THE UNIT CLASSIC

Ghana's Evans Nana arrives at The Unit Classic as one of the most exciting athletes on the international strongman circuit. A three-time World's Strongest Man competitor with more than 50 international contests under his belt, Nana combines explosive athleticism with serious static strength. With multiple international victories and podium finishes across the Strongman Champions League, he brings genuine world-level experience to Essex and will be one of the biggest threats to the inaugural Unit Classic title.

A familiar face at the highest level of British strongman, Shane Nye brings huge static power to The Unit Classic. A former England's Strongest Man competitor and World Log Lift Championship athlete, Shane boasts a competition-best 190kg log press and has established himself as a serious overhead threat. After finishing fourth at the 2026 Irish Strength Cup, he arrives in Essex in strong form and ready to challenge a stacked Unit Classic field.

Ireland's Cilléin Groom has established himself as a regular presence at the top end of British strongman. A Britain's Strongest Man competitor, Cilléin has also made multiple appearances at UK's Strongest Man, including an impressive fourth-place finish in 2022. Strong across both static and moving events, Groom brings proven experience on the big stage and adds another serious international challenger to the Unit Classic line-up.

Welsh strongman Matt Dimond has been competing among Britain's best for several years and arrives at The Unit Classic with plenty of big-stage experience. His standout achievement came in 2023 when he finished second at UK's Strongest Man, pushing Paul Smith all the way for the title. He has since competed at Britain's Strongest Man and remains one of Wales' leading strongmen. With proven ability across heavy moving events, Dimond adds another experienced contender to the field.

Luke Ogbourn arrives at The Unit Classic with two major world-level titles already to his name. Crowned World’s Strongest Junior U23 and World’s Strongest U120kg, Luke has proven himself both as one of the sport’s top young athletes and as a standout competitor in the U120kg class. Now stepping into a stacked open field, he’ll be looking to carry that form onto the Unit Classic stage.

2026 Yorkshire's Strongest Man George Smith arrives at The Unit Classic ready to test himself against a stacked field. An Ultimate Strongman competitor with proven ability across a full range of events, George has continued to establish himself as one of the names to watch on the British strongman scene. Fresh from claiming the Yorkshire title, he'll be looking to make his mark in Essex and challenge for the inaugural Unit Classic title.

Three-time UK's Strongest Man Paul Smith brings one of the most impressive résumés in the entire Unit Classic line-up. Crowned UK's Strongest Man in 2022, 2023 and 2024, Paul is also a two-time World's Strongest Man competitor and former Junior World Champion. With a 400kg deadlift, 180kg log press and years of experience competing against the world's best, Smith has proven himself as one of Britain's most complete strongmen.

Ireland's Sean Gillen brings serious international experience to The Unit Classic. A two-time Britain's Strongest Man competitor, Sean has competed across Australia, Iceland, Europe and the Strongman Champions League. His 2026 season has been particularly impressive, including second place at the Irish Strength Cup, second at the World Strongman Challenge and third at SCL Ireland. Powerful, experienced and in excellent form, Gillen is a genuine contender for the Unit Classic title.

At just 21 years old, Czech Republic's Jan Lacina is already building a formidable strongman résumé. The 2025 Czechia's Strongest Man has collected victories across Europe and has rapidly established himself on the international circuit. His numbers include a 420kg deadlift, 182kg log press and 500kg yoke, while his 2026 season has already featured international wins and podium finishes. One of Europe's most exciting young strongmen, Lacina could be a major threat at The Unit Classic.

Ukraine's Oleh Pylypiak brings more than a decade of international strongman experience to The Unit Classic. A former Ukraine's Strongest Man champion, Oleh has competed in more than 40 international contests and collected multiple victories along the way. A regular competitor across Europe and on the Strongman Champions League circuit, he brings a level of international experience few athletes in the field can match and will be a dangerous opponent across all five events.

Ultimate Strongman competitor Brad Rollason brings some serious power to The Unit Classic line-up. No stranger to handling huge weights, Brad has taken on a massive 500kg yoke, making the Unit Classic's 453kg carry an event he'll be one to watch on. With experience competing on the Ultimate Strongman stage, Brad has the strength and competition pedigree to cause problems across all five events.

British U120kg podium finisher Phil Hawxwell steps up to The Unit Classic ready to take on some of the biggest names in strongman. An experienced Ultimate Strongman competitor, Phil has already proven himself among the country's leading weight-class athletes. Now facing a heavyweight field and five brutally heavy events, The Unit Classic gives him the opportunity to show exactly what he can do on the open stage.