Martins Licis facts for kids

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Martins Licis

Licis in March 2017
Personal information
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
Weight	331–367 lbs
YouTube information
Years active	2009–present
Genre	Strength Training/Strongman
Subscribers	306 thousand (2 April 2025)
Total views	41.71 million (2 April 2025)
Sport
Sport	Strongman Mas-wrestling
Medal record Representing  United States World's Strongest Man 6th 2016 World's Strongest Man 4th 2017 World's Strongest Man 4th 2018 World's Strongest Man 1st 2019 World's Strongest Man 2nd 2022 World's Strongest Man Arnold Strongman Classic 8th 2017 Arnold Strongman Classic 2nd 2019 Arnold Strongman Classic 3rd 2020 Arnold Strongman Classic 1st 2022 Arnold Strongman Classic 8th 2024 Arnold Strongman Classic Rogue Invitational 1st 2021 Rogue Invitational 4th 2022 Rogue Invitational Arnold Pro Strongman World Series 2nd 2016 Forts de Warwick 3rd 2018 Australia 2nd 2018 Forts de Warwick 1st 2018 Europe 1st 2019 USA 1st 2020 USA Giants Live 3rd Viking Challenge 2015 2nd Giants Live Finals 2018 3rd Giants Live Wembley 2019 World's Ultimate Strongman 7th 2018 World's Ultimate Strongman Ultimate Strongman 1st 2017 Summermania 1st 2018 Summermania America's Strongest Man 2nd 2015 America's Strongest Man

Martins Licis (born September 28, 1990) is a super strong athlete from Latvia and America. He is famous for winning some of the biggest strongman contests. These include the 2019 World's Strongest Man and the 2022 Arnold Strongman Classic. He also won the 2021 Rogue Invitational strongman championships.

Licis is one of only five strongmen in history to win both the World's Strongest Man and the Arnold Strongman Classic. The others are Žydrūnas Savickas, Brian Shaw, Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson, and Mitchell Hooper.

He holds world records in several strongman events. These include the Steinborn squat and Thor's Hammer one-arm grip lift. He also holds records for Inver Stones loading and Conan's Wheel of Pain.

Early Life and Training

Martins Licis was born in Riga, Latvia, on September 28, 1990. He has citizenship in both Latvia and the United States. He speaks Latvian very well. When he was four, his family moved to the United States. He grew up in Amherst, Massachusetts.

During summer breaks, he visited his grandparents' farm in Latvia. There, his grandfather, Imants Līcis, taught him about stone lifting. His grandfather was a sculptor and used to compete in Olympic weightlifting. When Martins was 12, he started weight-training. He wanted to become "outrageously strong" so no one could bother him. In high school, he wrestled and began competing in strongman contests.

In 2010, Licis moved to California. He found a job as a personal trainer. Later, he learned about the Odd Haugen All-American Strength Classic. Odd Haugen invited Licis to train at his gym. Licis first competed in the Strength Classic in 2015.

Martins Licis' Strongman Career

In 2015, Martins Licis won the Odd Haugen All-American Strength Classic. The next year, in 2016, he reached the World's Strongest Man finals for the first time. He finished in sixth place. He placed fourth in the World's Strongest Man finals in both 2017 and 2018.

Besides strongman, Licis also competes in mas-wrestling. This is a type of stick wrestling. In 2016, he won a gold medal at the MAS Wrestling Open World Championships. He beat the previous champion, Viktor Kolibabchuk. Licis won his first professional strongman event in 2017. It was the Ultimate Strongman Summermania, where he represented Latvia.

Winning the World's Strongest Man Title

In 2019, Licis came in second at the Arnold Strongman Classic. Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson won that event. However, in June 2019, Licis won his first World's Strongest Man title. He beat the defending champion, Hafþór, who finished third. Hafþór had an injury that made it hard for him to compete well. Licis also finished ahead of Mateusz Kieliszkowski (second place) and Brian Shaw (sixth place). Licis did very well in the final. He placed in the top three in all five events and won two of them.

On January 18, 2020, Licis won the Arnold Strongman Santa Monica Qualifier. He beat Brian Shaw by just one point. This win allowed him to compete at the Arnold Strongman Classic in Columbus, Ohio. At the 2020 Arnold Strongman Classic, Licis finished third. Hafþór won, and Kieliszkowski was second.

Comeback and Recent Competitions

Martins Licis spent most of 2020 and 2021 recovering from injuries. His big comeback was at the first-ever Rogue Invitational Strongman competition in 2021. This event had the largest prize money in strongman history. Licis beat Tom Stoltman and Oleksii Novikov to win the competition. He took home a top prize of $133,685. The next day, he set a new record in Thor's Hammer Lift. He lifted a 136-kilogram (300-pound) hammer.

In March 2022, Licis competed at the 2022 Arnold Strongman Classic. He performed very well in all five events. He finished first, second, or third in all but one event. He won the last event, Stone-to-Shoulder for Reps. This secured him his first Arnold Strongman Classic title. He had finished second in 2019 and third in 2020.

In May 2022, Licis returned to the World's Strongest Man contest. It was his first time back since winning in 2019. He finished second, behind the winner Tom Stoltman. He beat Oleksii Novikov in a tie-breaker.

In November 2022, Licis competed at the 2022 Rogue Invitational. He was trying to win the title again. However, he got a bicep injury during the competition and finished fourth.

In March 2024, Licis competed at the 2024 Arnold Strongman Classic. He finished in eighth place. In April 2024, he had to withdraw from the 2024 World's Strongest Man competition. This was due to a nerve issue in his right leg. He announced he would take eight months off to recover.

Strength Unknown YouTube Series

In 2022, Licis and his friend Romark Weiss started a YouTube series called 'Strength Unknown'. In this series, they travel the world to learn about different strength traditions. They have released many episodes covering places like Canada, Latvia, Norway, China, Japan, and more.

Martins Licis' Personal Records

Martins Licis has achieved impressive personal records in various strongman events:

• Rogue Elephant bar Deadlift – 440 kg (970 lb) (Raw with straps) (2019 Arnold Strongman Classic)
• IronMind S-Cubed bar Deadlift – 440 kg (970 lb) (with deadlift suit and straps) (2017 World's Strongest Man)
• Axle bar Deadlift with wheels (for reps) – 360 kg (790 lb) x 8 reps (2018 Giants Live World Tour Finals) (Joint-World Record)
• Deadlift Static Hold – 320 kg (710 lb) for 41.25 seconds (2019 World's Strongest Man)
• Silver Dollar Deadlift – 460 kg (1,010 lb) (2018 World's Ultimate Strongman)
• IronMind Rolling Thunder (V2) – 123 kg (271 lb) (2016 Visegrip Viking)
• Double T Squat (with suit) – 433.5 kg (956 lb) (2022 Arnold Strongman Classic)
• Giant Barbell Squat (for reps) – 340 kg (750 lb) x 9 reps (2019 World's Strongest Man)
• Steinborn Squat – 256.5 kg (565 lb) (2019 Arnold Strongman Classic) (World Record)
• Log press – 200 kg (440 lb) (2022 Arnold Strongman Classic)
• Axle press – 200 kg (440 lb) (2018 World's Strongest Man)
• Cyr Dumbbell press – 124 kg (273 lb) (2020 Arnold Strongman Classic)
• Bale Tote – 710 kg (1,570 lb) for 3.78 meters (2017 Arnold Strongman Classic)
• Timber carry – 400 kg (880 lb) (10 meter ramp) in 10.03 seconds (2022 Arnold Strongman Classic)
• Hercules hold (200 kg (440 lb) in each hand) – 50.94 seconds (2019 Giants Live Wembley)
• Thor's Hammer one arm grip lift – 136 kg (300 lb) (2021 Rogue Invitational) (World Record)
• Atlas Stones – 5 Stones weighing 120–200 kg (260–440 lb) in 20.37 seconds (2019 Giants Live Wembley)
• Inver Stones over hitching post – 5 Stones weighing 125–191 kg (276–421 lb) in 23.53 seconds (2021 Rogue Invitational) (World Record)
• Húsafell Stone carry – 186 kg (410 lb) for 57.02 m (187 ft 1 in) (2019 Arnold Strongman Classic)
• Rogue-a-Coaster (arm over arm pull) - 363 kg (800 lb) over a 54 ft inclined ramp in 33.83 seconds (2022 Rogue Invitational) (World Record)
• Conan's Wheel of Pain – 9,072 kg (20,000 lb) 36.50 meters (119 3/4 feet) (2019 Arnold Strongman Classic) (World Record)
• Truck pull – 19,000 kg (42,000 lb) 25 meters 'uphill' in 37.84 seconds (2015 Giants Live Viking Challenge) (World Record)

Competitive Record Summary

Martins Licis has a strong record in competitions:

He has won 33.33% of his competitions. He has placed in the top three (on the podium) 70.83% of the time.

Submission Grappling

Licis tried a new sport called submission grappling. This is a type of wrestling where you try to make your opponent give up. He competed in the ADCC San Diego Open on January 18, 2025. He won a gold medal by defeating both of his opponents. After this, he earned a blue belt in jiu-jitsu from his coach on March 6, 2025.

Media Appearances

Martins Licis has appeared on television shows.

• In May 2020, he was on Game On!. He acted as an obstacle in a strength challenge for the contestants.
• In August 2020, he appeared on To Tell the Truth. He was one of three people who all claimed to be the World's Strongest Man.
• In March 2021, Licis was in a Geico commercial. It was called "Worlds Strongest Man Takes On The Recycling."

See also

In Spanish: Martins Licis para niños