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Martins Licis
Martins Licis (Latvian: Mārtiņš Līcis, pronounced [ˈmaːrtiɲʃ ˈliːtsis]; born September 28, 1990) is an American professional strongman, notable for winning the 2019 World's Strongest Man, the 2022 Arnold Strongman Classic, and the 2021 Rogue Invitational strongman championships.[2] He's the fourth strongman in history to win both World's Strongest Man and Arnold Strongman Classic competitions following Žydrūnas Savickas, Brian Shaw and Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson. Licis is the current world record holder of the Steinborn squat, Sorinex Saxon bar deadlift, Thor's Hammer one arm grip lift, Inver Stones loading, and Conan's Wheel of Pain strongman events. Early lifeLicis was born in Riga on September 28, 1990.[3] He holds dual citizenship with Latvia and the United States, and speaks Latvian fluently. He represents the United States in competition, having moved there with his family at the age of four. He grew up in Amherst, Massachusetts. During summers, he visited his grandparents' farm in Latvia, where he was first introduced to stone lifting by his grandfather Imants Līcis, a sculptor who formerly competed in Olympic weightlifting.[4] After being bullied at age 12, he turned to weight-training to, as he said, become “outrageously strong so that nobody can touch me.” [5] Licis wrestled in high school and began competing in strongman contests while still a teenager. In 2010, Licis moved to California together with his friend Mikel Monleon. Licis eventually found a job as a personal trainer in West Hollywood, and later found out about the Odd Haugen All-American Strength Classic. Through this, Haugen invited Licis to train at his gym, but only let him compete in the Strength Classic three years later in 2015.[4] CareerIn 2015, Licis placed first in the Odd Haugen All-American Strength Classic. In 2016, Licis reached the World's Strongest Man finals for the first time and placed sixth. He placed fourth in the World's Strongest Man finals in 2017 and 2018.[4] Besides Strongman, Licis also competes in mas-wrestling, a variation of stick wrestling. He won gold in the 2016 MAS Wrestling Open World Championships in Columbus Ohio, beating out previous champion Viktor Kolibabchuk.[6] Licis' first pro triumph came in 2017 at the Ultimate Strongman Summermania, winning the competition representing his home country Latvia. In 2019, Licis came in second during the Arnold Strongman Classic, behind Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson.[7] In June later that year, however, he won his first World's Strongest Man title, beating out defending champion Hafþór, who finished in third after suffering a torn plantar fascia in his left foot during the heats that significantly hampered him in the final. Licis also placed ahead of Mateusz Kieliszkowski who placed second, and 4-time World's Strongest Man winner Brian Shaw who placed sixth, still recovering from a hamstring injury sustained in the Arnold Strongman Classic earlier in March of the same year.[2] Licis dominated the final, finishing in the top three in all five events, and winning two events outright. On January 18, 2020, Licis won the Arnold Strongman Santa Monica Qualifier, beating out Brian Shaw by 1 point. This earned him a spot to compete at the Arnold Strongman Classic in Columbus, Ohio on March 8.[8] At the Arnold Strongman Classic, Licis finished 3rd, behind the winner Hafþór and the second place Kieliszkowski.[9] Licis spent most of the 2020 and 2021 strongman season in recovery, with his ultimate comeback taking place in the inaugural Rogue Invitational Strongman competition in 2021, which boasted the biggest prize purse in the history of strongman competition with four WSM champions competing.[10][11] Licis beat Tom Stoltman and Oleksii Novikov to win the competition and a top prize of $133,685.[12] The next day he set a new record in Thor's Hammer Lift by lifting a 136-kilogram (300-pound) hammer.[13] In March 2022, at the 2022 Arnold Strongman Classic, Licis performed consistently well in all five events, with first, second, or third finishes in all but one event. His win in the last event Stone-to-Shoulder for Reps secured him the title of the Arnold Strongman Classic for the first time, after finishing runner-up and third place in 2019 and 2020.[14][15] In May 2022, Licis returned to World's Strongest Man for the first time since winning the 2019 contest. He finished 2nd, behind the winner Tom Stoltman and beating Oleksii Novikov on a tie breaker.[16] In November 2022, Licis competed at the 2022 Rogue Invitational looking to defend the title he won the year before. He picked up a bicep injury midway through the competition and finished 4th. In March 2024, Licis competed at the 2024 Arnold Strongman Classic, but finished in a disappointing 8th place. [17] In April 2024, Licis withdrew from the 2024 World's Strongest Man competition due to sciatica in his right leg, and stated that he would take eight months off from strongman competitions to recover. [18] Media appearancesIn May 2020, Licis appeared on Game On! as an obstacle, engaging contestants in a strength contest.[19][20][21] In August 2020, Licis appeared on an episode of To Tell The Truth with two other people all of them claiming to be the reigning World's Strongest Man.[22] In March 2021, Licis appeared in a Geico commercial titled "Worlds Strongest Man Takes On The Recycling".[23] Personal records
Competitive recordWinning percentage: 33.33%
References
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