Mārtiņš Līcis triumphs in the 2nd round of the Betsafe Strongman Championship in Talsi

Continuing the fight for the 2018 championship title, eleven athletes took part in the competition. Latvia was represented by Artis Plivda, Didzis Zariņš, Ričards Bužinskis, Jānis Šleckus and Raivis Mundiciems, as well as the Kurzeme strongmen Mareks Leitis and Māris Rozentāls, who had returned to the sport, and Mārtiņš Līcis, the decorated athlete representing Latvia / the USA and the world’s 4th-strongest man. His return to Latvian strongman competitions was also marked. Athletes from Estonia—Kaido Kuusik and Mihkel Raadik—and Belarusian Pāvels Karpeko also took part.

The athletes competed in six disciplines.

The first event was the “RERE Group Relay”. The athletes had to roll a 380 kg tyre four times and, over a distance of 20 m, move two 100 kg barrels (each object). Although Mārtiņš Līcis posted the best result, 34.28 s, Artis Plivda, who followed him, was only one second behind, while Jānis Šleckus was just three hundredths of a second behind. This only proves the high level of preparation of our athletes and showed that Mārtiņš would not have an easy time and would have to fight for it.

 This was also demonstrated by the second event, the “Husqvarna Rider Lift”, better known as the “Viking Press” (the athlete had to lift a 630 kg Husqvarna rider above his head. The weight on the arms was 125 kg. The number of lifts completed and locked out was assessed). Didzis Zariņš was the best, lifting the rider 16 times, while Līcis, Plivda and Šleckus occupied the following places. This event revealed the big four of the competition—the athletes who were fighting for the prize places.

The third event was the “Betsafe Wheelbarrow”. The athletes had to move an 800 kg wheelbarrow over a distance of 20 m (350 kg on their arms). Mārtiņš Līcis won, Zariņš was second and Šleckus third.

The fourth event was “Essve Yokes”. The athletes had to move 340 kg yokes over a distance of 20 m + 20 m. Didzis Zariņš was the best, securing his second victory in an event; Šleckus was second and Plivda third, leaving Līcis outside the top three. Māris Rozentāls also “woke up”: as the competition drew to its finish, he began posting increasingly stronger results, making his more powerful rivals nervous.

The fifth event was the “Darba Drošības Centrs Clock”. The athlete had to carry the Betsafe girls around a circle on his arms. The weight on the arms was 350 kg. Mārtiņš Līcis proved his ability to the competitors by completing almost two full laps (670°). Jānis Šleckus was only 20° short of surpassing this result. Artis Plivda was third. Didzis Zariņš suffered a setback, finishing only sixth and thus losing many points in the fight for the prize places.

The sixth event was the “Ferratum Money Safe Lift”. (A traditional deadlift, but using a platform specially designed for lifting a safe. The safe weighed 320 kg. The number of lifts completed and locked out was assessed.) Artis Plivda achieved the best result, lifting the safe 13 times; Līcis was second with 12, and Šleckus third with 8 lifts. Thus, Mārtiņš Līcis became the winner of the competition, Artis Plivda was second and Jānis Šleckus third. Didzis Zariņš could no longer make up the lost ground and finished fourth, but we are proud of the fighting spirit he showed despite the injury he sustained at the previous round in Saldus. In his return competition, Māris Rozentāls took fifth place, which is a good result while competing in the overall-category standings.

Overall standings:

1.       Mārtiņš Līcis – 61 point

2.       Artis Plivda – 56 points

3.       Jānis Šleckus – 55 points

4.       Didzis Zariņš – 52 points

5.       Māris Rozentāls – 35.5 points

6.       Mihkel Raadik – 33 points

7.       Raivis Mundiciems – 30.5 points

8.       Mareks Leitis – 23 points

9.       Pavel Karpeko – 11 points

10.   Kaido Kuusik – 10 points

11.   Ričards Bužinskis – 6 points

The organisers invite everyone interested to watch the upcoming rounds of the “Betsafe Latvian Strongman Championship” in person and support the strongmen in their fight for the title.

This year, the “Betsafe Latvian Strongman Championship” consists of 8 rounds, which will take place throughout the summer in various locations across Latvia—Saldus, Talsi, Ventspils, Preiļi, Viesīte, Līvāni, Krāslava and Pļaviņas. The grand superfinal, where the winner of the 2018 “Betsafe Latvian Strongman Championship” will be determined, will take place in Riga in September.

The “Betsafe Latvian Strongman Championship” is organised by the associations “Spēka Sporta Centrs” and “Stiprinieku Republika”, and the Stipriem Sports Club. 

The general sponsor of the “Betsafe Latvian Strongman Championship” is “Betsafe”. Supported by “Husqvarna”, “Latvijas Nafta”, “FerratumMoney”, “Essve”, “Darba drošības centrs” and “Gaso”. Coverage is provided by radio “Star FM” and TVnet. Watch the highlights on RĪgaTV24.

Round supporter—the Talsi Municipality Council

Seasonal general sponsor—“RERE Group”.

Source of strength—MLO nutrition from NRG4Strong.com

More information—stiprinieki.lv

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