| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Nickname(s) | "Wide Pavlo" "the Ukrainian Hulk" | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | Pavlo Nakonechnyy 12 July 1997 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Occupation | Strongman | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 165–182 kg (364–401 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Pavlo Nakonechnyy (born 12 July 1997) is a Ukrainian strongman and powerlifter.
He is best known for his prowess in deadlifting, having pulled 390 kg (860 lb) in powerlifting and 454 kg (1,001 lb) in strongman standards. [1]
Nakonechnyy began competing at age 14. Rapidly growing in strength and size, he won his first Global Powerlifting Federation (GPF) Junior World Championship at age 16. He went on to twice win the International Powerlifting Federation (IPF) World University Powerlifting Cup in 2016 and 2017. While competing in powerlifting, his main rival was Great Britain's Luke Richardson. [1] At 2018 EPF European Classic Powerlifting Championships Juniors, Nakonechnyy and Richardson tied (a rare occurrence in powerlifting), with both men achieving totals of 1,010.5 kg (2,228 lb). [2] However, due to his higher body-weight, Nakonechnyy was relegated to second place. In 2019, he won the open division of the World Raw Powerlifting Federation (WRPF) World Championships.
In 2018, Nakonechnyy won the Arnold Amateur Europe show, earning a place to compete in the Arnold Amateur World Championships. However, Nakonechnyy pulled his biceps during an attempt to deadlift 415 kg (915 lb), thus sidelining him from competing at the 2019 WPRF Open World Championships. He returned to training the following year and competed in 2021 World Deadlift Championships sharing 2nd place behind Ivan Makarov after deadlifting 453.5 kg (1,000 lb) and finishing 4th place overall in the full Giants Live World Open competition. [1] In 2022 World Deadlift Championships, he deadlifted 454 kg (1,001 lb) and again shared 2nd place behind Rauno Heinla.
During the 2023 Arnold Strongman Classic (ASC) in Columbus, Ohio, Nakonechnyy sustained a knee injury during the deadlift event. The extent of the injury caused Nakonechnyy to withdraw from the 2023 Europe's Strongest Man contest. He was replaced by Paul Smith representing the United Kingdom. [3]
On August 16th, 2023, Nakonechnyy sustained severe injuries following a car accident. [4] The severity of his injuries forced him to withdraw from his remaining competitions for the year, including the 2023 Shaw Classic, the 2023 World Deadlift Championships, and the 2023 Rogue Invitational.
In 2024, Nakonechnyy returned to training. He originally intended to return at the 2025 Europe's Strongest Man competition, but later withdrew due to injury. [5] In 2025, he participated at the World Deadlift Championships only to end up with an injury during warm-ups.
Powerlifting:
Strongman:
Training:
When the Russian invasion of Ukraine started, Nakonechnyy stepped away from powerlifting and strongman shows to serve his country as a volunteer, delivering humanitarian aid. He has since returned to competition. [1]