Tag: gavin bilton

Pavlo Nakonechnyy Withdraws From 2023 Strongman Classic; Gavin Bilton Fills The Spot

Pavlo Nakonechnyy Withdraws From 2023 Strongman Classic; Gavin Bilton Fills The Spot

The 2023 Giants Live Strongman Classic will take place just one week from now, on July 8th, in London, England. So, it is the next big show of the season, with 12 of the world’s greatest Strongmen taking part. However, one exciting participant will not be making it to the competition, despite initially confirming his presence. The man in question is Pavlo Nakonechnyy, as the Ukrainian has announced that he is withdrawing from the 2023 Giants Live Strongman Classic. The news was revealed by the organizers of the competition on Instagram.
To understand the reason for Pavlo Nakonechnyy’s withdrawal, we have to go back to March of this year, when he competed at the 2023 Arnold Strongman Classic. At this competition, Pavlo took part in a deadlift attempt and ended up injuring his knee.
Although it seemed to be something mild at first, this injury forced Pavlo Nakonechnyy to withdraw from the 2023 World’s and Europe’s Strongest Man competitions. Unfortunately, he has still not recovered properly, so he has to withdraw from the 2023 Giants Live Strongman Classic as well.

Related: 2022 Giants Live World Open & World Deadlift Championships Results — Pavlo Nakonechnyy Wins
Pavlo Nakonechnyy still remains in the lineups for the 2023 Giants Live World Open and 2023 Shaw Classic, both of which will take place in a few months. So, there is still hope that Pavlo can salvage his season, despite missing a lot of major competitions already.
Pavlo Nakonechnyy’s Replacement
From the day that Giants Live revealed the lineup for the 2023 Strongman Classic, they also had a reserve ready for something like this. The man they chose for this role was Gavin Bilton. So, he will now take part instead of Pavlo Nakonechnyy.
Also known as the Welsh Bull, Gavin Bilton is a humongous man, standing at 6’6” tall and weighing over 400 pounds. In addition, Gavin is currently in the best shape of his life so far, especially after winning his first International competition at the 2023 SCL Serbia.
Gavin Bilton was also announced as a replacement for Mateusz Kieliszkowski at the 2023 Shaw Classic. So, his schedule for this season has suddenly become very busy.
At this point in his career, Gavin Bilton has made 23 appearances in International and National competitions. He has won three competitions, but all of them came in the last two years. So, it is obvious that Gavin is just now reaching his peak shape.

Related: Gavin Bilton Victorious At 2021 UK’s Strongest Man, Lucy Underdown Sets New World Record
Although Pavlo Nakonechnyy has shared some impressive lifts on Instagram recently, including a 400-kilogram (880.8-pound) deadlift, he is obviously not ready to perform a full competition. Still, optimism remains that he can get back to his best by August, when the 2023 Shaw Classic is set to take place. On the other hand, Gavin Bilton will try to fill Pavlo’s shoes at the 2023 Strongman Classic and improve his status on the big scene.
Published: 30 June, 2023 | 5:07 PM EDT

Mateusz Kieliszkowski Withdraws From 2023 Shaw Classic; Gavin Bilton Makes His Debut

Mateusz Kieliszkowski Withdraws From 2023 Shaw Classic; Gavin Bilton Makes His Debut

The 2023 Shaw Classic will take place on August 19-20, and will mark the end of Brian Shaw’s professional career. So, it is set to be the most special and emotional competition of the season, which is why Brian is making sure everything is perfect. Also, Brian made sure to choose a perfect 16-man lineup. However, one of his original choices will not be able to attend, as the Polish prodigy, Mateusz Kieliszkowski has withdrawn from the competition.
Brian Shaw initially named 15 athletes for the 2023 Shaw Classic and waited for official confirmation from Mateusz Kieliszkowski who was the 16th man. Unfortunately, despite initially confirming his presence two months ago, Mateusz has now revealed that he won’t compete.
Mateusz Kieliszkowski injured his knee earlier this year and he thinks it will not heal by the time the 2023 Shaw Classic rolls around.
“Unfortunately Mateusz Kieliszkowski doesn’t feel that he will be back in fighting shape by August and has decided to withdraw. We wish him all the best in a full recovery,” stated the caption of Shaw Classic’s Instagram post.

Related: Polish Strongman Mateusz Kielz. Litfs an INSANE 478lbs Stone To Shoulder
Mateusz Kieliszkowski is still young but he has already made a name for himself, having started competing in 2014 at just 21 years old. From then, until 2021, Mateusz took part in 44 International and National competitions, claiming 15 victories in the process.
After suffering multiple injuries in 2021, Mateusz Kieliszkowski did not compete until the 2023 Arnold Strongman Classic. His comeback to the sport was very successful, as Mateusz finished in second, only behind Mitchell Hooper. He then took part in the 2023 WSM, but did not qualify for the finals.
Mateusz Kieliszkowski’s Replacement
Coming in to replace Mateusz Kieliszkowski at the 2023 Shaw Classic is Gavin Bilton, also known as the Welsh Bull. Gavin has never competed in Brian Shaw’s competitions. So he will be making his debut in August.
Gavin Bilton is currently riding a success wave, having recently claimed his first International victory at the 2023 Strongman Champions League Serbia. In addition, he has two National titles to his name as well, having won the 2020 and 2021 UK’s Strongest Man competitions.
In total, Gavin Bilton has taken part in 23 International and National competitions and won three of them. Four appearances came at the World’s Strongest Man competition, but Gavin never made it into the final 10.

Related: Brian Shaw Reveals 10,000+ Calorie Diet Leading Up To His Final Professional Strongman Appearance Ever
2023 Shaw Classic Full Lineup

Trey Mitchell
Mitchell Hooper
Oleksii Novikov
Maxime Boudreault
Kevin Faires
Aivars Šmaukstelis
Evan Singleton
Bobby Thompson
Luke Stoltman
Tom Stoltman
Adam Bishop
Pavlo Kordiyaka
Pavlo Nakonechnyy
Thomas Evans
Brian Shaw
Gavin Bilton

Brian Shaw recently revealed that the 2023 Shaw Classic will also feature arm wrestling matches, grip events, and more. However, the main attraction of the event is still the Strongman competition, and Gavin Bilton, the newest member of the lineup, will do his best to make it awesome. Mateusz Kieliszkowski will still be missed, but there is no doubt that he will continue competing at the highest level once he is recovered.
Published: 26 June, 2023 | 7:38 PM EDT

2023 Strongman Champions League Serbia Results – Gavin Bilton Claims His First International Win

2023 Strongman Champions League Serbia Results – Gavin Bilton Claims His First International Win

Although the biggest Strongman competitions of the year have already concluded, the season is still extremely active. With many competitions taking place around the globe, one stood out over the past weekend, as the most thrilling action took place in Europe. Specifically, the 2023 Strongman Champions League Serbia took place in the city of Zrenjanin on May 20th. 
The Strongman Champions League (SCL) features a lot of incredible athletes, but the competition in Serbia stood out due to Gavin Bilton. Also known as “The Bull”, Gavin is known as a major Strongman figure, but this was the first International win in his career so far. 
Gavin Bilton did not have an easy job in Serbia, as he had some fierce rivals chasing him from the start. However, two event wins out of five were enough to take the top spot, as his performance resulted in 56 points overall. 
Fatih Karaca finished in second place, but he even had a realistic chance to win the competition. Going into the final event, Fatih was in the lead, as he had 0.5 points more than Gavin Bilton. However, a disappointing eight place finish in the final event ruined Fatih’s chances of winning the show. 
2023 Strongman Champions League Serbia Leaderboards

Gavin Bilton — 56 points
Fatih Karaca — 52.5 points
Kelvin de Ruiter — 49 points
Andrea Invernizzi — 46 points
Peter Juhasz — 44.5 points
Evans Nana — 37 points
Nemanja Tasic — 36 points
Dado Stroil — 35.5 points
Jarkko Mehtälä  — 34.5 points
Jonathan Cotton — 23 points
Hristo Muskov — 20 points
Andy Black — 5 points
Ervin Toots — 1 point

Related: Gavin Bilton Victorious At 2021 UK’s Strongest Man, Lucy Underdown Sets New World Record
Event One — Truck Pull
The Truck Pull was a fantastic way to start off the 2023 SCL Serbia, as athletes raced to pull the 15,000-kilogram truck as fast as possible. The Turkish representative, Fatih Karaca, was the quickest man to cross the given 25-meter distance, having performed the task in just 30.46 seconds. However, in an extraordinary set of circumstances, Kelvin de Ruiter finished in second, just 0.01 seconds behind Fatih.

Fatih Karaca — 30.46 seconds
Kelvin de Ruiter — 30.47 seconds
Gavin Bilton — 35.35 seconds
Andrea Invernizzi — 36.37 seconds
Dado Stroil — 36.4 seconds
Evans Nana — 36.56 seconds
Hristo Muskov — 39.18 seconds
Jarkko Mehtälä — 39.25 seconds
Andy Black — 39.3 seconds
Jonathan Cotton — 47.39 seconds
Peter Juhasz — 54.87 seconds (Tied-11th)
Nemanja Tasic — 54.87 seconds (Tied-11th)
Ervin Toots — 57.81 seconds

Event Two — Farmer’s Walk
The 2023 Strongman Champions League Serbia continued with the iconic Farmer’s Walk event. It tasked the participants with lifting and carrying 150-kilogram implements for a length of 50 meters.
Peter Juhasz of Hungary displayed the best combination of grip strength and quick feet, as he completed the course in just 23.69 seconds. Fatih Karaca further solidified his impressive start with a second place finish, which he earned by crossing 50 meters in 26.25 seconds. Kelvin de Ruiter finished just behind Fatih, with a time 0.59 seconds slower than his.

Peter Juhasz — 23.69 seconds
Fatih Karaca — 26.25 seconds
Kelvin de Ruiter — 26.84 seconds
Andrea Invernizzi — 30.84 seconds
Gavin Bilton — 33.53 seconds
Evans Nana — 34.63 seconds
Hristo Muskov — 48.4 seconds
Dado Stroil — 47.1 meters 
Jonathan Cotton — 46.3 meters 
Nemanja Tasic — 42 meters 
Jarkko Mehtälä — 25 meters 
Andy Black — Withdrew
Ervin Toots — Withdrew

Event Three — Viking Press
The third event of the 2023 Strongman Champions League Serbia was a true test of shoulder and upper body strength. The event tasked the athletes with performing as many overhead press repetitions as possible with 160 kilograms and a 60-second time cap.
Gavin Bilton stood out as the greatest overhead presser on the roster, beasting through 13 reps without much struggle. He was followed by Andrea Invernizzi who had 12 reps, and Peter Juhasz who had 11. 

Gavin Bilton — 13 reps
Andrea Invernizzi — 12 reps
Peter Juhasz — 11 reps
Fatih Karaca — 10 reps (Tied-fourth)
Jarkko Mehtälä — 10 reps (Tied-fourth)
Kelvin de Ruiter — 9 reps
Evans Nana — 6 reps
Nemanja Tasic — 5 reps (Tied-eighth)
Dado Stroil — 5 reps (Tied-eighth)
Jonathan Cotton — 4 reps
Hristo Muskov — 0 reps

Event Four — Hercules Hold
The Hercules Hold is known for being a test of grip and determination, which is why it was picked for the 2023 SCL Serbia. The goal was to hold the two pillars for as long as possible. 
Being the most experienced in the group with regards to this event, Gavin Bilton easily outperformed the remainder of the competitors. His final time came out to 36.62 seconds, which is 8.31 seconds more than his closest rival, Fatih Karaca. Representing the host country, Serbian Nemanja Tasic placed third with just 0.22 seconds less than Fatih. 

Gavin Bilton — 36.62 seconds
Fatih Karaca — 28.31 seconds
Nemanja Tasic — 28.09 seconds
Kelvin de Ruiter — 26.18 seconds
Andrea Invernizzi — 25.28 seconds
Dado Stroil — 22.09 seconds
Peter Juhasz — 18.87 seconds
Jonathan Cotton — 14.03 seconds
Evans Nana — 10.58 seconds
Jarkko Mehtälä — 3.73 seconds
Hristo Muskov — 1.62 seconds

Event Five — Super Yoke
For the final event of the 2023 Strongman Champions League Serbia, the athletes had to perform a Super Yoke. However, while the concept looked as usual, people were used instead of weights. So, four people sat on each Super Yoke and athletes had to carry them for a distance of 25 meters. 
Once again boosted by the home crowd, Nemanja Tasic sprinted his way towards an event victory, finishing the Super Yoke in just 16.25 seconds. Jarkko Mehtälä was the next fastest to finish with a time of 17.03 seconds, while Peter Juhasz rounded up the top three with 18.26 seconds.

Nemanja Tasic — 16.25 seconds
Jarkko Mehtälä — 17.03 seconds
Peter Juhasz — 18.26 seconds
Gavin Bilton — 19.51 seconds
Evans Nana — 19.68 seconds
Kelvin de Ruiter — 19.98 seconds
Dado Stroil — 23.66 seconds
Fatih Karaca — 24.59 seconds
Andrea Invernizzi — 28.68 seconds
Jonathan Cotton — 42.87 seconds
Hristo Muskov — 52.35 seconds

Related: Mitchell Hooper Breaks Tom Platz’s 1992 Legendary Squat Record With 24 Reps of 525 Lbs
While Gavin Bilton is 34-years-old and already a popular Strongman athlete, he has only been competing for four years. Therefore, it is understandable that he just recently claimed his first international victory at the 2023 Strongman Champions League Serbia. If everything falls into place, this could set off a chain reaction of success, opening the doors to countless victories for Gavin in the years to come.
Published: 24 May, 2023 | 9:35 AM EDT