The 2022 Arnold Strongman Classic results are in, and this competition has been a spectacle as well as a pleasure to watch for all strongman fans around the world. The competition took place in Columbus, Ohio, from March 4-5, 2022. It was a tight race from start to finish, but only one man could prevail and take home the title. 2019 World’s Strongest Man and the 2021 Rogue Invitational Strongman champion Martins Licis is the winner of the 2022 Arnold Strongman Classic, and took home $80,000 of prize money.
The Arnold Strongman Classic did not happen last year because of Covid-19. The last competition was the 2020 ASC, where Hafthor Bjornsson emerged victorious. However, he retired from the sport not long after his infamous 501 kg (1104.5 lbs) deadlift. Currently, Hafthor is preparing for his boxing match against Eddie Hall, which is scheduled for March 19th in Dubai. His retirement from Strongman meant that a brand new winner would be crowned this year.
Day one of the 2022 ASC was extremely suspenseful and was marked by JF Caron’s incredible squat performance and Oleksii Novikov’s domination in the monster dumbbell. However, it was Rob Kearney who took the lead with second-place finishes in both events.
Three event were left for day two, and the leaderboard drastically changed. Martins Licis won the competition, and once again proved that the consistency is key to success. It seems like he does not have any significant weaknesses, and can perform well in every event.
2022 Arnold Strongman Classic Results
| Placings | Athletes | Total Points | Prize Money |
| 1st | Martins Licis (USA) | 41 | $80,000 |
| 2nd | Oleksii Novikov (UKR) | 37.5 | |
| 3rd | Luke Stoltman (GBR) | 30.5 | $20,000 ** |
| 3rd | Bobby Thompson (USA) | 30.5 | $20,000 ** |
| 5th | Rob Kearney (USA) | 28.5 | $13,000 |
| 6th | Maxime Boudreault (CAN) | 27 | $8,000 |
| 7th | Trey Mitchell (USA) | 21.5 | $7,000 ** |
| 7th | Tom Stoltman (GBR) | 21.5 | $7,000 ** |
| 9th | Evgeny Markov (RUS) | 21 | $5,000 |
| 10th | JF Caron (CAN) | 14 | $3,000 |
* During the award ceremony Arnold Schwarzenegger announced that he will match the 1st place prize money for the Novikov because of the ongoing situation in Ukraine.
** Tied for same position
2022 Arnold Strongman Classic Day 1 Recap: You can read more about day one by clicking here.
2022 Arnold Strongman Classic Day 2 Recap
Max Log Lift
This event was done with an Austrian Oak Log, which is traditional for Strongman. The aim of the event was to lift as much weight as possible. In addition, like in the squat event, every athlete got three attempts.
The first event of the second day was slowed down drastically due to JF Caron’s injury while doing the press. Unfortunately, JF had to withdraw from the competition. Luke Stoltman won the event, and his hopes of a podium finish became realistic once again.
- Luke Stoltman (GBR) – 213 kg (470 lbs) / 10 points
- Trey Mitchell (USA) – 209 kg (461 lbs) / 9 points
- Bobby Thompson (USA) – 204 kg (450 lbs) / 8 points
- Martins Licis (USA) – 200 kg (441 lbs) / 7 points
- Rob Kearney (USA) – 191 kg (421 lbs) / 4.5 points
- Oleksii Novikov (UKR) – 191 kg (421 lbs) / 4.5 points
- Tom Stoltman (GBR) – 191 kg (421 lbs) / 4.5 points
- Maxime Boudreault (CAN) – 191 kg (421 lbs) / 4.5 points
- Evgeny Markov (RUS) – 181 kg (399 lbs) / 1.5 points
- JF Caron (CAN) – 181 kg (399 lbs) / 1.5 points
Timber Carry
Athletes had to carry a 400 kg (881.8 lbs) timber frame up a 10.7-meter-long ramp (35 feet). If done within the 30-second time cap, the result is measured in seconds. If not successful, then the total covered distance represents the result.
This was an extremely brutal event for majority of competitors. Only Maxime and Martins were able to carry the frame for the full length. Rob Kearney underperformed, which ruined his chances to win.
- Maxime Boudreault (CAN) – 8.41 seconds / 10 points
- Martins Licis (USA) – 10.3 seconds / 9 points
- Oleksii Novikov (UKR) – 9.4 meters / 8 points
- Tom Stoltman (GBR) – 7.98 meters / 7 points
- Luke Stoltman (GBR) – 6.53 meters / 6 points
- Bobby Thompson (USA) – 5.77 meters / 5 points
- Evgeny Markov (RUS) – 4.29 meters / 4 points
- Luke Stoltman (GBR) – 6.53 meters / 3 points
- Rob Kearney (USA) – points
- Trey Mitchell (USA) – Failed to lift / points
Stone To Shoulder
The aim of the event is to lift Odd Haugen’s famous “tombstone” from the ground to the shoulder. The stone weighed 186 kg (410 lbs) and while on the shoulder, the stone had to be in a stationary position. The time cap for this exercise was 2 and a half minutes. If the athlete gets the stone to his chest, he will receive 10 event points. However, getting it to the shoulder is worth 100 points.
Despite a great last minute push from Oleksii Novikov, Martins Licis wins the event as the only man to lift the stone to his should twice.
- Martins Licis (USA) – 200 / 10 points
- Oleksii Novikov (UKR) – 110 / 9 points
- Bobby Thompson (USA) – 100 / 8 points
- Evgeny Markov (RUS) – 20 / 6.5 points
- Luke Stoltman (GBR) – 20 / 6.5 points
- Trey Mitchell (USA) – 10 / 5points
- Rob Kearney (USA) – 0 / 3 points
- Maxime Boudreault (CAN) – 0 / 3 points
- Tom Stoltman (GBR) – 0 / 3 points
2022 Arnold Strongman Classic Prize Money
Total prize money for the 2022 Arnold Strongman Classic is $182,000.
- First place — $80,000
- Second place — $25,000
- Third place — $20,000
- Fourth place — $15,000
- Fifth place — $13,000
- Sixth place — $8,000
- Seventh place — $7,000
- Eighth place — $6,000
- Ninth place — $5,000
- 10th place — $3,000
Past Winners Of Arnold Strongman Classic
- 2002: Mark Henry
- 2003: Zydrunas Savickas
- 2004: Zydrunas Savickas
- 2005: Zydrunas Savickas
- 2006: Zydrunas Savickas
- 2007: Zydrunas Savickas
- 2008: Zydrunas Savickas
- 2009: Derek Poundstone
- 2010: Derek Poundstone
- 2011: Brian Shaw
- 2012: Michael Jenkins
- 2013: Vytautas Lalas
- 2014: Zydrunas Savickas
- 2015: Brian Shaw
- 2016: Zydrunas Savickas
- 2017: Brian Shaw
- 2018: Hafthor Bjornsson
- 2019: Hafthor Bjornsson
- 2020: Hafthor Bjornsson
Hopefully JF Caron’s injury will not be too severe, and that he will be able to recover quickly. However, we got to see some incredible performances in this competition, alongside some surprising placements. It seems like the Arnold Strongman Classic is getting better with each year and justifies the reputation it has.
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