Sanou stepped out of the competition before participating in even one event.
Before the 2023 World’s Strongest Man (WSM) even began, Cheick “Iron Biby” Sanou withdrew the primary morning of strongman’s biggest competition. On the time of this writing, there is no such thing as a official explanation for the athlete’s early withdrawal. Iceland’s Kristján Jón Haraldsson replaced Sanou on the 2023 WSM roster, although he was not previously counted as an official reserve in case of a competitor’s withdrawal or injury. It’s the reigning Iceland’s Strongest Man (ISM) champion’s debut within the WSM.
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Though the 2023 WSM would’ve been his first appearance within the flagship strongman competition, Sanou will not be latest to the strongman scene. Sanou was the third-place finisher on the 2021 Giants Live Strongman Classic. Sanou has previously needed to withdraw from the 2022 Giants Live Strongman Classic (on account of travel-related issues).
The athlete from Burkina Faso has a well-established repute for being proficient in overhead lifts. Sanou possesses each the present Axle Press World Record of 217 kilograms (477.4 kilos) and the Log Lift World Record of 229 kilograms (504.8 kilos).
Sanou officially joins Ukraine’s Pavlo Nakonechnyy and Canada’s Maxime Boudreault on the list of 2023 WSM withdrawals within the early goings, with Sanou being the primary withdrawal as of the competition’s start time. Boudreault withdrew on account of a shin injury in February, which also knocked him out of the 2023 Arnold Strongman Classic (ASC). Meanwhile, Nakonechnyy potentially bowed out due to complications from a deadlift-related ailment suffered through the 2023 (ASC) in March. The Ukrainian competitor didn’t take part in the early-April 2023 Europe’s Strongest Man (ESM) due to said injury, hoping to get well in time to compete on the WSM.
Listed here are the updated Qualifying Round groups for the 2023 WSM:
2023 World’s Strongest Man Qualifying Round Groups
There are five groups of six athletes within the 2023 WSM, which will probably be parsed all the way down to 10 competitors for the weekend’s Final.
Group 1
- Konstantine Janashia
- Pavlo Kordiyaka
- Pa O’Dwyer
- Tom Stoltman
- Bobby Thompson
- Eddie Williams
Group 2
- Kristján Jón Haraldsson
- Gavin Bilton
- Fadi El Masri
- Thomas Evans
- Oleksii Novikov
- Luke Stoltman
Group 3
- Graham Hicks
- Mitchell Hooper
- Mateusz Kieliszkowski
- Mathew Ragg
- Spenser Remick
- Aivars Smaukstelis
Group 4
- Adam Bishop
- Kevin Faires
- Rauno Heinla
- Gabriel Rhéaume
- Jaco Schoonwinkel
- Brian Shaw
Group 5
- Jean-Stephen Coraboeuf
- Mark Felix
- Eythor Ingolfsson Melsted
- Trey Mitchell
- Evan Singleton
- Paul Smith
Haraldsson will take Sanou’s place in Group 2 of the Qualifying Round, joining former WSM champion (2020) Oleksii Novikov — the likely headliner of that blend.
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At only 24 years old, Haraldsson might still be a relative unknown within the international strongman scene. That will not be the case for the defending ISM champion in his native Iceland, who has began to dominate in various domestic contests. In Haraldsson’s only other international strongman competitive appearances, he finished in fourth place through the 2021 Magnus Magnús Ver Magnússon Classic (MVMC). He followed that performance with an Eleventh-place result on the 2022 MVMC.
The relatively young Icelandic athlete will undoubtedly look to enhance that rap sheet on the 2023 WSM. Putting himself on the map now could portend Haraldsson becoming the following potential great Icelandic strongman, following within the footsteps of the legendary Magnús Ver Magnússon and Hafthor Björnsson.
Stay tuned to Breaking Muscle for live updates of the 2023 WSM leaderboard and some other breaking news that files in through the massive contest in Myrtle Beach, SC.
Featured image: @theworldsstrongestman on Instagram