to go through

Heat 3:
Nick Best (USA)
Benedikt Magnusson (ISL)
David Nystrom (SWE)
Zydrunas Savickas (LTU)
Laurence Shahlaei (ENG)
Mikhail Shivlykov (RUS)

-> Group of death. Savickas should go through, with Loz being the guy who should go through as well, if he is healthy.

Squat for reps in this group, and given if everyone is healthy, it will be a great battle between Savickas, Best, and Loz, that is if Savickas pushes himself to go all out to beat Best and Loz


Heat 4:
Johannes Arsjo (SWE)
Mark Felix (ENG)
Jerry Pritchett (USA)
Krzysztof Radzikowski (POL)
Gerhard Van Staden (RSA)
Dainis Zageris (LAT)

-> Radz and Pritchett should go through. Arsjo has an outside chance, and Felix should impress on the deadlift.

Heat 5:
Matjaz Belsak (SVN)
Mike Burke (USA)
Mike Caruso (USA)
Eddie Hall (ENG)
Ole Martin Hansen (NOR)
Grzegorz Szymanski (POL)

-> Burke and Belsak should go through.

Belsak I think is a better strongman than Hall, even though Eddie is the stronger person.

Though, Eddie can beat out Belsak if he does well on his bad events, but I don't see it happening this year.

For those that don't know who Belsak is, he tied for 1st at the Giants Live Budapest event.

You can watch here..
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xAPq85n7x_Q
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JUBwoBVbYi8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=17XJbz5VpQY




For the Finals

Events are super yoke, deadlift for reps, truck pull, power stairs, max log, and stones.

All great events for Savickas, where as both Thor and Shaw will lose a bit on the log, which might give it to Savickas.

Throw will lose too many points on deadlift for reps, and the max log to really press for the win this year.

if Shaw wants to win, he'll have to smoke the power stairs, which, he very well can, and beat Savickas at the deadlift, which he has done in the recent years.

It's Savickas' contest to lose given the events

1. Savickas
2. Shaw
3. Thor



Anyone know why Mateusz Kieliszkowski (3rd at the arnold classic) isn't there? Too many Polish guys already qualified?

[Trolltongue]

For the Finals

Events are super yoke, deadlift for reps, truck pull, power stairs, max log, and stones.

All great events for Savickas, where as both Thor and Shaw will lose a bit on the log, which might give it to Savickas.

Throw will lose too many points on deadlift for reps, and the max log to really press for the win this year.

if Shaw wants to win, he'll have to smoke the power stairs, which, he very well can, and beat Savickas at the deadlift, which he has done in the recent years.

It's Savickas' contest to lose given the events

1. Savickas
2. Shaw
3. Thor

I agree, Thor has every reason to win the truck pull, power stairs and atlas stones but he'll lose big points on deadlift and log and maybe yoke and I think Shaw and Z will just be more consistent throughout putting him into 3rd. I think the Shaw/Z battle might hinge a little on the power stairs assuming neither makes mistakes in the other events.

[lhprop1]

Qualifying




Finals

Day 1 April 25th

Super Yoke

Deadlift for reps

Truck Pull

Day 2 April 26th

Power Stairs

Log Press for max

Atlas Stones

Norse hammer? I wonder if that's going to be like the fishing pole deadlift that Odd always puts in the FitExpo.

EDIT: Word on the street is that the Norse Hammers is just a rehashing of Fingals fingers.

[FenderElectrics]

Was watching some strongman footage a few weeks back and was surprised to see a few not wearing belts for the squat for reps event. Any reason why some would feel they are stronger without the belt? For some of the larger guys would it get in the way somehow?

[lhprop1]

With a max log in the finals, Z could be a heavy favorite depending on who else makes it through. If guys like Hall, Radz, or Dimitar (and possibly Oberst) make it through to the finals, they could put a lot of space between Z and Thor/Shaw on the log. Zydrunas would have a pretty comfortable points cushion if that happened.

[CROMAGS1985]

Was watching some strongman footage a few weeks back and was surprised to see a few not wearing belts for the squat for reps event. Any reason why some would feel they are stronger without the belt? For some of the larger guys would it get in the way somehow?

I would guess that the potential for better breathing may out way the potential support of the belt.

[CurltonBench]

man its such a shame that jenkins is no more, he was showing some crazy promising progress(Rip) same for Lalas but saw a vid of his comeback training ez 370 dl and 155 log for 4 reps so it wont be long and hell be back too. also i hate that well have to wait months to finally see the tv production, it takes ridiculously long but at least well see some shaky youtube vids...

[connerh99]

Qualifying




Atlas Stones

what do those numbers mean by the events? like atlas stones x2?

EDIT: maybe I'm wrong, but i assume it means the number of athletes who will be participating at once.

[bigfor15]

what do those numbers mean by the events? like atlas stones x2?

EDIT: maybe I'm wrong, but i assume it means the number of athletes who will be participating at once.

That's what I figured. The head to head dumbbell press should be a hoot.

[lhprop1]

Bump. WSM starts on Sunday.

[CROMAGS1985]

For those that don't have them...

https://instagram.com/thorbjornsson/

https://instagram.com/shawstrength/

https://instagram.com/savickas_bigz/

https://instagram.com/robertoberst/

Also:

[Iceman1800]

Predications? Mod rep if ya get it right. I'm going with Shaw to win his 3rd title.

[NorthStrong]

Predications? Mod rep if ya get it right. I'm going with Shaw to win his 3rd title.

It's stupidly competitive so prediciting a winner is going to be hard but mostly because I want him to win, I'll take Z.

[grouchyjarhead]

I'm thinking Shaw for the overall win, Savickas in second. I think Oberst and Hall will be shaking some things up too.

[NorthStrong]

I'm thinking Shaw for the overall win, Savickas in second. I think Oberst and Hall will be shaking some things up too.

I don't see oberst or hall placing higher than 5th personally. Although OB has been performing really well lately.

[kmc06005]

I'm going with Shaw to win his 3rd title.

x2 Him winning the Arnold was a pretty big deal in my eyes. That's usually more of a static strength event, and favors guys like Z. Shaw beating Z there makes me think that WSM is his to lose.

[NorthStrong]

x2 Him winning the Arnold was a pretty big deal in my eyes. That's usually more of a static strength event, and favors guys like Z. Shaw beating Z there makes me think that WSM is his to lose.

WSM is very well suited to Shaw and Thor I think, and Shaw is ridiculously strong and fast, but goddamn I want Z to win his 5th lol.

[kmc06005]

WSM is very well suited to Shaw and Thor I think, and Shaw is ridiculously strong and fast, but goddamn I want Z to win his 5th lol.

No question Z has what it takes, but strength has always been his strength, and doesn't seem to be as strong lately...

Does that make sense?