The 2018 Arnold Strongman Classic was a strongman contest that took place in Ohio, Columbus from 2–3 March 2018 at the Greater Columbus Convention Center. The Arnold Strongman Classic is the finale of the Arnold Strongman Tour and is seen as one of the biggest and most prestigious strongmen events on the circuit.

After continuous progression in the competition, coming 10th in 2012, 8th in 2013, 5th in 2014, 7th in 2015, 5th in 2016, and finally 2nd in 2017, Iceland's Hafþór Björnsson won his first Arnold Strongman Classic after defeating the winner from 2017, the American Brian Shaw, who came 2nd. Russia's Mikhail Shivlyakov secured 3rd place.

Qualifying To qualify for the Arnold Strongman Classic, athletes have to either win a sanctioned event on the Arnold Classic Tour (for example: Arnold Europe, Arnold Australia, Arnold Africa, and Arnold South America) or gain enough points to be invited through a wildcard system. Athletes that qualified (in alphabetical order/ surname) are as follows:

Matjaz Belsak (Slovenia), Hafthor Björnsson (Iceland), Jean-Francois Caron (Canada), Rauno Heinla (Estonia), Mateusz Kieliszkowski (Poland), Mateusz Ostazsewski (Poland), Jerry Pritchett (USA), Dimitar Savatinov (Bulgaria), Brian Shaw (USA) and Mikhael Shivlyakov (Russia).Reserve: Vytautas Lalas (Lithuania)

Event results Event 1: Bag over bar Contestants have to throw heavy sandbags from 'a duck walk to an overhead position' over a high bar. Weight: Starting weight was . Bar height: 15 feet (4.57 m). Notes: 3 lifts per athlete and the heaviest weight for the win. # Athlete Nation Weight Event Points Overall Points 1 Hafþór Björnsson 95 lb (43 kg) 10 10 2 Brian Shaw 90 lb (41 kg) 9 9 3 Mikhail Shivlyakov 80 lb (36 kg) 8 8 4 JF Caron 75 lb (34 kg) 7 7 5 Mateusz Kieliszkowski 70 lb (32 kg) 5.5 5.5 5 Matjaz Belsak 70 lb (32 kg) 5.5 5.5 7 Rauno Heinla 65 lb (29 kg) 4 4 8 Jerry Pritchett 60 lb (27 kg) 3 3 9 Dimitar Savatinov 55 lb (25 kg) 1.5 1.5 9 Mateusz Ostaszewski 55 lb (25 kg) 1.5 1.5

Event 2: Stone Shoulder Contestants have to hoist the legendary Odd Haugen's Tombstone to their shoulder for many reps as possible. Weight: Odd Haugen Tombstone. Time Limit: 2 Minutes & 30 seconds Notes: Highest number of reps for the win. 1 point for getting the stone off the ground, 2 points for standing up, 3 points for getting it to the chest and 5 points for getting it to the shoulder. # Athlete Nation Points Event Points Overall Points 1 Mateusz Kieliszkowski 20 10 15.5 2 Mikhail Shivlyakov 9 9 17 3 Hafþór Björnsson 6 8 18 4 Brian Shaw 4 6.5 15.5 4 Matjaz Belsak 4 6.5 12 6 JF Caron 3 4.5 11.5 6 Rauno Heinla 3 4.5 8.5 8 Dimitar Savatinov 2 3 4.5 9 Mateusz Ostaszewski 1 1.5 3 9 Jerry Pritchett 1 1.5 4.5

Event 3: Timber Carry Also known as the Frame Carry, contestants have to lift heavy barn timbers bolted together and travel up an inclined ramp. Weight: along a 35' inclined ramp for the fastest time to finish or else greatest distance. Time Limit: 30 seconds. Notes: Raw/ no straps allowed. Timber may be dropped and picked up. # Athlete Nation Time Event Points Overall Points 1 Jerry Pritchett 9.58 10 14.5 2 Brian Shaw 10.03 9 24.5 3 Hafþór Björnsson 11.80 8 26 4 Mateusz Kieliszkowski 33' 2" 7 22.5 5 Mikhail Shivlyakov 24' 5" 6 23 6 JF Caron 18' 10" 5 16.5 7 Dimitar Savatinov 15' 6" 4 8.5 8 Mateusz Ostaszewski 14' 6" 3 6 9 Matjaz Belsak 13' 7" 2 14 10 Rauno Heinla 1' 2" 1 9.5

Event 4: Elephant Bar Deadlift Contestants are required to lift a specially designed extra whipping long bar with Arnold Schwarzenegger inscribed weight plates from a standard 9" height. The apparatus was designed and manufactured by Rogue Fitness. Weight: Starting weight was . Time Limit: 60 seconds per lift Notes: 3 lifts per athlete, weights to be submitted before each round. Heaviest lift wins. # Athlete Nation Weight Event Points Overall Points 1 Hafþór Björnsson 472 kg (1,041 lb) 10 36 2 JF Caron 463 kg (1,021 lb) 9 25.5 3 Brian Shaw 460 kg (1,014 lb) 8 32.5 4 Jerry Pritchett 444 kg (979 lb) 7 21.5 5 Mikhail Shivlyakov 426 kg (939 lb) 6 29 6 Rauno Heinla 424 kg (935 lb) 5 14.5 7 Dimitar Savatinov 422 kg (931 lb) 4 12.5 8 Matjaz Belsak 401 kg (884 lb) 3 17 9 Mateusz Kieliszkowski 370 kg (816 lb) 2 24.5 10 Mateusz Ostaszewski DNF 1 7 This is also the only instance in the history of the event (2016 - 2023), that 3 athletes pulled more than 1,000 lbs.

Event 5: Apollon's Wheels A unique barbell made famous by the traditional strongman Louis 'Apollon' Uni, reproduced by Ivanko Barbell Company, the Axle is a replica of the original with the same bar thickness. Weight: For max repetitions. Time Limit: 2 Minutes. Notes: Reps must begin with wheels on the platform. Highest number of points win. # Athlete Nation Repetitions Event Points Overall Points 1 Hafþór Björnsson 4 reps 10 46 2 Brian Shaw 3 reps + 1 clean 9 41.5 3 Rauno Heinla 2 reps + 1 clean 8 22.5 4 Matjaz Belsak 1 rep + 1 clean 7 24 5 Dimitar Savatinov 1 rep 6 18.5 6 Mateusz Kieliszkowski 0 reps + 2 cleans 4.5 29 6 Mateusz Ostaszewski 0 reps + 2 cleans 4.5 11.5 8 Jerry Pritchett 0 reps + 1 clean 2.5 24 8 JF Caron 0 reps + 1 clean 2.5 28 10 Mikhail Shivlyakov No lift 1 30

Final standings # Athlete Nation Points Prize money Hafþór Björnsson 46 $72,000 Brian Shaw 41.5 $22,000 Mikhail Shivlyakov 30 $17,000 4 Mateusz Kieliszkowski 29 $12,000 5 JF Caron 28 $10,000 6 Jerry Pritchett 24 $6,500 6 Matjaz Belsak 24 $6,500 8 Rauno Heinla 22.5 $4,000 9 Dimitar Savatinov 18.5 $3,000 10 Mateusz Ostaszewski 11.5 $2,000

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