Strongman Vrdy 2025 | Report and results

This year's strongman competition in Vrdy u Čáslav was the 6th year overall. For myself I have to say that the main organizer, professional strongman Zdenda Vávra and his wife Denisa surpass themselves every year. Each year is getting bigger and brings something interesting, new and actually great. At the same time, this year's edition is, unfortunately for me, the first one where I could not be there in person, due to medical indisposition.

I have always participated in previous years, first as a competitor, then as a head judge and the last years as a moderator and guide for the whole day. Yes the hoarse and whiny voice in the past was mine. And this year I really regretted it because the whole day was always perfectly prepared down to the smallest detail. The packed programme promised an amazing spectacle for spectators of all ages, the younger ones could take advantage of the rich accompanying programme for children or even whole families. But I promise that next year, you will hear me shouting into the microphone all day long.

This year's edition was no exception in superlatives, on the contrary, it again surpassed last year's edition. In the morning there were beginners, shortly after lunch women and girls, and the afternoon was filled with a race of professional strongmen, i.e. the Czech elite that you can see here. Even the weather was perfect for Zdenda and Denisa. The preparations were made several days in advance, but the whole team worked like a precise Swiss watchmaker. This year's voice of the race was lent by Martin Roubíček, who replaced me at the really last minute, thanks Martin, I know from hearsay that you were excellent.

Beginners

In the morning there were a total of 24 beginners, i.e. fighters who have never raced among amateurs, newcomers, fans of strength sports who wanted to compare their strength. All of them competed in four difficult disciplines:

• Press medley
• Super Yoke
• Hercules hold
• Tire flip

Press medley

This press medley consisted of three parts and a time limit of 90 seconds. Firstly the competitor had to get a 50 kg steel block over their head, followed by a 60 kg giant single arm, there for the repositioning it was possible to use both hands, sit on the shoulder, but only one arm to go out, ending with a log lift weighing as much as 100 kg. The log lift was done for the maximum number of repetitions within the time limit. It must be said that no one had zero, so everyone put at least one part, but most aimed for reps in the log lift. Split second place Aleš Kršňák and Jakub Rejna, they managed 5 repetitions with log lift and won valuable points. The winner of the discipline was Dominik Váca, he managed one more log repetition, 6. Just to point out that when there is such a high number of competitors, one hesitation means a significant drop in points, so it is necessary to concentrate on each discipline for each performance.

Super yoke

The famous Vrd super yoke, made up of a structure and 2 water barrels, looks very impressive, and weighs a whopping 280 kg. The challenge for the competitors was to run a 2 x 20 metre course, with the competitors putting the yoke down at the end of the first part, turning around and running back. Of course, if it was too heavy for them, they could lay it down any number of times along the way. With 3 exceptions, everyone walked the whole course, so the time was measured. Third place Zbyněk Zachař with a total time of 27,58 seconds, that's a solid trot. Second place Ondřej Červený, 27,51 seconds, so only hundredths were decisive. The fastest strongman - beginner in this discipline was Jakub Klečák, who ran the course in a great 26.06 seconds.

Hercules tribute

Pole hold like Hercules is a beautiful discipline that is all about grip and head. If I have done it in the past, each second took a little over half a minute, it was really challenging. At our races we can see most often the variant where the racer holds 2 cars on a tilted platform, the effect is identical to the classic Hercules with poles and chains, on the other hand, it is very attractive for the spectators, after all the racer is holding two cars. Third place with a time of 143 seconds went to Jan Vajgl. The second place went to Zbyněk Zachař, who held the cars for 150 seconds. The victory in the discipline was then won by Jan Jírek with a fantastic 212 seconds.

Tire flip

Tire flipping is a discipline that is one of my favorites, even though the 300 kg tire is not the heaviest, it is certainly unpleasant with its arrow pattern, which gives even the most experienced fighters a hard time. It gave me a lot of trouble in the wet a long time ago. Again, the time limit was 90 seconds. Six riders Daniel Bouma, Dominik Nový, Tomáš Brič, Čeněk Říha, Jakub Klečák and Jan Jírek took the second place with five turns. Josef Hajek then turned the victory to his side, he managed to turn the tire six times.

Results

It was a great race, full of cheering, tension, emotions and passion for performance. The only downside of this sport is injuries. Daniel Bouma broke the bones in his leg on the first event during a throw. But his determination commands the rest of us to grin, Dan finished the whole race, although probably not in the way he imagined. Third place overall went to Jakub Rejna, who competed very well and managed to collect a total of 76.5 points. One point more, 77,5 was enough for the second place, which was taken by Jakub Klečák. The first place and the victory of the whole race went to Jan Jírek, who showed a perfect and stable performance in all disciplines. Congratulations.

Strongwoman

Shortly after noon, girls, ladies, women, you name it. Anyway, the girls with their strength can put in the pocket of any guy from the audience, they certainly can. There were 5 female competitors in total, which is great that the girls came together, on the other hand it's a bit of a shame. In my time in the strongman sport, every time I talk to the girls I hear that they don't have enough competitions, there's not much to show for it, and so on and so forth. Unfortunately, even a week before the race, things were looking bad, the few that did sign up were gradually dropping out due to health reasons. Luckily though, they managed to get the girls together and some really good racers came. Many thanks to their coach Lukáš Pepř, Luky thanks for letting them go and the girls could race. Of course, it wasn't just Lukas, but a coach has to listen to himself...

The girls had the same disicplines as the beginners in the morning, only the weights were adjusted so that they were not light, but again so that the girls did not injure themselves unnecessarily or take risks.

Press medley

In the medley consisting of press disciplines, Kateřina Procházková took third place with a total of 8 repetitions. The second place went to Karin Krchlíková, who managed a fantastic 13 repetitions, and the victory in the discipline went to Marie Tomečková, with a fantastic 15 repetitions.

Super yoke

How did the girls cope with the super yoke? Third place went to Karin Krchlíková, who completed the entire 20-metre course in 12.19 seconds. Second place Jana Zenková, who ran the course in 10.26 seconds. The second victory went to Maruška Tomečková with a time of 10.17 seconds, which was just close, but faster.

Hercules Hold

Janča Zenková and Katka Procházková were tied for third place in the object hold, both with 73 seconds. The second place went to Marie Tomečková, with a time of 82 seconds. First place went to Karin Krchlíková with a time of 86 seconds.

Tire flip

Flipping a slightly smaller tire than was seen in the morning, the fierce competitiveness of all the competitors was evident. Katerina Prochazkova took third place in four repetitions. Karin Krchlíková managed an incredible nine and took second place. Maria Tomečková won the discipline for a massive 11 reps.

Results

The girls had a nice race and showed the spectators that the fairer sex also has strength and can fight. The third place and 10,5 points in total was won by Katka Procházková. The second place belongs to Karin Krchlíková, who managed to collect 16 points. Maruška Tomečková took the overall victory in the race, she completely dominated the race, de facto she lost one single point out of 20 available, so she collected 19.

Professionals

In the afternoon program the Czech top professional strogymen presented themselves. Only selected individuals who have won in the amateur league in the past, or have been transferred here on the basis of their exceptional results, can enter. Amateur competitors could only come here by specific invitation. A total of 12 fighters competed in similar events as the beginners and girls. Only of course their weights were much bigger and all the implementations much harder. Then at the end there was a so-called vandal medley added, which is specific to the competitions here in Vrdy, but we will get to that. The main judge of the afternoon program was Jiri Zaloudek, also a matador of strongman sport, a great promoter and a professional strongman.

Press medley

The task in the afternoon part of the first discipline was to lift a 130 kg sandbag, Axle axle loaded to 150 kg and Single arm loaded to 100 kg. All again within the time limit of 90 seconds. The race started right from the start and competitors who wanted a higher score had to count on doing the one-arm on repeats. The third place finisher, Benjamin Machala, did three repetitions with the single-handed. Second place, the world's strongest natural man for 2024, Stepan Bystrinets, who did four reps with the single-handed. Zdenek Vávra won the discipline, he managed five reps and took full points.

Super Yoke and Autotrakar

The second discipline was a bit special for the pros. Competitors had to carry 450 kg super yoke for 20 meters. Then to throw it off and at the second station there was a car with handles in the back, attached to a tow bar. The racer lifted the car like a wheelbarrow or wheelbarrow and rode it back 20 meters. All again within the 90 second time limit. By this point, most of the starting field had settled down a bit, it was definitely not easy. They were especially troubled by the aforementioned wrecker. Super yoke was brought by all. So it was mostly a distance measurement. Only 3 riders managed to complete the whole course, on time. Third place matador among matadors, Pavel Zadražil, who did everything in 60,08 seconds. Pavel is still racing great and Vrdy was his 196th race in his career. Second place Zdenek Vávra, who completed the discipline in 44.5 seconds. The victory then went to Štěpán Bystřinec by a steamer, he completed the whole course in an incredible 33.16 seconds.

Hercules tribute

Again 2 cars, again inclined plane, only again harder execution of the whole disicpline. Split second place Vít Rozlivka and Pavel Zadražil, both with 71 seconds. The best grip was shown to the spectators by Ivan Hrihorovskyi, who managed to hold everything for a great 82 seconds.

Truck pull

In the afternoon another of my very favourite disciplines came into play, namely the truck pull. Specifically in Vrdy it was a fire tanker weighing about 20 tons. The time limit this time was only 60 seconds and the route was 20 meters long. In Vrdy there is asphalt, but its quality is a bit lower, still without climbing shoes this discipline would not make much sense. Climbing shoes don't slip, even in wet conditions... Only the dust bothers them a bit, but that's a detail. The competitors all managed to handle the tank and finished the route, so the time was crucial. Who was the biggest sprinter with a hooked truck behind him? Third place was Petr Toman, who completed the route in 22.71 seconds. That's just over a second per metre. That's fantastic. Second place Stepan Bystrinets, he was already faster than a second on the meter. His time was 19.54 seconds. The victory of the discipline was won, or I can say won by Frantisek new with a time of 19.39 seconds.

Vandal medley

Vandal medley was introduced last year. Very spectacular and adored by the audience discipline. The competitor first runs from the start, after about 5 meters he turns a 450 kg tyre twice, then runs another 5 meters and has to turn a cubic barrel on its side, i.e. a barrel full of water. A barrel weighing one tonne. The competitor then runs another 5 metres and there awaits a Ford Fiesta with a handle, which the competitor must also turn on its side. He then runs back to the start where the stopwatch stops. The entire medley was completed by half of the starting field. The other competitors only managed part of it. The stumbling block this time was the barrel, which has to be turned with a specific technique. Third place František Nový with a time of 32.14 seconds. Second place Lukáš Svoboda with a time of 31.59 seconds. Zdenek Vávra won the discipline with a time of 24.55 seconds.

Well, the battle is over, the spectators cheered for a hundred and six, the weather was perfect, the whole adventure day can continue after a short break with an evening program and a concert of local rock bands. But the day is over for the strongmen. It was a huge battle of strength, endurance and mental toughness. Third place with a total of 43.5 points was won by František Nový. The second place, with a total of 47 points, was won by the local competitor Zdenek Vávra. The overall winner in Vrdy was Štěpán Bystřinec, who sailed through the whole day with a smile and his own ease. Congratulations.

The whole day was over, more than 40 competitors turned up, the spectators were hungry for their performances. We have no choice but to thank the server bodyburistika.com, which as one of the main partners helped with prizes for the competitors and all the things around, we appreciate this cooperation incredibly, just because it was not a random and quick cooperation, but we have been developing a partnership together for several years. Thank you. And for you, the spectators, I hope that I will be able to be present in person, and that we will meet again next year on June 6, 2026 in Vrdy for 7 years of great strongman competitions.