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PAVLO Kordiyaka is one of the most high-profile strongmen in the world and regularly uses his platform to remind the world about his home country’s war with Russia.
In 2023, he took home the title of Europe’s Strongest Man, but was beaten at the World’s Strongest Man competition by Tom Stoltman just a year later.
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Pavlo’s early life
Pavlo was born on July 2, 1995, in Lyiv, Ukraine.
As a teenager, he was a keen athlete competing in boxing, wrestling, acrobatics, football and mixed martial arts.
He became interested in becoming a strongman at the age of 18 when he was introduced to Vasyl Virastyuk.
Vasyl is a Ukranian politician and the winner of World’s Strongest Man 2004.
Soon after meeting Vasyl, Pavlo began training with fellow Ukrainian athletes Oleksii Nivikov and Olga Liashchuk.
Both Oleksii and Olga are world champions, having won the 2020 World’s Strongest Man competition and the 2022 World’s Strongest Women.
Pavlo’s incredible titles and records
Pavlo has enjoyed a celebrated career and is known for taking home some of the most prestigious titles in sports.
His incredible talent has made him one of the 50 most decorated strongmen of all time.
Pavlo won the Europe’s Strongest Man competition in 2023 and has won five international strongman competitions overall.
Pavlo came in 8th place in the World’s Strongest Man 2024 competition, after coming in 6th just a year before.
The British strongman Tom Stoltman took home the 2024 title, after a stunning display of athletic ability.
Pavlo’s married life and the war in Ukraine
Pavlo is married to Khrystyna Kordiyaka, but is very private when it comes to their marriage.
He has been very open, though, about how Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has affected him personally.
Pavlo said: “My wife’s brother is now in the military, my father also in the military, a lot of my friends, my best friends, now in military [and] on [the] battlefield and get injured now.
“One guy, last week, died, was killed by Russians.”
The strongman has said that he now feels it is his responsbility to represent Ukraine in the world and to remind people that the war is still going on.
He said that Ukrainian people have to live with the “reality” of the fight against Russia despite the fact that “a lot of people maybe forgot”.
Pavlo even shared that the war has taken a toll on his mental health, leading to episodes of anxiety and panic attacks.
However, his training helps keep him focused as it is “two or three hours” where he doesn’t “think about war”.
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Pavlo’s online stardom
Instead, he is more open about his life in sports and regularly takes fans behind the scenes of his training regime, on Instagram.
His account has accumulated over 34,000 followers.
In one confessional post, Pavlo shared how he copes with failure.
He wrote: “I lost my last three competitions.
“It’s been a challenging time.
“Criticism, hate, and my own doubts hit hard.
“Emotionally, it wasn’t easy — I’ll admit that.
“But, strangely enough, these moments have become a point of growth for me.
Pavlo continued: “Failures taught me that the journey toward a goal isn’t just about victories.
“It’s about persistence, about being able to acknowledge your mistakes and keep moving forward.
“I’ve realized that criticism isn’t the end of the world — it’s a chance to see myself from another perspective and become better.”
