Live from World’s Strongest Man (with Phil Blechman)

Today I’m talking to BarBend News Editor Phil Blechman. Phil is covering the 2022 World’s Strongest Man contest live on the ground in Sacramento, California. We’re recording this podcast on the Friday before the World’s Strongest Man final, so while we know the 10 finalists, we don’t know how the podium will shake out. Phil gives insights into the top stories and surprises from this year, including a firsthand look at how weather and event conditions impact the competitors.

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In this episode of The BarBend Podcast, News Editor Phil Blechman joins us to discuss strongman: 

• How athletes (and press) are feeling after three days of qualifying competition — pre-Final (2:26)
• How the intense heat in Sacramento impacts competitors (4:00)
• Are the Stoltman brothers the smartest athletes in strongman? (7:00)
• Surprise performances, both good and bad, along with Phil’s Finals predictions (Spoiler alert: he picked two out of three medalists!) (10:30)
• The immortal Mark Felix (13:00)
• How is Brian Shaw approaching this competition? (16:32)
• Tacky malfunctions (19:00)
• The spectator and VIP experiences (22:45)

Relevant links and further reading

• Read more from Phil Blechman
• Follow David Thomas Tao on Instagram and Twitter