SANDUSKY, Ohio — Muscle will meet the Midwest at the Strongman Champions League competition in Northern Ohio later this month.
“Ohio is actually the mecca of strength; some of the greatest power lifters came from this state,” said Strongest Man of Cyprus, Ilya Khazov.
Some of the strongest people in the world will compete in some of the most unique challenges.
“It is the only professional league in the world. And what we do is we have a series of 16 stages throughout the year where all the athletes get to compete all over the world,” said Khazov.
This will be the first time the competition has been in the US, and it’s coming to Toledo and Sandusky. People will be able to watch the massive two-day strength event on Sept. 19 and 20 for free. Day two of the competition will take place in Sandusky, kicking off at 1 p.m.
“It lit up the entire office, the entire community. Because it gives people the opportunity to not only talk about something that everybody has some sort of experience with, whether they watched it on ESPN when they were a kid or on social media, seeing these giant men and women doing these incredible acts. It is neat to be able to say this is coming right to Downtown Sandusky,” said Sports Tourism coordinator for Shores and Islands Ohio, Jon Limber.
There will be 14 different athletes from all over the world. Four of them are from the US. Others are from Canada, Italy, and Poland, competing for the $100,000 grand prize.
“It means a lot being able to reach a whole new audience in person,” said Khazov.
Aside from bending horseshoes, there’s going to be an attempt at a world record-breaking ferry pull and other unique elements.
Visitors will witness top-tier strongman events, including the truck pull, a dramatic keg toss into the bay, and other exciting challenges that have yet to be revealed. City leaders are hoping this event will make a stop in Northeast Ohio for years to come.
"We have so many wonderful communities in our region, where we want to be able to continue to showcase this sport, this activity and this organization throughout this region,” said Limber.
