Brian Shaw Out of World Deadlift Championships, Will Focus on August’s World’s Strongest Man

In an announcement posted on his YouTube channel (below), strongman competitor Brian Shaw has announced that he will no longer be competing in the upcoming World Deadlift Championships in Leeds, England, on July 9th.

In a previous video, Shaw had said his participation in the July 9th event was contingent upon the healthy birth of his first child. After Shaw and his wife welcomed a healthy baby boy earlier this month, all signs pointed to an epic Leeds showdown — Shaw included. Now, Shaw says he won’t be competing in Leeds and gives several reasons for the withdrawal.

First, competing on July 9th would cut into valuable training time for World’s Strongest Man in August, which Shaw says is the most important event on his yearly calendar.

Second, Shaw explains that, after conversations with the World Deadlift Championships organizers, he’s concerned the pre-determined weight jumps leave too much room for the competition to end in a tie. Shaw explains it best in the video (embedded below), but basically, there may come a point where the bar jumps from the mid 460s straight to 500 kilograms. 

Shaw believes 500 kilos will happen for him eventually, but not now. He believes friend and competitor Eddie Hall may be able to — and, in fact, Hall has gone on record claiming he plans on pulling the weight. But more likely than not, the tiered weight jumps would see several competitors pulling world record weights — but the same weight — only to come up short at a 500 kilogram bar.

Shaw also clarified some of his earlier statements regarding deadlift suits and strongman competition. (He’s adamantly opposed.)

We’re sad to see Shaw out of the July competition, but it’s tough to fault him given the above logic. Plus, this could help ensure a healthy Shaw at the peak of his abilities in August, which will be a sight to behold in multiple strongman disciplines.

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