Europe’s Strongest Man 2018 took place at First Direct Arena in Leeds on 7 April 2018 along with the World Log Lift Challenge.

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World’s Strongest Man, Eddie Hall, secured a new British Record with a 213kg Log Lift, but failed his 230kg attempt to secure a new World Record!

Europe’s Strongest Man has long been the most hotly anticipated competition on the UK strongman calendar. But this year, with an athlete line-up to rival a World’s Strongest Man finale and the strongest pressers from around the world gathered to join in Event 1 (the World Log Lift Challenge), expectations and tensions were running higher than ever before.

With bitter rivalry, hard-fought ambition and world record hopes... the event certainly did not disappoint!

World’s Strongest Man, Eddie Hall, despite suffering with a broken ankle, had promised fans a World Record 230 kilo log lift and for the first time in his strongman career, he was unable to fulfil that promise, vowing to return for the title:

“It is a massive disappointment for me. I’ve let myself down and my fans down and I’m sorry. I’ll be back and that record will be mine, I promise you that.”

But the Beast did walk away with a new British Record in the Log Press – no mean feat at a whopping 213kg!

Big Z, 4x World’s Strongest man (considered by many to be the Strongest Man that has ever lived), has held tightly to his Log Lift record since 2005 and had no intentions of letting it go. Unfortunately, after a recent illness and still fighting old injuries, Big Z failed to make the 213 kilo lift.

The Beast wasn’t the only one publicly coveting Big Z’s long-held 228kg Log Press World Record. Strongman sensation, Iron Biby from Burkino Faso, also attempted the 230 kilo lift with hopes of making the magic press.

Despite not making the lift, Biby put in a valiant effort to roaring support from the 10,000+ strongman fans in the Arena. We’re sure there is much more to come from this incredibly talented and charismatic 25 year old.

“I will go away, I will work hard and I will come back for that record.”

Big Z’s log record remains intact (for now, at least).

...and that was just event 1!

World Strongest Man Competition 2018

The Europe’s Strongest Man competition also included a 360KG Giant Axle deadlift “for reps”, a 320KG Farmer’s Walk, a 450KG Car Walk and the Atlas Stones.

Big Z ended the show in fourth place, with Poland’s Strongest Man, Mateusz Kieliszkowski, in third place; the Georgian Bull, Konstantine Janashia, in second place; and Iceland’s Hafþór Júlíus 'Thor' Björnsson claiming his fourth Europe’s Strongest Man title. All men securing their places at the 2019 World’s Strongest Man final.

Thor – otherwise known as “The Mountain” from Game of Thrones – announced to the audience that he is hell bent on winning World’s Strongest Man.

“I want to prove to my fans that I am the strongest man in the world!”

Winning Europe’s Strongest Man was his first stepping stone to that title and Thor is certainly the man to watch this year.

Full results:

2018 Strongest Man Competition Figure

2018 Strongest Man Competition Models

Lately, Geico commercials have been on a celebrity tangent. The company hired the rapper duo Tag Team, '90s exercise tape mogul Billy Blanks, and the Harlem Globetrotters for commercials, and it's showing no sign of stopping thanks to its latest ad. To round out February, Geico released a new commercial in which 'World's Strongest Man Martins Licis' helped break down cardboard for recycling. What does he have to do with Geico? Well, he's the world's strongest man, but you don't need the world's strongest man to break down cardboard, sort of like how you don't need help switching to Geico to save 15% on your car insurance. Or something like that.

While this isn't the first time Geico hired a professional athlete (see: Harlem Globetrotters), Licis is by no means a household name, so you might not recognize his face or work.

Arnold Schwarzenegger would be proud of Martins Licis

Martins Licis is a dual-citizen of the United States and Latvia. The strongman was introduced to weight training and heavy lifting at a very early age; at only 9 years old, he started training by lifting stones on his family's Latvian farm, and when he turned 18, Licis started competing professionally. Licis participated in numerous weightlifting contests, including The World's Strongest Man, Ultimate Strongman, and the Arnold Strongman Classic. Usually, he represented the United States, but during the 2017 Ultimate Strongman Summermania, Licis lifted for Latvia. As for his record, it speaks for himself. After all, you don't earn the title 'World's Strongest Man' just by competing in the competition.

In 2017 and 2018, Licis placed fourth in the World's Strongest Man, and in 2019, he won the coveted first place, (via BarBend). He also placed first in the 2017 Ultimate Strongman. Furthermore, Licis earned second and third place in the 2019 and 2020 Arnold Strongman Classics, respectively. Clearly, Martins Licis deserves his title.

He has his own YouTube channel

Like many celebrities these days, Martins Licis creates YouTube videos on the side. For the most part, Licis fills his channel with videos that show off his prodigious strength. He has posted videos lifting giant weights, pulling monster trucks, and most difficult of all, giving away a PlayStation 5. However, he has appeared on screen in more than just exercise aficionados' YouTube feeds. Licis' strength has attracted the attention of game show producers, as he has guest starred on shows such as Game On! and To Tell the Truth (as seen on his IMDb page). He was also interviewed by Jerry O'Connell — and demonstrated his deadlifting prowess in front of a live studio audience.

Licis has only one true 'acting' credit, according to IMDB, from when he appeared on the webseries Chad and JT Go Deep. The show's titular stars visited the 2019 Arnold Strongman Classic — in which he placed second — and Licis was part of the action because, well, he was part of the competition. Only time will tell if Martins Licis will follow in Arnold Schwarzenegger's footsteps and make the leap from muscled powerlifter to muscled performer.