The wait is nearly over! Soon the strongest men on the planet will all descend upon North American and fight it out to claim the title of World’s Strongest Man, and what a line up it is this year. Here’s a roundup of some of the competitors we think might sneak through to the final.
Brian Shaw – the reigning champion and a giant amongst giants. Although he demonstrated a dominating performance last year he has been plagued with injury and not performed as well as everyone had hoped since.
Big Z – the strongest man that every did live. Will he be able to keep up with the whippets on the moving events? It’s safe to say most suspect he has the static events in the bag.
Misha – the most charismatic competitor by a long shot. One of the few competitors that can lay claim to titles in powerlifting, weightlifting and strongman. But is he a jack of all trades and master of none?
Graham Hicks – the new guy. The very new guy. Those outside of the British strongman scene are unlikely to heard of him but with an easy looking 200kg log this guy might ruffle a few feathers!
Kristoff Radzikowski – he is a long way off matching Pudzianowski‘s strongman record but he shouldn’t be written off with some of the strongest shoulders in the business.
Terry Hollands – been there, done that! This guy has ended up in a massive 6 WSM finals and got on the podium twice. Will this year be the year he finally climbs to first?
Mike Jenkins – proven to be a force to be reckoned with. Jenkin’s performance at WSM 2011 and the Arnold Strongman Classic was very convincing. Some have him down as the winner of this years competition.
Ed Hall – another Brit and quite the showman. We reckon he’ll slip through this qualifiers but would have to have an extremely good day at the office to place in the final.
Derek Poundstone – he has had a couple of subpar years but put in an impressive display at the Arnold this year. Perhaps the dark horse of the competition – we think if the events are right Poundstone could go far.
Vytautas Lalas – second at this years Europe’s Strongest Man proves this man can hold his own with the best. We think he’ll make the final, but the podium? Not so sure.
What are your predictions for the podium at WSM 2012? Comment below with your top three.
