Aivars Šmaukstelis (born 20 September 1987) is a

Latvia Latvia, officially the Republic of Latvia, is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is one of the three Baltic states, along with Estonia to the north and Lithuania to the south. It borders Russia to the east and Belarus to t ...

strongman Strongman is a competitive strength sport which tests athletes' physical strength and endurance through a variety of heavy lifts and events. Strongman competitions are known for their intensity, pushing athletes to their physical and mental limit ...

. Having competed in 78 International strongman competitions, he has won 27 of them, making him the fifth most decorated strongman in history.

Career

Šmaukstelis began his career at the age of 16 as a

powerlifter Powerlifting is a competitive strength sport that consists of three attempts at maximal weight on three lifts: squat, bench press, and deadlift. As in the sport of Olympic weightlifting, it involves the athlete attempting a maximal weight singl ...

. After training for a couple of years, he achieved a personal best of 800 kg (1,764 lb) total (equipped/ multi ply category) at the age of 18. Following advice from his coach, he tried strongman and progressively excelled, winning Latvia's Strongest Man and entering the Strongman Champions League hailing from its IFSA roots. It gave Šmaukstelis the opportunity for international exposure, competing against the best strongmen in the world. Having competed prolifically in the Strongman Champions League since 2014 throughout many Grand Prix competitions in

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and

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, Šmaukstelis won 15 international titles, 11 silver and 4 bronze medals. His other international titles include World Strongman Championships, Marijampolė International, Pasaulio Taurė, Savickas Classic and Dainis Zageris Cup. He is also a

World's Strongest Man The World's Strongest Man is an international strongman competition held every year. Organized by American event management company IMG, a subsidiary of Endeavor, it is broadcast in the US during summers and in the UK around the end of Decemb ...

8th-place and 10th-place winner (2020 & 2024), two time

World's Ultimate Strongman World's Ultimate Strongman was an annual strongman competition which was held from 2018 to 2021 with the participation of top strongmen from all over the world, determining who is the strongest man in the world. The event was noted for its brut ...

bronze medalist (2020 & 2021), Europe's Strongest Man silver (2024) and bronze medalist (2023) and Giants Live World Tour Finals Silver Medalist (2022). Šmaukstelis is a well rounded strongman with several strong events. With 14 career stone event wins out of 29, he is the seventh greatest stone lifter in history. Together with a noteworthy

grip strength Grip strength is the force applied by the hand to pull on or suspend from objects and is a specific part of hand strength. Optimum-sized objects permit the hand to wrap around a cylindrical shape with a diameter from to . Stair rails are an examp ...

, he is also noted for his prowess in distance and endurance based events. He also holds the

Guinness World Record ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a British reference book published annually, listi ...

s for the fastest 10 x kegs keg toss (18–25 kg) over a 15-foot bar in 21.02 seconds and fastest 15 steps Power Stairs with 225 kg (496 lb).

Personal records

Deadlift The deadlift is a strength training exercise in which a weight-loaded barbell is lifted off the ground to the level of the hips, with the torso perpendicular to the floor, before being placed back on the ground. It is one of the three powerlifting ...

- and (Raw) *Hummer tyre

''(from 15" height)'' - * Squat - x 10 reps *Log press - *Log press (for reps) - x 9 reps *Viking press - x 15 reps *Circus Dumbbell press - *Circus Dumbbell press (for reps) - x 10 reps * Manhood Stone (Max Atlas Stone) – over 4 ft bar * Atlas Stones - 5 Stones weighing 110–180 kg (242–397 lb) in 17.10 secs (World Record) *Natural stone lift to platform – 5 Rocks ranging from 160 to 210 kilograms (353–463 lb) in 28.94 seconds * Keg toss – over (2024 Strongest Man on Earth) * Keg toss – 10 kegs (18–25 kg (40–55 lb)) over 4.57 metres (15 ft 0 in) in 21.02 seconds (World Record) *Power Stairs (3 x 225 kg (496 lb) Duck walks / total of 15 steps) – 31.16 seconds (2024 Guinness World Records, Italy) (World Record) *Power Stairs (200 kg (441 lb), 225 kg (496 lb) & 250 kg (551 lb) Duck walks / total of 15 steps) - 41.67 seconds * Super Yoke – for in 10.75 secs (2023 Strongman Champions League Holland) (World Record) *Frame carry (with straps) – 30m course in 9.31 seconds (2019 SCL Russia) (World Record) *Basque circle (Conan's wheel) - 300 kg (661 lb) for 860° rotation

References

External links

Aivars Šmaukstelis
on Instagram {{DEFAULTSORT:Šmaukstelis, Aivars 1987 births Living people Latvian strength athletes