World's Strongest Man Masters & World's Strongest WomanSep 19, 2016 by Armen Hammer
Donna Moore Surges To First World's Strongest Woman Title
Donna Moore Surges To First World's Strongest Woman Title
It has been three years since the last time the title of World's Strongest Woman was on the line.While that might not sound like a long time, it's a lifetim
It has been three years since the last time the title of World's Strongest Woman was on the line.
While that might not sound like a long time, it's a lifetime in the sport of strongwoman. As the sport has grown by leaps and bounds, not only have the competitors gotten stronger, faster and more diverse, but they have also grown more technically adept.
As four women entered the final event in position for gold, England's Donna Moore separated herself from the pack with a dominant performance in the Atlas stones to earn her first title.
See below for full event recaps, and click here for archived footage of the event.
The Viking press presented the first glimpse of what was in store for the athletes. Despite a few of the earlier competitors struggling with the gigantic weight, many shone by reaching double figures, including Ukraine's Lidia Gynko. She earned second place with 14 reps, trailing former World's Strongest Woman Kristen Rhodes, who cruised to first with a crowd-pleasing 17 reps.
A few years ago, a 250kg yoke would have been considered a nearly impossible task for a strongwoman, but the women made it look easy this weekend. Rhodes put in another dominant performance, as the yoke world record holder sprinted the 20-meter course in 9.57 seconds. Gynko again finished in the top three with a time of 10.78, but the real standout was newcomer Brooke Sousa, who finished second in 10.59. Only one athlete failed to finish the course, Kiki Berli-Johnssen, who had to drop out with an injury.
The opening weight for the max silver dollar deadlift was 200kg, which did not prove to be a problem for any of the athletes. The entire field made it to 270kg, where only one athlete missed the weight. But 320kg really split the field -- six athletes were unable to lift the giant steel boxes. Canadian powerlifter Tracey Halladays attempted 330kg, but was just an inch shy of the lockout. With Moore and Anna Harjapaa remaining, Moore pulled 330kg before Harjapaa stepped up for the win and made 335kg look easy.
The penultimate event proved to be too much for many of the athletes after maxing out on the deadlift a few minutes prior. A 140kg duck walk into a 95kg farmers walk, both for 20 meters, was so challenging that only four athletes finished the course. Gynko really showed what she is capable of, and finished the course in 29.08 seconds. She was followed closely by Moore in 33.49. After two early event wins, Rhodes struggled with the farmer's handles, as the low height of the pickup was just too much for her.
Going into the final event, several women were in position to take gold, including Rhodes, Gynko, Moore and Ukraine's Olga Liashchuk. Liefia Ingalls wowed the crowd early on by clearing four of the five stones in a blistering-fast time. At a bodyweight of 77kg, the California resident was the lightest competitor in the field, but more than held her own. Moore, showing why she is the best in the world at this event, was the only woman to complete all five stones in a phenomenal time of 28 seconds. Gynko was the last woman to go, but the final 140kg stone proved too heavy. Ultimately, Moore clinched her first-ever World's Strongest Woman title.
Full results also available here.
While that might not sound like a long time, it's a lifetime in the sport of strongwoman. As the sport has grown by leaps and bounds, not only have the competitors gotten stronger, faster and more diverse, but they have also grown more technically adept.
As four women entered the final event in position for gold, England's Donna Moore separated herself from the pack with a dominant performance in the Atlas stones to earn her first title.
See below for full event recaps, and click here for archived footage of the event.
Viking Press
The Viking press presented the first glimpse of what was in store for the athletes. Despite a few of the earlier competitors struggling with the gigantic weight, many shone by reaching double figures, including Ukraine's Lidia Gynko. She earned second place with 14 reps, trailing former World's Strongest Woman Kristen Rhodes, who cruised to first with a crowd-pleasing 17 reps.
Yoke
A few years ago, a 250kg yoke would have been considered a nearly impossible task for a strongwoman, but the women made it look easy this weekend. Rhodes put in another dominant performance, as the yoke world record holder sprinted the 20-meter course in 9.57 seconds. Gynko again finished in the top three with a time of 10.78, but the real standout was newcomer Brooke Sousa, who finished second in 10.59. Only one athlete failed to finish the course, Kiki Berli-Johnssen, who had to drop out with an injury.
Deadlift
The opening weight for the max silver dollar deadlift was 200kg, which did not prove to be a problem for any of the athletes. The entire field made it to 270kg, where only one athlete missed the weight. But 320kg really split the field -- six athletes were unable to lift the giant steel boxes. Canadian powerlifter Tracey Halladays attempted 330kg, but was just an inch shy of the lockout. With Moore and Anna Harjapaa remaining, Moore pulled 330kg before Harjapaa stepped up for the win and made 335kg look easy.
Farmer's Carry
The penultimate event proved to be too much for many of the athletes after maxing out on the deadlift a few minutes prior. A 140kg duck walk into a 95kg farmers walk, both for 20 meters, was so challenging that only four athletes finished the course. Gynko really showed what she is capable of, and finished the course in 29.08 seconds. She was followed closely by Moore in 33.49. After two early event wins, Rhodes struggled with the farmer's handles, as the low height of the pickup was just too much for her.
Atlas Stones
Going into the final event, several women were in position to take gold, including Rhodes, Gynko, Moore and Ukraine's Olga Liashchuk. Liefia Ingalls wowed the crowd early on by clearing four of the five stones in a blistering-fast time. At a bodyweight of 77kg, the California resident was the lightest competitor in the field, but more than held her own. Moore, showing why she is the best in the world at this event, was the only woman to complete all five stones in a phenomenal time of 28 seconds. Gynko was the last woman to go, but the final 140kg stone proved too heavy. Ultimately, Moore clinched her first-ever World's Strongest Woman title.
Results
Full results also available here.
