Janashia is once again the official strongest man in his home country.
Konstantine Janashia is the champion of the 2023 Georgia’s Strongest Man (GSM). The contest took place in Tbilisi, Georgia, on May 6-7, 2023. Janashia’s victory in the 2023 GSM marks his second career triumph (2020, 2023) in his home country’s premier individual strongman competition.
Rounding out the podium at the 2023 GSM were Nikoloz Lekaidze (second place) and Chabuka Chigladze (third place). According to his personal page on Strongman Archives, the 2023 GSM was Lekaidze’s professional strongman debut. Meanwhile, Chigladze attains this podium result after taking home a runner-up finish to Janashia during the 2020 edition of the GSM.
Here’s an overview of the final standings from the 2023 GSM, which featured six competitors and Janashia eventually coming out triumphant.
2023 Georgia’s Strongest Man Final Standings
- Konstantine Janashia — 27 points | 2023 GSM Champion
- Nikoloz Lekaidze — 24 points
- Chabuka Chigladze — 20 points
- Avtandil Karmazanashvili — 14 points
- Shota Gogoberishvili — Seven points
- Jason Kamashidze — Three points
The 2023 GSM tasked the participating competitors with five respective events. They are as follows:
2023 Georgia’s Strongest Man Events
- Max Axle Press (One-rep max)
- Log Lift (For reps)
- Super Yoke (400-kilogram/881.8-pound Yoke Carry for 15 meters/49.2 feet and for time)
- Arm Over Arm Pull (Pull vehicle 20 meters/65.6 feet for time)
- Squat Lift (280 kilograms/617.3 pounds for reps)
Note: Not every specific weight or event structure has been clarified at the time of this article’s publication.
To capture his second career GSM title, Janashia won three of five events — the Log Lift (eight reps), Super Yoke (9.91 seconds), and Arm Over Arm Pull (24.66 seconds). Janashia finished in at least third place in each of the contest’s remaining events.
A seasoned strongman veteran, Janashia’s GSM victory is merely the latest cherry on top of a relatively prolific resume that dates back to his debut in September 2011 at the World’s Strongest Federation (WSF) World Cup Belarus.
According to his resume on Strongman Archives, Janashia has been especially busy of late. The Georgian strongman has participated in seven strongman contests over the last 13 months, dating back to the 2022 Europe’s Strongest Man (ESM) in April 2022 where he finished in third place. Janashia’s two wins at the GSM aside, his two third-place results and one runner-up placing at the ESM (2019, 2022, and 2018 respectively) might be the most notable results of his career. A testament to Janashia’s competitive power, in the 2018 ESM, he was second only to Hafthor Björnsson who would go on to win the WSM title just three weeks later.
Janashia can boast seven appearances in the annual World’s Strongest Man (WSM), including five berths in the Finals (2016-2019, 2021). Janashia finished in fourth place in Group 1 during the 2023 iteration of the WSM in Myrtle Beach, SC.
At the time of this article’s publication, Janashia’s upcoming competitive plans in 2023 are unclear and unconfirmed. If the athlete is to follow recent precedent, he will be a likely factor at the 2023 Shaw Classic before trying his hand at the 2023 Arnold Strongman Classic UK. Janashia could even utilize his GSM victory as momentum to parlay further success.
Featured image: @konstantine_janashia on Instagram
