Kieliszkowski will take more time to rebuild his strength.
The 2023 Shaw Classic (SC) will mark the tip of a competitive profession by legendary strongman Brian Shaw. Unfortunately, a peer appropriately named “The Polish Terminator” won’t be there to assist see the four-time World’s Strongest Man (WSM) champion (2011, 2013, 2015-2016) off into the deserved sunset.
On June 19, 2023, the organizers of the 2023 SC used an Instagram post to disclose that Polish strongman Mateusz Kieliszkowski had withdrawn from the most recent edition of the competition, schedules for August 19-20 in Loveland, CO. Citing that Kieliszkowski desired to take the time to get back into “fighting shape,” Welsh strongman Gavin Bilton was announced to take Kieliszkowski’s roster spot. The 2023 SC will mark Bilton’s debut in the competition’s fourth iteration later this summer.
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After suffering a leg injury within the spring of 2022, Kieliszkowski returned to the strongman fray throughout the 2023 Arnold Strongman Classic (ASC). The competition, where the Polish athlete finished because the runner-up to eventual WSM champion Mitchell Hooper, marked Kieliszkowski’s first competitive appearance in roughly a 12 months and a half since his injury.
Nonetheless, even with a robust second-place result on the early March contest, Kieliszkowski looked as if it would understand he likely wouldn’t be at his absolute best physical condition before a 2023 WSM return, just over six weeks later. Such a prediction would come to fruition when the athlete didn’t make it out of Group 3 within the Qualifying Round.
On the time of this writing, with no specific details on the extent of Kieliszkowski’s capabilities or limitations, it appears the strongman is taking a step back to further emphasize recovery before pushing full throttle again sometime in the long run. That could possibly be a sensible decision, considering a full-strength Kieliszkowski was a back-to-back runner-up on the 2018-2019 editions of the WSM.
Kieliszkowski’s absence will allow Bilton, a frequent fixture at strongman contests throughout any given competition 12 months, to try to make his mark on the 2023 SC for the primary time. Bilton recently won the 2023 Strongman Champions League (SCL) Serbia and could possibly be riding a wave of momentum into one other stellar performance. Notably, Bilton was also the runner-up on the 2023 Britain’s Strongest Man (BSM), falling just wanting the victor Adam Bishop.
Bilton and the remainder of the roster in Colorado might be chasing Trey Mitchell, who’s the two-time defending champion of the SC (2021-2022). Mitchell defeated the eponymous Shaw on each occasions for the 2 consecutive titles.
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Whatever happens on the 2023 SC, it figures to be quite the dynamic show of strength. With a roster featuring Mitchell, Shaw, Hooper, and now Bilton, this Colorado battle is shaping up to supply a wonderful test for everybody involved.
Featured image: @theshawclassic on Instagram