Manchester Theatre News & Reviews
Strongman Returns to the AO Arena
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Giants Live Presents: The World Open & World Deadlift Championships, AO Arena Manchester, 14th August 2021.
Strongman makes its return to the AO Arena, Manchester with The Giants Live World Open & World Deadlift Championships, nearly 2 years since its last appearance at the UK’s largest indoor arena. Giants Live also has the privilege of being the first show back since the venue’s reopening.
The second show of the 2021 Giants Live World’s Strongest Man Qualifying Tour follows a hugely successful return to Strongman competition at the Royal Albert Hall on the 24th July, where the much anticipated Max Axle Press world record was sensationally broken by Burkina Faso’s Iron Biby, with an extraordinary 217kg lift. The first Strongman event at the hall in 120 years, dubbed The Strongman Classic, was won by 2020 World’s Strongest Man Oleksii Novikov from the Ukraine who took first place, with emerging US star of Strongman Evan Singleton close behind in second and Iron Biby in third.
The focus now shifts to Manchester with the hotly anticipated World Deadlift Championships, featuring as event 1 of The World Open, taking centre stage. Giants Live have offered a staggering $50,000 to any man who can lift 505kg and set a new Deadlift world record. 2017 World’s Strongest Man Eddie Hall broke the record at Giants Live in 2016, with his ionic 500kg lift. The record is now with former Game of Thrones star and 2018 World’s Strongest Man Hafthor Björnsson, who controversially lifted 501kg in his Iceland gym in May 2020.
The appetite and expectation to break the record is huge, with many of the world’s leading deadlifters joining the field alongside seasoned strongman competitors.
Following the deadlift event, the competition moves to the Viking Press, Medley, Hammer Hold and the Atlas Stones with the eventual winner of the Giants Live World Open being crowned and receiving an invite to The World’s Strongest Man 2022.
The AO Arena and its operators ASM Global can't wait to welcome fans of strongman back. The number one priority is making sure visiting the venue is as safe and enjoyable as possible. While the government has removed many restrictions, the AO Arena still have a shared responsibility to help prevent the spread of Covid-19.
The venue will be operating under the most up to date Government guidance and legislation in place supported by ASM Global's environmental hygiene protocol VenueShield. For full details on visiting the AO Arena, please see https://ao-arena.com/your-visit/
Tickets for The World Open & World Deadlift Championships are on sale now.
After Manchester, the 2021 World’s Strongest Man Qualifying Tour moves on to take in the arenas of Leeds, Birmingham, Glasgow and Sheffield. Live arena shows are back in the UK and Giants Live is thrilled to be playing its part.
About Giants Live: Giants Live operates The ‘Official World’s Strongest Man Qualifying Tour’, as part of the iconic World’s Strongest Man format that’s been running since 1977. The tour consists of a series of strength contests held at leading UK venues to find Britain’s, Europe’s and the end of year World Tour Finals winner. Each year’s shows are broadcast together with world’s strongest man on Channel 5 in the UK, via selected international broadcasters, as well as across Giants Live social channels."
