 Licis in March 2017 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Native name | Mārtiņš Līcis | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nickname(s) | The Dragon (Latvian:Pūķis) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | (1990-09-28)September 28, 1990 (age 34) Riga, Latvia | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 3 in (191 cm) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 331–355 lb (150–161 kg) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Years active | 2009–present | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Genre | Strength Training/Strongman | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Subscribers | 304k[1] (28 February 2025) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Views | 41.40 million[1] (28 February 2025) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Sport | Strongman Mas-wrestling | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Martins Licis (Latvian:Mārtiņš Līcis,pronounced[ˈmaːrtiɲʃˈliːtsis]; born September 28, 1990) is an American professionalstrongman, notable for winning the2019 World's Strongest Man, the2022 Arnold Strongman Classic, and the 2021Rogue Invitational strongman championships.[2]
He's the fourth strongman out of five in history to win both World's Strongest Man and Arnold Strongman Classic competitions withŽydrūnas Savickas,Brian Shaw,Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson andMitchell Hooper also achieving this.
Licis is the current world record holder of theSteinborn squat,Sorinex Saxon bar deadlift,Thor's Hammer one arm grip lift,Inver Stones loading, andConan's Wheel of Pain strongman events.
Licis was born inRiga on September 28, 1990.[3] He holds dual citizenship with Latvia and the United States, and speaks Latvian fluently. He represents the United States in competition, having moved there with his family at the age of four. He grew up inAmherst, Massachusetts. During summers, he visited his grandparents' farm in Latvia, where he was first introduced tostone lifting by his grandfather Imants Līcis, a sculptor who formerly competed in Olympic weightlifting.[4] After being bullied at age 12, he turned to weight-training to, as he said, become “outrageously strong so that nobody can touch me.”[5] Licis wrestled in high school and began competing in strongman contests while still a teenager.
In 2010, Licis moved toCalifornia together with his friend Mikel Monleon. Licis eventually found a job as a personal trainer in West Hollywood, and later found out about the Odd Haugen All-American Strength Classic. Through this, Haugen invited Licis to train at his gym, but only let him compete in the Strength Classic three years later in 2015.[4]
In 2015, Licis placed first in the Odd Haugen All-American Strength Classic. In 2016, Licis reached the World's Strongest Man finals for the first time and placed sixth. He placed fourth in the World's Strongest Man finals in 2017 and 2018.[4] Besides Strongman, Licis also competes inmas-wrestling, a variation of stick wrestling. He won gold in the 2016 MAS Wrestling Open World Championships in Columbus Ohio, beating out previous champion Viktor Kolibabchuk.[6] Licis' first pro triumph came in 2017 at the Ultimate Strongman Summermania, winning the competition representing his home countryLatvia.
In 2019, Licis came in second during theArnold Strongman Classic, behindHafþór Júlíus Björnsson.[7] In June later that year, however, he won his firstWorld's Strongest Man title, beating out defending champion Hafþór, who finished in third after suffering a torn plantar fascia in his left foot during the heats that significantly hampered him in the final. Licis also placed ahead ofMateusz Kieliszkowski who placed second, and 4-timeWorld's Strongest Man winnerBrian Shaw who placed sixth, still recovering from a hamstring injury sustained in theArnold Strongman Classic earlier in March of the same year.[2] Licis dominated the final, finishing in the top three in all five events, and winning two events outright.
On January 18, 2020, Licis won the Arnold Strongman Santa Monica Qualifier, beating out Brian Shaw by 1 point. This earned him a spot to compete at the Arnold Strongman Classic inColumbus, Ohio on March 8.[8] At theArnold Strongman Classic, Licis finished 3rd, behind the winner Hafþór and the second place Kieliszkowski.[9]
Licis spent most of the 2020 and 2021 strongman season in recovery, with his ultimate comeback taking place in the inauguralRogue Invitational Strongman competition in 2021, which boasted the biggest prize purse in the history of strongman competition with four WSM champions competing.[10][11] Licis beatTom Stoltman andOleksii Novikov to win the competition and a top prize of $133,685.[12] The next day he set a new record in Thor's Hammer Lift by lifting a 136-kilogram (300-pound) hammer.[13]
In March 2022, at the2022 Arnold Strongman Classic, Licis performed consistently well in all five events, with first, second, or third finishes in all but one event. His win in the last event Stone-to-Shoulder for Reps secured him the title of theArnold Strongman Classic for the first time, after finishing runner-up and third place in 2019 and 2020.[14][15]
In May 2022, Licis returned to World's Strongest Man for the first time since winning the 2019 contest. He finished 2nd, behind the winnerTom Stoltman and beatingOleksii Novikov on a tie breaker.[16]
In November 2022, Licis competed at the 2022Rogue Invitational looking to defend the title he won the year before. He picked up a bicep injury midway through the competition and finished 4th.
In March 2024, Licis competed at the2024 Arnold Strongman Classic, but finished in a disappointing 8th place.[17] In April 2024, Licis withdrew from the2024 World's Strongest Man competition due to sciatica in his right leg, and stated that he would take eight months off from strongman competitions to recover.[18]
Licis made his submission grappling debut in the beginner over 100kg division at the ADCC San Diego Open on January 18, 2025 and submitted both of his opponents to win a gold medal.[19] He was then promoted to blue belt in jiu-jitsu by his coach Thiago Rodrigues on March 6, 2025.[20]
In May 2020, Licis appeared onGame On! as an obstacle, engaging contestants in a strength contest.[21][22][23]
In August 2020, Licis appeared on an episode ofTo Tell The Truth with two other people all of them claiming to be the reigning World's Strongest Man.[24]
In March 2021, Licis appeared in aGeico commercial titled "Worlds Strongest Man Takes On The Recycling".[25]
Winning percentage: 33.33%
Podium percentage: 70.83%
| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | Podium | 4th | 5th | 6th | 7th | 8th | 9th | 10th | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| International competitions | 8 | 5 | 4 | 17 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 24 |
Arnold Strongman Classic champions | |
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