Strongwoman

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A strongwoman is a woman who performs feats of strength in a show or circus, or a woman who competes in strength athletics. Traditionally, strongwomen have had a special appeal, as women involved in demonstrated feats of strength were exceptions. Modern day strongwoman competitions test athletes physical strength and endurance through a variety of heavy lifts and events.

Traditionally, strongwomen were featured as performers in a circus, or in vaudeville, music halls, or other venues, and engaged in feats of strength such as barbell lifting and human juggling.

Some famous traditional strongwomen include:

• Miss Athléta (Athleta Van Huffelen) - Belgium (1865 – 1927)
• Marie Sirois - Quebec, Canada (1865 – 1920)
• Minerva (Josephine Blatt née Wohlford) - New Jersey, USA (1869 – 1923)
• Vulcana (Miriam Kate Williams aka Kate Roberts) - Abergavenny, Wales (1874 – 1946)
• Miss Apollina (Elise Gillaine Herbigneaux) - Belgium (1874 – Unknown)
• Charmion (Laverie Vallee née Cooper) - California, USA (1875 – 1949)
• Macarte Sisters - Great Britain Julia (1878–1958), Adelaide (1879–1908) and Cecilia (1881–1939)
• Marina Lurs (Maria Loorberg) - Estonia (1881 – 1922)
• Anette Busch - Estonia (1882 – 1969)
• Katie Sandwina - Vienna, Austria (1884 – 1952)
• Marie Ford - New York, USA (1900 – Unknown)
• Ivy Russell - Croydon, England (1907 – Unknown)
• Luisita Leers (Martha Luise Krökel) - Germany (1909 – 1997)
• Mildred Burke - Coffeyville, Kansas, USA (1915 – 1989)
• Abbye "Pudgy" Stockton - Santa Monica, California, USA (1917 – 2006)
• Joan Rhodes - London, England (1920 – 2010)
• Jan Todd - Pennsylvania, USA (1952 – )
• Bev Francis - Australia (1955 – )
• Charmaine Childs (aka Betty Brawn) - Australia (1965 – )
• Becca Swanson - Papillion, Nebraska, USA (1973 – )

In recent years, the term strongwoman has come to refer to the women who compete in events such as the annual World's Strongest Woman and Arnold Strongwoman Classic competitions. Strongwomen compete in the sport of Strongman and the sport has become popular with female strength athletes over the past decade that there are several state and nationally sanctioned competitions that prepare amateur female athletes for national competitions that allow for the opportunity to compete as professionals. In all these contests, the participants compete in similar types of events that can be found in a Strongman competition. Such events include, but are not limited to:

Some notable modern strongwomen:

• The table below summarizes the most decorated strongwomen in modern history with the most number of international wins in their careers (1st places only/ open weight and age categories only).

  Active   Retired

#	Name	Country	Active	Competitions	Wins	Win %
1	Olga Liashchuk	Ukraine	2016–	18	7	38.9%
2	Aneta Florczyk	Poland	2003–2008	8	6	75.0%
3	Donna Moore	UK / England	2013–	15	6	40.0%
4	Victoria Long	USA	2019–2024	6	4	66.7%
5	Inez Carrasquillo	Puerto Rico	2021–	7	3	42.9%
6	Jill Mills	USA	2001–2005	3	2	66.7%
7	Angelica Jardine	USA	2023–	4	2	50.0%
8	Lucy Underdown	UK / England	2020–	6	2	33.3%
9	Anna Rosén	Sweden	2002–2012	8	2	25.0%
10	Jessica Fithen	USA	2018–2021	8	2	25.0%
11	Kristin Rhodes	USA	2008–2018	9	2	22.3%
12	Rebecca Roberts	UK / Wales	2017–	12	2	16.7%

Additionally, the following 15 strongwomen have won 1 international competition (open category) each:

Edith Pongratz, Michelle Sørensen & Nina Geria (1 from 1 each); Annina Saine, Shayna Wirihana & Erin Murray (1 from 2 each); Liefia Ingalls & Annabelle Chapman (1 from 3 each); Hannah Linzay (1 from 5); Kati Luoto (1 from 6); Britteny Cornelius (1 from 9); Anna Harjapää (1 from 10); Heini Koivuniemi & Brooke Sousa (1 from 11 each); Andrea Thompson (1 from 15)

- As at 28 July 2024

Women who compete in Strongman (strongwomen) must be well versed in the styles and techniques that are demonstrated in both powerlifting and Olympic weightlifting as the types of lifts that are performed in both sports are fundamental in strength sports and carry over into the techniques that have been developed for the events that make up a Strongman competition. In addition to developing the proper technique for the foundation lifts, strongwomen must also develop endurance through cardiovascular conditioning training. Being able to adapt to implements (straight barbells versus axle barbells, axle barbells versus logs, etc.) is important as the technique used for the different implements are nuanced and are not readily available at commercial gyms.

This is a list of Strongwoman Competitions. Some also include men.^[3]

• Maidens of MightStrongwoman Challenge 2019^[4]
• California's Strongest Women
• Connecticut's Strongest Man and Woman
• May Flowers of Power Competition
• Central Valley Strongest Man and Woman
• Central Valley Strongest Man and Woman
• War on the Shore Strongman/Strongwoman Classic
• Minnesota State Strongman & Strongwoman Championships
• Texas Strongest Woman
• Official Strongman Games

• Female bodybuilding
• Power training
• Sthenolagnia
• Strength training
• Strongman (strength athlete)

• Media related to Strongwomen at Wikimedia Commons