The five men in Group 1 were Reza Gharaei from Iran, Arild Haugen from Norway, Jessen Paulin from Canada, Don Pope from the United States, and Mariusz Pudzianowski from Poland. Pudzianowski, the defending champion, and Pope were the favourites to claim the two available places in the Final from Group 1. But there was also considerable buzz surrounding Gharaei and Haugen, the two WSM rookies.
Arild Haugen shows them all how to complete the keg toss (World's Strongest Man™, IMG Media Ltd.)
Day 1 - Medley
Group 1 got things started in the Medley. Appropriately enough, it was the three-time champion leading the way. Looking as strong and fit as ever, Poland's Mariusz Pudzianowski simply out-matched his competition.
Day 1 - Keg Toss
In their second event of the day, Group 1 moved to the Keg Toss, and it was Norway's Arild Haugen rebounding from a last-place finish in the Medley with an unreal performance. The youngest man in the competition at 20 years old, Haugen launched all 10 barrels over the wall in a time of 42.80 seconds, the fastest time of the day. American Don Pope grabbed second place, while Mariusz Pudzianowski ended up in third.
Day 2 - Dead Lift
The Dead Lift started things off on the second day of qualifying and it was Mariusz Pudzianowski wowing the crowd with an incredible 17 reps. Arild Haugen continued to build his reputation on the world stage, his 11 reps put him in second place, but paid the price by shredding his hands on the dead lift bar.
Mariusz Pudzianowski fighting with the third stone in the Overhead lift (World's Strongest Man™, IMG Media Ltd.)
Day 3 - Car Walk
In Group 1, only Mariusz Pudzianowski finished the entire 25 meters in a powerful demonstration by the three-time World's Strongest Man champion.
Day 4 - Overhead Lift
On the last day of qualifying, Group 1 still had two of their six events remaining. First the Overhead Lift that demands that four stones, ranging in weight from 227 to 249 pounds, be locked out with the athletes arms fully extended above their head. Don Pope, the only man in the group to lift all the stones successfully, earned the victory. The defending champion, Mariusz Pudzianowski, produced 3 repetitions for second place. Those results guaranteed that Pudzianowski and Pope would be returning to the World's Strongest Man Final once again.
Day 4 - Barrel Loading
With Mariusz Pudzianowski and Don Pope already securing their places in the World's Strongest Man Final, it was Arild Haugen earning the victory in Group 1 and showing everyone he's undoubtedly a guy to watch in the future.
For Mariusz, he's one step closer to winning a fourth title and joining the ranks of the best ever. Don Pope, qualifying for his second World's Strongest Man Final, has demonstrated that he will surely be a factor.
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