A mere 15 months ago, Nick Best tore a lat muscle, temporarily derailing much of his competitive strength sports plans. Now, after another contest under his belt, it seems the powerlifter/strongman dynamo is almost back to full power.
On July 23, 2022, Best took part in the 2022 Clash of the Masters strongman contest in Colombia, MO. As part of his overall performance, Best showed stellar conditioning and leg strength by notching a 317.5-kilogram (700-pound) equipped deadlift for 10 reps. The deadlift for reps display helped Best to a third-place podium result in the Masters 40+ competition — finishing behind Travis Ortmayer (second place) and Tim Filus (first place).
Seeing as this was a strongman contest, Best donned a lifting suit, lifting belt, and lifting straps for his deadlift set.
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While his deadlift output stands out, Best showed versatility at the Clash of the Masters, completing a 272.5-kilogram (600-pound) equipped back squat for 10 reps. Given the journey he’s been on of late, Best expressed appreciation for his performance and peers over his Instagram profile.
“Congratulations to [Tim Filus] on the amazing world-class performance!” Best writes. “To [Travis Ortmayer], who I have been competing against since 2005, so great to compete with you again! What an amazing journey back; so proud of you! To all the competitors and all the fans, a sincere thank you! Much love!”
According to Strongman Archives, the 2022 Clash of the Masters is his first strongman contest since the 2020 World’s Strongest Man (WSM). The athlete returned to powerlifting at the 2022 World Raw Powerlifting Federation (WRPF) FQ Classic 2 in early May. That contest saw Best finish in first place in the Masters 50-54 division largely thanks to two WRPF National Records — a 372.5-kilogram (821.5-pound) back squat and a 337.5-kilogram (744-pound) deadlift.
Best’s latest production in a sanctioned strongman competition like the Clash of the Matters appears to be yet another step forward.
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Full Go
In early July 2022, Best revealed over social media that he would compete in the 2022 Official Strongman Games (OSG). He will feature in the Men’s Masters 50+ division in his fourth appearance at the competition, which will occur on November 11-13, 2022, in Daytona Beach, FL.
Other noteworthy names in Best’s category include defending champion Michael Saunders and Wrecking Ball World Record holder (2:20.49) Mark Felix. At the time of this writing, the OSG organization has not revealed the events or format for this year’s competition. At any rate, as a former winner of the OSG (2o16) and fourth-place finisher in 2017 and 2019, Best might be one of the top contenders for Saunders’ title.
Should Best come out on top during the 2022 OSG, the strength sports legend could mark another emphatic sign of competitive progress.
Featured image: @nickbeststrongman
