Nottingham, England saw two fitting United Kingdom champions crowned.
Written by Robert Zeglinski
Rebecca Roberts (Women) and Paul Smith (Men) are the respective champions of the 2023 UK’s Strongest Woman and UK’s Strongest Man. The joint strongwoman and strongman strength contest took place on May 27-29, 2023, in Nottingham, England.
According to her resume on Strongman Archives, this is Roberts’ second consecutive UK’s Strongest Woman title (2022-2023). The athlete previously finished as the runner-up in her UK’s Strongest debut in the year 2021. Meanwhile, the same repeat sentiments can be expressed for Smith, who also successfully defended his UK’s Strongest Man title captured in 2022.
Here are the complete results for the 2023 UK’s Strongest Woman competitors. The field of eight athletes was tasked with competing in the Shield Carry, Block Press, Truck Pull, Max Deadlift, and Bag Over Bar. To capture her latest title, Roberts won three of the five events (the Shield Carry, Truck Pull, and Bag Over Bar) and finished as the runner-up in the Block Press and Max Deadlift.
2023 UK’s Strongest Woman Final Standings
- Rebecca Roberts — 38 points | Two-time defending UK’s Strongest Woman Champion (2022-2023)
- Lucy Underdown — 37 points
- Katie Smith — 19 points
- Claire Myler — 17 points
- Izzy Tait — 16 points
- Sarah Reynolds — 13 points
- Gemma Moore — 12 points
- Nadine Guy — 7 points
Rounding out the podium for the women after Roberts was Lucy Underdown (second place) and Katie Smith (third place). Underdown’s runner-up result is the third time in her last four contests that the athlete has finished on the podium. Per her page on Strongman Archives, the 2023 UK’s Strongest Woman was Smith’s third appearance, and best placing, in this prestigious contest.
Here are the complete results for the 2023 UK’s Strongest Man competitors. The field of eight athletes had a different slate of events from their strongwomen counterparts. They were as follows: the Super Yoke, Incline Log Ladder, Silver Dollar Deadlift, Bull Ring, and Cerberus Steps From Hell. Smith was triumphant on the Super Yoke, Incline Log Ladder, and Silver Dollar Deadlift to eventually notch his overall victory.
2023 UK’s Strongest Man Final Standings
- Paul Smith — 33 points | Two-time defending UK’s Strongest Man Champion (2022-2023)
- Matt Dimond — 28.5 points
- Callum Crozier — 26 points
- Andrew Flynn — 23.5 points
- Chris Beetham — 20 points
- Louis Jack — 19 points
- Cillein Groom — 16 points
- Scott Milne — 14 points
Roberts and Smith have already established themselves as bona fide forces to be reckoned with in strongwoman and strongman. They didn’t necessarily “need” the 2023 UK’s Strongest Woman and Man titles to do it, either. Roberts is a former World’s Strongest Woman (WSW) champion (2021), while Smith has appeared in two previous World’s Strongest Man (WSM) competitions (2018, 2023).
Now, both strong athletes can add yet another significant notch to their lifting belts.
Featured image: @rebeccarobertsstrongwoman on Instagram
About Robert Zeglinski
Robert is a seasoned and adept editor and writer with a keen, passionate penchant for the writing craft. He’s been a leader in newsrooms such as SB Nation, USA TODAY, and WBBM Newsradio, with various other content and art production teams, and first made a name for himself in his hometown of Chicago. When not knee-deep in research or lost in a stream of consciousness for a thorough piece, you can find Robert inhaling yet another novel, journaling his heart out, or playing with his Shiba Inu, Maximus (Max, for short).