Oleksii Novikov Reveals Elbow Damage Affected His 2023 World’s Strongest Man Efficiency

The 2020 winner positioned third within the 2023 contest in South Carolina.

Written by Roger Lockridge Final up to date on Might 8, 2023

2020 World’s Strongest Man (WSM) winner Oleksii Novikov hoped to hitch the record of two-time champions on the 2023 WSM contest in Myrtle Seashore, SC. Nonetheless, he completed in third place behind champion Mitchell Hooper and runner-up Tom Stoltman.

On Might 8, 2023, Novikov shared a 42-minute video on his YouTube channel recapping his WSM week. The previous champion reviewed his efficiency via the competition’s 11 occasions. Nonetheless, one key piece of knowledge he shared could shed some mild on his shocking third-place end within the Circus Dumbbell event on the ultimate day of competitors. Novikov has historically dominated that difficult overhead press in earlier competitions and set an unofficial world report lifting 153.2 kilograms (337.8 kilos) whereas coaching in 2021.

Novikov revealed that he competed within the 2023 WSM with an elbow damage suffered in coaching, although he didn’t talk about a particular prognosis. Novikov spoke in Ukrainian and the captions confirmed the English translation. He spoke in regards to the damage on the 30:36 mark within the video beneath.

Novikov suffered the damage in training whereas performing the Circus Dumbbell with weights heavier than what he would ultimately elevate within the contest — on the 2023 WSM, Novikov was solely capable of efficiently press 132.5 kilograms (291 kilos) overhead. He shared that he initially thought it was easy elbow ache and fewer critical than it truly was. 

“Within the final coaching session [before the WSM contest], I lifted 144 kilograms (317 kilos). At 148 kilograms (326 kilos), I didn’t get the lockout. And through all these processes, I acquired an damage which I didn’t pay a lot consideration to. Just a few elbow ache. I stored coaching and solely then observed this subject with my elbow.

The elbow misplaced its perform at full extension and activating the place it has to activate. And as a result of that, there have been issues with the lockout. And that’s why locking out heavy weights turned an issue for me … Don’t know whether or not I want a surgical procedure or not, however I’ll definitely handle my elbow,” he stated.

He felt the problems with lockouts have been why he struggled through the dumbbell occasion on the final day of competitors. He’s unsure whether or not or not he’ll want surgical procedure, however Novikov made it sound as if that’s at the very least being thought-about.

Novikov realized that this subject and the results of that occasion may’ve very properly value him the title in South Carolina.

“My signature occasion turned an Achilles heel for me. For me, that’s an upset for certain and it introduced me down, mentally, slightly.”