Mitchell Hooper Leads Arnold Classic
Mitchell Hooper and Austin Andrade are tied for the lead after Day One of the Arnold Strongman Classic, each with 23.5 points among nine elite competitors. On the women's side, Olga Liashchuk and Angelica Jardine lead the Arnold Strongwoman Classic after the first day of competition.
A relative newcomer to the professional strongman circuit, Austin Andrade has seen a rapid rise in the sport since his 2022 debut. The Texas native, a former high school wrestler and football player, won the 2023 Shaw Classic Open to earn a spot at the 2024 Strongest Man on Earth competition. Andrade, nicknamed "Smash," is known for his impressive deadlift, with a personal best of 470 kg (1,036 lb). Mitchell Hooper, a kinesiologist from Canada, is the defending Arnold Strongman Classic champion, having won the title in 2023, 2024, and 2025. Known as "The Moose," Hooper also won the World's Strongest Man competition in 2023, becoming the first Canadian to do so. His diverse athletic background includes marathon running, bodybuilding, and collegiate football. On the women's side, Ukrainian competitor Olga Liashchuk is a two-time Arnold Pro Strongwoman champion, winning in 2019 and 2020. She also holds the 2022 World's Strongest Woman title and has set Guinness World Records, including the fastest time to crush three watermelons between her thighs. American Angelica Jardine is the reigning 2024 Arnold Strongwoman Classic champion, where she narrowly beat out Olga Liashchuk for the title. Her victory in 2024 marked her first international win and the biggest title of her career. Jardine is also a former winner of America's Strongest Woman in 2023. The second and final day of the competition will feature three more events for both the men and women. The athletes will face The Stone Drag, the Austrian Oak (for men) or American Oak (for women) lift, and a Ramp Rage loading race to determine the champions.
