We have already passed the halfway point of the 2023 World’s Strongest Man contest, but the most exciting part of the event is yet to come. Following two days of qualifying and a rest day, the competition resumed on April 22nd, in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. This marked the first of two days of Finals, where the top ten athletes compete in six events each day. The events scheduled for day one of the finals included Fingal’s Fingers, Deadlift, and a Shield Carry.
The first day of the 2023 World’s Strongest Man finals was delayed due to adverse weather conditions. Additionally, two events were rearranged and their sequence was changed to ensure the safety of the athletes and minimize the risk of injuries.
Mitchell Hooper currently holds the lead after the first day of the finals, having won the first two events and earning maximum points. However, his sixth-place finish in the Fingal’s Fingers event allowed Tom Stoltman and Oleksii Novikov to close in on him, with the top three separated by just one point.
Trey Mitchell is also within striking distance of the top three with 22.5 points, and he could potentially perform well in some of tomorrow’s events.
Unfortunately, it appears that Brian Shaw has little chance of making it onto the podium this year, which is a disappointing end to his final appearance in the WSM.
2023 World’s Strongest Man Finals Results
- Mitchell Hooper (Canada) — 25 points
- Oleksii Novikov (Ukraine) — 24.5 points
- Tom Stoltman (UK) — 24 points
- Trey Mitchell (USA) — 22.5 points
- Evan Singleton (USA) — 15.5 points
- Brian Shaw (USA) — 14.5 points
- Pavlo Kordiyaka (Ukraine) — 14 points
- Mathew Ragg (New Zealand) — 11.5 points
- Luke Stoltman (UK) — 8 points
- Jaco Schoonwinkel (South Africa) — 5.5 points
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Related: Every Winner of The World’s Strongest Man Competition Since 1977
2023 World’s Strongest Man Finals Day One Event Recap
Reign Shield Carry
The Reign Shield Carry was the first event on day one of the 2023 World’s Strongest Man Final. A massive shield-like implement was placed on the ground for participants to pick up and carry for the maximum distance possible. The shield weighed 196 kilograms (432.1 pounds) and the event had no time limit.
Due to the weather conditions, the Shield Carry event was rescheduled to be the first event of the day instead of the final event. This decision was made to ensure the safety of the participants.
Mitchell Hooper had to exert all his effort to win the first event of the 2023 World’s Strongest Man Finals. Although he initially struggled after only a few meters, he displayed unparalleled mental strength by persevering, taking deliberate steps, and leaning backwards
Tom Stoltman began the Shield Carry event with impressive speed, covering three lengths of 20 meters with ease. However, in stark contrast to Hooper’s determination and perseverance, Stoltman unexpectedly dropped the shield.
Oleksii Novikov secured the third place with ease by surpassing all other competitors except for Hooper and Stoltman.
On the other hand, Pavlo Kordiyaka managed to have the longest run in the Shield Carry event, but he received a deduction of 20 meters from his score as he failed to comply with the rules by crossing the marked line on the pavement.
- Mitchell Hooper — 64.8 m
- Tom Stoltman — 63.15 m
- Oleksii Novikov — 55.87 m
- Trey Mitchell — 50.83 m
- Evan Singleton — 48.3 m
- Pavlo Kordiyaka — 46.59 m
- Luke Stoltman — 44.62 m
- Brian Shaw — 39.1 m
- Mathew Ragg — 37.65 m
- Jaco Schoonwinkel — 15.92 m
Knaack Deadlift
The second event of the 2023 World’s Strongest Man finals was the Knaack Deadlift for reps. This standard Strongman movement involved a barbell loaded with two massive Knaack boxes on each side, bringing the total weight to 353 kilograms (778.2 pounds). The event also had a time limit of 60 seconds for athletes to perform as many repetitions as possible.
During the Knaack Deadlift event, the unstable barbell caused most participants to achieve fewer reps than anticipated. However, Mitchell Hooper managed to control it the best, achieving 8 reps and gaining a considerable lead over the other athletes.
Four athletes tied for second place in the event, each completing 7 repetitions, and were awarded 7.5 points each, which was 2.5 points less than the winner, Mitchell Hooper. The four athletes were Oleksii Novikov, Trey Mitchell, Mathew Ragg, and Brian Shaw. Meanwhile, Tom Stoltman finished with 6 repetitions and fell further behind Hooper in the overall rankings.
- Mitchell Hooper — 8 reps
- Oleksii Novikov — 7 reps
- Trey Mitchell — 7 reps
- Mathew Ragg — 7 reps
- Brian Shaw — 7 reps
- Tom Stoltman — 6 reps
- Jaco Schoonwinkel — 5 reps
- Evan Singleton — 5 reps
- Pavlo Kordiyaka — 4 reps
- Luke Stoltman — 3 reps
Fingal’s Fingers
In the Fingal’s Fingers event of the 2023 World’s Strongest Man finals, five long poles were placed horizontally on the ground. The athletes had to lift each pole from the ground, get it into an upright position, and then push it to the opposite side. The weight of each Fingal’s Fingers pole increased and ranged from 145 kilograms (319.7 pounds) to 172 kilograms (379.2 pounds). The event had a time limit of 60 seconds.
Actually, Fingal’s Fingers was originally scheduled as the first event of day one of the 2023 World’s Strongest Man finals, but due to weather conditions, it was moved to last for safety purposes.
Tom Stoltman proved to be the fastest athlete to complete all the implements on the Fingal’s Fingers. He went head-to-head with Brian Shaw, who was quick during the first four poles but failed to complete the fifth one.
Oleksii Novikov secured second place, finishing three seconds behind Tom. Novikov had a consistent performance and did not face any troubles while handling the implements.
Trey Mitchell finished third, but he could have been faster than his time of 48.46 seconds. He made an error on the third pole, which is unfortunate as he was performing well.
- Tom Stoltman — 5 in 39.36 s
- Oleksii Novikov — 5 in 42.26 s
- Trey Mitchell — 5 in 48.46 s
- Pavlo Kordiyaka — 5 in 48.69 s
- Evan Singleton — 5 in 49.85 s
- Mitchell Hooper — 5 in 49.89 s
- Brian Shaw — 4 in 26.61 s
- Mathew Ragg — 4 in 35.03 s
- Luke Stoltman — 4 in 32.54 s
- Jaco Schoonwinkel — 4 in 40.76 s
Related: Eddie Hall Reveals His Top 3 Predictions For The 2023 World’s Strongest Man
We are just one day away from the conclusion of the 2023 World’s Strongest Man competition. In order to not miss out on any of the action, here are the scheduled starting times for each event.
Event Schedule
Day Four, April 23rd — Finals
- Event Four — Max Dumbbell – 8 a.m. EST
- Event Five — Vehicle Pull – 10:10 a.m. EST
- Event Six — Atlas Stones – 1:54 p.m. EST
How To Watch
Unfortunately, you won’t be able to watch the 2023 World’s Strongest Man competition live online unless you are physically present in Myrtle Beach, SC. However, there’s no need to worry as we will provide you with a detailed summary of the event to keep you informed.
Full WSM 2023 Coverage
- 2023 World’s Strongest Man Results
- 2023 World’s Strongest Man Results — Day Two Finals
- 2023 World’s Strongest Man Finalist Revealed
- 2023 World’s Strongest Man Results — Day One Qualifiers
- 2023 World’s Strongest Man Results — Day Two Qualifiers
- Cheick “Iron Biby” Sanou Withdraws From 2023 World’s Strongest Man; Kristján Jón Haraldsson Steps In
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