By Roger “Rock” Lockridge
The Arnold Classic may have started as a bodybuilding show, but it has become a fitness industry giant and holds one of the top competitions in Strongman as well. The 2025 Arnold Strongman and Strongwoman Classic competitions were held throughout the weekend of February 28th to March 1st in Columbus, Ohio, and fans that were in the seats couldn’t help but get both excited and inspired by what they saw. If you missed any of the action, here is a quick recap of the big moments.
Mitchell Hooper Three-Peats as Arnold Strongman Classic Champion
Mitchell Hooper has been the most dominant athlete in his sport in years, and he maintained that by winning his third consecutive Arnold Strongman Classic title in Columbus. He now joins Brian Shaw, Hafthór Björnsson, and Zydrunas Savickas as three-time titleholders in this contest. Savickas’ record of eight wins is still safe for the time being.
Hooper won with his usual combination of power, patience, technique, and strategy. He only won the Timber Carry event, but he was consistent enough in the other events to earn points while his contemporaries peaked and struggled throughout different events. This was his 23rd consecutive podium, which may be why some fans have asked themselves if they are seeing strongman’s version of Michael Jordan.
Lucas Hatton was impressive in his ASC debut, and he joined Hooper on the podium by taking second place, which was a surprise considering the caliber of athletes in this show. Björnsson was in the competition as well, and he settled for bronze. Fans were hoping to see “The Mountain” pull 501 kilograms on the Elephant Bar Deadlift, but he was unable to make it happen. Austin Andrade took fourth, and 2024 World’s Strongest Man winner Tom Stoltman rounded out the top five.
Inez Carrasquillo is Arnold Strongwoman Classic Champion
The Arnold Strongwoman Classic field was the deepest ever, and several athletes could have climbed to the top, but the one that did was Inez Carrasquillo, who scored her first major strongwoman championship in Columbus. Representing Puerto Rico, Carrasquillo not only placed in the top five of all six events, but won the fourth by claiming the world record in the Big Jerk by lifting a massive 160 kilograms (352 pounds).
Olga Liashchuk had won the previous Arnold Pro Strongwoman competition twice, and she finished this competition in second place. Rounding out the top three Angelica Jardine of the United States. Points are earned via placing in each event. The top three were the only athletes to clear 50 points in this contest.
Special recognition should go to Lucy Underdown of the United Kingdom, who did deadlift a world record by pulling 676 pounds on the Elephant Bar Deadlift in the opening event. She acknowledged that she even did it without having her lifting strap on her right hand completely secured. Fans were hoping to see Underdown pull 700 pounds here as she had when she claimed the regular strongwoman deadlift record, but it was not meant to be. Underdown finished sixth in the overall competition.
Make sure you check out Muscle Insider on YouTube and Instagram @muscleinsider to see more from the 2025 Arnold Sports Festival, including all seven bodybuilding events that also took place in Columbus.
To keep up with the latest fitness industry news and product releases, subscribe to our free newsletter HERE!
*© Copyright Notice: Muscle Insider can’t always determine which images are protected by copyrights. We use images that are part of the public record and believed to be under the public domain. If for some reason somebody believes copyrights are violated, we will remove or replace the content in question after receiving a DMCA notice.