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The World's Strongest Women

The World's Strongest Women

It’s been three years since the last World’s Strongest Woman competition -- that’s 1,095 days filled with speculation over who will be the next to lay claim

Sep 16, 2016 by Armen Hammer
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It’s been three years since the last World’s Strongest Woman competition -- that’s 1,095 days filled with speculation over who will be the next to lay claim to that prestigious title.


Finally, the wait is over. On Saturday, the strongest women in the world will battle it out for the right to the global title.


Sandra ‘Sunny’ Barker - Germany


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In an open-weight strongwoman competition, weighing less than less 80kgs might seem like a disadvantage to some. Although Sunny doesn’t cast as big a shadow as others competitors, there's more to this game than just size -- she’s proven that time and time again with German powerlifting and Swiss strongwoman titles. That said, she’s up against some top-tier talent, so the win might not be in her grasp just yet. But expect Sunny’s unrivaled ferocity at the bar to make her a fan favorite.


Donna Moore - England


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Moore was heralded as the unofficial strongest woman in the world after her stunning victory at the 2016 Arnold World Championships. But the problem with unofficial titles is they are just that: unofficial. This Saturday, Donna will have the opportunity to rectify that. She certainly has the tools and the experience to make that dream a reality -- not only does the two-time Britain’s Strongest Woman hold the Atlas Stone world record, but she did two reps with it. Add that to her deadlift and overhead -- the latter of which is arguably the strongest in the competition -- and Donna has a very real chance to leave as the official Strongest Woman in the World.  


Kikki Berli-Johnson - Norway


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At 48 years old, Kikki is seven years older than the next-oldest competitor. As Mark Felix keeps proving, age is just a number, and Kikki is doing the same. This weekend, she’s certainly a contender, and possibly the most powerful woman in the lineup -- that’s something the grandmother of four proved to the world by pulling a 15-ton Viking ship. Kikki will look to utilize the wealth of experience she has accumulated over the years, and watch out for her on the yoke.


Andrea Thompson - England


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Andrea has had a hell of year -- she placed fifth at the Arnolds in Columbia before becoming England’s Strongest Woman a few months later. She will undoubtedly look to close out the year with the trophy everyone wants, and she certainly has the tools to make that goal come to fruition. Those tools are more specifically PRs of 230kg in the deadlift, 180kg in the squat and 105kg in the log press.


Liefia Ingalls - USA


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Liefia is truly a wolf in sheep’s clothing. She’s this weekend’s lightest competitor at only 77kgs, but as we know, this is not a contest of size, but strength, so overlooking the American would be a grave mistake. Winner of the Official Strongman North American Championship, Leif’s great movement and PRs of 220kg in the deadlift and 100kg in the log press make her a force to be reckoned with. Liefia could be poised to cause quite the upset.


Brooke Sousa - USA


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Brooke’s rise to the upper echelon of strongwoman has been meteoric. In just two short years, she has gone from using 7kg dumbbells in fitness classes to the world stage. Phenomenal progress aside, she’ll be looking to leave Doncaster with more than just fond memories.


Jenny Todd - England


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At 82kgs, Jenny is lean and athletic. She’s not just all show, though -- far from it. Jenny is a prolific middleweight with a trophy cabinet that includes the Official Strongman European Championship title, two British middleweight titles and a Britain’s Most Powerful title. The jump to the heavyweights may stop her from taking the overall win, but she’ll put up a fight to remember.


Olivia Lane - Ireland


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At only 23 years old, Olivia is the youngest competitor in the field by quite a few years. And in strength sports, that can count for a lot. Fortunately for Olivia, she found the barbell before many other competitors, and has already accumulated two world junior titles in powerlifting. Undeniably strong statically and well-rounded in all the events, Olivia is coming to Doncaster in great form. The title might not be within her reach this year, but it won’t be long before it is.


Lisa Yeats - England


After taking home a silver medal at this year's infamously tough Britain’s Strongest Woman, Lisa is no stranger to leaving it all on the platform. That’s a trait she’s hoping will complement the work she’s put in for this weekend. A brilliant all-arounder, Lisa doesn’t have many weaknesses, and could surprise many by placing.


Tracey Halladays - Canada


When you read that a strongwoman is a former powerlifter, you expect incredible static strength. Tracey does not disappoint, and the former Canadian powerlifting champion has the numbers to back it up, including a 227.5kg deadlift. Turning away from the big three for strongwoman was a bold, but ultimately wise decision for Tracey, though she now holds both the Canadian log and deadlift records in strongwoman. If she can hold her own on the moving events, Tracey could find herself on the podium.  


Kristin Rhodes - USA


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Kristin has one thing that none of the other women competing have: she’s been here before, in 2012. Kristin is much more than just a former World’s Strongest Woman competitor, though -- she was the World’s Strongest Woman. The six-time America’s Strongest Woman certainly has the attributes to make it happen again. Statically as strong as they come, Kristin holds the world log press record of 113.6kg. Kristin has the potential to win every event, and will be disappointed by anything other than a second title.  


Olga Liashchuk - Ukraine


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Olga is a one-of-a-kind athlete and pound-for-pound the strongest woman in Doncaster on Saturday. World’s Strongest Woman doesn’t take weight in consideration, though, and at only 87kg, Olga will be at a disadvantage to some of the bigger competitors when it comes to the static events. But the medley and yoke will be very different stories. Olga could end up in contention for a podium finish.

  

Lidia Gynko - Ukraine


Like many of the athletes competing, Lidia qualified earned her spot through an Official Strongman championships. But the Ukrainian separated herself from the rest with the manner in which she secured her place. Needing a 230kg deadlift to secure her place, she ground out the most agonizing 30 seconds seen in strongwoman. Hitching and pulling the best she could, she battled both the bar and her desire. Against all odds, she locked out the lift, and stunned the crowd into silence in the process. Expect more of that tenacity on Saturday, as well as her incredible speed on the moving events.


Anna Harjappa - Sweden


Last September, Anna took the plunge and began training strongwoman. By January 1, she already podiumed in two competitions: second at Sweden’s Strongest Woman and third in Europe’s. With deadlift above 200kg and a 180kg squat, she has the potential to be a genuine contender, but it might be another year before she gets the world podium spot.