2023 World’s Strongest Man Results — Mitchell Hooper Victorious

The 2023 World’s Strongest Man competition has been wrapped up, which took place in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, from April 19-23. The competition aimed to determine the world’s greatest Strongman athlete, and had brought together 30 contestants from around the globe. These competitors have competed over the course of two days in the qualifying stage, after which the field was narrowed down to only ten athletes. Following a rest day, the finalists participated in six additional events over two days to determine the overall winner. Ultimately, Mitchell Hooper came out on top.

Mitchell Hooper was nothing but fantastic at this year’s World’s Strongest Man competition and became the first Canadian champion. With four event wins in the qualifiers and another four event wins in the finals, Hooper deservedly came out victorious.

The previous champion, Tom Stoltman, had to satisfy himself with the second-place this year. He was also incredible, but Hooper’s performance was unparalleled. Finishing in third was Oleksii Novikov, who managed to perform defend his position on the Atlas Stones.

2023 World’s Strongest Man Leaderboard

Finals Recap — Day Two

Max Dumbbell

On day two of the 2023 World’s Strongest Man, the first event was the Max Dumbbell. Athletes were tasked with lifting a massive dumbbell to their shoulder and then performing an overhead press with one hand. The competitor who lifted the heaviest weight was awarded the maximum points available for the event.

The fantastic Mitchell Hooper continued surprising everyone by taking another event victory at the start of the second day of the finals. Evan Singleton also popped up as a surprise, as these two men were the only ones to lift 140 kilograms. Thus, they shared the first place and received 9.5 points each.

A four-man tie ensued for third place, as Novikov, Kordiyaka, Tom and Luke Stoltman all lifted 132 kilograms. This resulted in 6.5 points for each of them, three less than Hooper and Singleton.

Apart from an exciting show on the first event, we also lost one contestant, as Jaco Schoonwinkel withdrew after an incident in the first event.

• Mitchell Hooper — 140 kilograms
• Evan Singleton — 140 kilograms
• Tom Stoltman — 132 kilograms
• Pavlo Kordiyaka — 132 kilograms
• Luke Stoltman — 132 kilograms
• Oleksii Novikov — 132 kilograms
• Trey Mitchell — 125 kilograms
• Brian Shaw — 125 kilograms
• Mathew Ragg — 125 kilograms
• Jaco Schoonwinkel — Withdrew

Bus Pull

In the penultimate event of the competition, the athletes were strapped to a bus with a rope, after which they were required to pull it. The weight of the bus was 20,000 kilograms and the given distance was 25 meters. This also had to be done in the time limit of 60 seconds.

Mitchell Hooper continued to display his impressive skills by winning yet another event and claiming maximum points. He was the only participant who managed to separate from the pack, finishing with a time of 30.24 seconds, with his closest rivals over two seconds behind him.

In an unexpected turn of events, Evan Singleton and Tom Stoltman tied in the Bus Pull event, which is almost impossible to tie. Both athletes finished with a time of 32.27 seconds, resulting in both of them receiving 8.5 points each.

• Mitchell Hooper — 30.24
• Tom Stoltman — 32.27 s
• Evan Singleton — 32.27 s
• Pavlo Kordiyaka — 32.46
• Trey Mitchell — 32.49 s
• Brian Shaw — 32.65
• Luke Stoltman — 32.83
• Oleksii Novikov — 33.35 s
• Mathew Ragg — 36.29

Atlas Stones

As per tradition, the 2023 World’s Strongest Man competition concludes with the Atlas Stones. The athletes come out in pairs and have to lift five Atlas Stones ranging from 150 kilograms (330.7 pounds) to 210 kilograms (463 pounds).

Tom Stoltman unsurprisingly performed the best in the Atlas Stones, finishing all five in just 33.26 seconds. However, Mitchell Hooper finished in second with a time of 39.96 seconds. So, Tom’s victory did not mean too much. Trey Mitchell finished in third as the only other man to complete all five stones.

The Atlas Stones were very emotional, seeing how they were the final event for Brian Shaw. Brian only completed four stones and placed sixth, but his speech afterward left everyone in tears.

• Tom Stoltman — 5 in 33.26 s
• Mitchell Hooper — 5 in 36.96 s
• Trey Mitchell — 5 in 45.72 s
• Oleksii Novikov — 4 in 27.47 s
• Evan Singleton — 4 in 28.16 s
• Brian Shaw — 4 in 35.88 s
• Pavlo Kordiyaka — 4 in 45.86 s
• Luke Stoltman — 4 in 48.49 s
• Mathew Ragg — 4 in 49.50 s

Finals Recap — Day One

Reign Shield Carry

For this event of the 2023 World’s Strongest Man competition the athletes were tasked with carrying a massive metal shield weighing 196 kilograms (432.1 pounds). They did not have a time limit either, since the goal was to carry it for max distance.

Pavlo Kordiyaka was the strongest performer of the group, but unfortunately, he broke one of the rules, resulting in a deduction of 20 meters from his score. Therefore, Mitchell Hooper emerged as the winner of the event, and he deserved it more than anyone else. Hooper pushed through the struggle and showed great perseverance throughout the majority of the event, ultimately beating everyone else.

Tom Stoltman came in second place in the Shield Carry event, falling just one meter short of Hooper with a distance of 63.15 meters. Oleksii Novikov finished in third place with a distance of 55.87 meters. Jaco Schoonwinkel, who was expected to perform well, stumbled and fell after starting strong, ending up with the shortest distance out of all the competitors.

• 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

Related: Brian Shaw Reveals How He Almost Lost His Leg In Preparation For 2023 World’s Strongest Man

Knaack Deadlift

It would be impossible to ignore the deadlift this year, as they always make for a great show. With two huge Knaack boxes hanging on either side of the barbell, the athletes had to perform as many reps as possible. The total weight of the deadlift came out to 353 kilograms (778.2 pounds) and the time limit was 60 seconds.

Mitchell Hooper maintained his winning streak in the finals by securing first place in the second event with 8 repetitions, earning him the maximum 10 points and extending his lead over the other competitors.

Four athletes, Oleksii Novikov, Trey Mitchell, Mathew Ragg, and Brian Shaw, tied for second place with 7 reps each. As a result, they had to share points, with each receiving 7.5 points, which was 2.5 points less than Hooper’s 10.

• 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

The Fingal’s Fingers are often seen in the World’s Strongest Man competition due to their complexity. So, they found their place among the final events this year as well. The athletes have to flip five pole-like Fingal’s Finger implements in a time limit of 60 seconds. The weight of the implements ranged from 145 kilograms (319.7 pounds) to 172 kilograms (379.2 pounds).

Tom Stoltman put himself in a solid position with his win in the Fingal’s Fingers event, as he managed to catch up to the leader and left room for a potential overtake on the second day of the finals. Tom completed the event in just 39.36 seconds and was the only man to break the 40-second barrier.

Oleksii Novikov put in another top 3 performance by finishing in second place. He also completed every implement and finished with a time of 42.26 seconds.

Trey Mitchell, despite finishing in third, will have some regrets, having had a mishap on the third implement which was supposed to be very easy for him. However, he demolished the fourth and fifth fingers, finishing with a time of 48.46 seconds.

Three additional athletes were very close to the third place position, as Kordiyaka, Singleton, and Hooper, all finished within a second of Trey Mitchell.

• 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

*Originally, Fingal’s Fingers was going to be the first event on the first day of finals. However, the rain caused the poles to become too slippery to perform safely. Therefore, this event was changed to be the last event of the day.

2023 World’s Strongest Man Group Stage Leaderboard

Qualifying Recap — Day Two

Conan’s Wheel

The Conan’s Wheel, known for the pain it produces, depletes many strongmen’s energy reserves. The challenge involves holding a 200-kilogram beam in their forearms while attempting to cover as much distance as possible. This often proves to be one of the most difficult challenges in Strongman. After picking up the beam, which is fixed to the pivot in the center, athletes were not allowed to drop it. Once it was dropped, their result was calculated in degrees.

Group One

• Pavlo Kordiyaka — 742 °
• Pa O’Dwyer — 722 °
• Bobby Thompson — 649 °
• Konstantine Janashia — 633 °
• Eddie Williams — 614 °
• Tom Stoltman — 598 °

Group Two

• Oleksii Novikov — 897 °
• Gavin Bilton — 557 °
• Luke Stoltman — 545 °
• Kristján Jón Haraldsson — 524 °
• Fadi El Masri — 70 °
• Thomas Evans — 69 °

Group Three

• Mitchell Hooper — 636 °
• Mathew Ragg — 628 °
• Aivars Smaukstelis — 575 °
• Mateusz Kieliszkowski — 538 °
• Spenser Remick — 470 °
• Graham Hicks — 425 °

Group Four

• Jaco Schoonwinkel — 713 °
• Kevin Faires — 636 °
• Rauno Heinla — 572 °
• Gabriel Rheaume — 476 °
• Brian Shaw — 411 °
• Adam Bishop — 292 °

Group Five

• Eythor Ingolfsson Melsted — 629 °
• Evan Singleton — 589 °
• Trey Mitchell — 523 °
• Paul Smith — 518 °
• Mark Felix — 470 °
• Jean-Stephen Coraboeuf — 143 °

Kettlebell Toss

The Kettlebell Toss was another interesting qualifying event, but this one focused more on speed than endurance. Participants in the 2023 World’s Strongest Man faced seven kettlebells weighing between 20 and 31 kilograms, which they had to throw over a 4.57-meter-tall beam as quickly as possible.

Group One

• Pavlo Kordiyaka — 6 in 18.09 s
• Konstantine Janashia — 6 in 19.93 s
• Tom Stoltman — 6 in 21.99 s
• Pa O’Dwyer — 6 in 31.71 s
• Bobby Thompson — 6 in 35.67 s
• Eddie Williams — 6 in 36.40 s

Group Two

• Gavin Bilton — 6 in 19.90 s
• Luke Stoltman — 6 in 49.35 s
• Thomas Evans — 5 in 28.68 s
• Kristján Jón Haraldsson — 5 in 15.57 s
• Fadi El Masri — 4 in 20.61 s
• Oleksii Novikov — 1 in 9.56 s

Group Three

• Mateusz Kieliszkowski — 7 in 32.44 s
• Mitchell Hooper — 6 in 17.18 s
• Mathew Ragg — 6 in 21.96 s
• Aivars Smaukstelis — 6 in 25.41 s
• Spenser Remick — 5 in 24.31 s
• Graham Hicks — 4 in 20.51 s

Group Four

• Brian Shaw — 7 in 48.45 s
• Adam Bishop — 6 in 32.29 s
• Jaco Schoonwinkel — 6 in 47.32 s
• Kevin Faires — 5 in 34.09 s
• Rauno Heinla — 5 in 44.51 s
• Gabriel Rheaume — 3 in 14.00 s

Group Five

• Trey Mitchell — 7 in 34.42 s
• Eythor Ingolfsson Melsted — 6 in 27.66 s
• Evan Singleton — 6 in 28.81 seconds
• Mark Felix — 4 in 42.66 s
• Jean-Stephen Coraboeuf — 2 in 23.65 s
• Paul Smith — 1 in 28.62 s

Stone Off

The Stone Off was the final event of the 2023 World’s Strongest Man Qualifying stage, and only the 2nd and 3rd place finishers from each group took part. The athletes dueled against each other by lifting and tossing increasingly heavy Atlas Stones to the other man’s side. The first athlete unable to lift the stone anymore was declared the loser. The 2nd place finisher from the group did have a slight advantage, since the 3rd place finisher had to lift the stone first and thus had a higher chance of failing the lift.

Group One

• Tom Stoltman: Won
• Bobby Thompson: Lost

Group Two

• Luke Stoltman: Won
• Gavin Bilton: Lost

Group Three

• Mathew Ragg: Won
• Aivars Smaukstelis: Lost

Group Four

• Brian Shaw: Won
• Rauno Heinla: Lost

Group Five

• Evan Singleton: Won
• Eythor Ingolfsson Melsted: Lost

Qualifying Recap — Day One

Loading Race

The first event of the 2023 World’s Strongest Man competition was the Loading Race. In this event, athletes had to pick up, carry, and load a Husafell sandbag, heavy sandbag, anvil, and two bundles of logs within a time limit of 90 seconds.

Group One

• Pavlo Kordiyaka — 5 in 41.38 s
• Tom Stoltman — 5 in 43.84 s
• Bobby Thompson — 5 in 56.56 s
• Konstantine Janashia — 5 in 61.10 s
• Pa O’Dwyer — 5 in 65.89 s
• Eddie Williams — 5 in 66.44 s

Group Two

• Oleksii Novikov — 5 in 52.15 s
• Kristján Jón Haraldsson — 5 in 54.18 s
• Thomas Evans — 5 in 57.40 s
• Luke Stoltman — 5 in 62.78 s
• Gavin Bilton — 5 in 63.01 s
• Fadi El Masri — 4 in 49.57 s

Group Three

• Mitchell Hooper — 5 in 42.05 s
• Aivars Smaukstelis — 5 in 52.71 s
• Mathew Ragg — 5 in 58.72 s
• Spenser Remick — 5 in 67.15 s
• Mateusz Kieliszkowski — 5 in 67.53 s
• Graham Hicks — 4 in 53.40 s

Group Four

• Jaco Schoonwinkel — 5 in 47.10 s
• Rauno Heinla — 5 in 51.41 s
• Brian Shaw — 5 in 53.70 s
• Adam Bishop — 4 in 43.12 s
• Gabriel Rheaume — 4 in 51.03 s
• Kevin Faires — 3 in 65.30 s

Group Five

• Evan Singleton — 5 in 46.90 s
• Eythor Ingolfsson Melsted — 5 in 56.41 s
• Trey Mitchell — 5 in 66.64 s
• Paul Smith — 4 in 44.79 s
• Mark Felix — 4 in 54.32 s
• Jean-Stephen Coraboeuf — 3 in 40.63 s

Deadlift Machine

The next challenge at the 2023 World’s Strongest Man was the Deadlift Machine. A specialized piece of equipment was created for athletes to perform quick transitions to heavier weights between each repetition. The weights used in this event ranged from 290 kilograms to 385 kilograms.

Group One

• Bobby Thompson — 7 reps
• Konstantine Janashia — 6 reps
• Tom Stoltman — 6 reps
• Pavlo Kordiyaka — 5 reps
• Pa O’Dwyer — 5 reps
• Eddie Williams — 5 reps

Group Two

• Oleksii Novikov — 6 reps
• Gavin Bilton — 5 reps
• Thomas Evans — 5 reps
• Luke Stoltman — 5 reps
• Kristján Jón Haraldsson — 4 reps
• Fadi El Masri — 4 reps

Group Three

• Mitchell Hooper — 8 reps
• Graham Hicks — 7 reps
• Mathew Ragg — 7 reps
• Spenser Remick — 5 reps
• Aivars Smaukstelis — 5 reps
• Mateusz Kieliszkowski — 4 reps

Group Four

• Rauno Heinla — 8 reps
• Brian Shaw — 8 reps
• Adam Bishop — 7 reps
• Jaco Schoonwinkel — 6 reps
• Kevin Faires — 5 reps
• Gabriel Rheaume — 5 reps

Group Five

• Trey Mitchell — 8 reps
• Evan Singleton — 6 reps
• Mark Felix — 6 reps
• Eythor Ingolfsson Melsted — 5 reps
• Jean-Stephen Coraboeuf — 5 reps
• Paul Smith — 4 reps

Log Ladder

At the 2023 World’s Strongest Man, participants found themselves at the starting line facing five logs with increasing weights. Their goal was to complete all the logs in the shortest time possible, but they also had a time limit of 75 seconds.

Group One

• Tom Stoltman — 5 in 41.50 s
• Pavlo Kordiyaka — 5 in 46.00 s
• Bobby Thompson — 4 in 25.83 s
• Eddie Williams — 4 in 55.89 s
• Konstantine Janashia — 4 in 68.35 s
• Pa O’Dwyer — 3 in 25.80 s

Group Two

• Tom Stoltman — 5 in 41.50 s
• Pavlo Kordiyaka — 5 in 46.00 s
• Bobby Thompson — 4 in 25.83 s
• Eddie Williams — 4 in 55.89 s
• Konstantine Janashia — 4 in 68.35 s
• Pa O’Dwyer — 3 in 25.80 s

Group Three

• Mitchell Hooper — 5 in 39.51 s
• Mathew Ragg — 5 in 55.84 s
• Graham Hicks — 4 in 28.31 s
• Aivars Smaukstelis — 4 in 30.44 s
• Mateusz Kieliszkowski — 4 in 33.24 s
• Spenser Remick — 4 in 38.79 s

Group Four

• Brian Shaw — 4 in 33.99 s
• Jaco Schoonwinkel — 4 in 34.77 s
• Rauno Heinla — 3 in 21.60 s
• Kevin Faires — 3 in 28.93 s
• Gabriel Rheaume — 3 in 32.96 s
• Adam Bishop — 3 in 33.25 s

Group Five

• Trey Mitchell — 5 in 39.44 s
• Evan Singleton — 4 in 35.48 s
• Eythor Ingolfsson Melsted — 4 in 39.93 s
• Paul Smith — 4 in 45.84 s
• Jean-Stephen Coraboeuf — 3 in 22.34 s
• Mark Felix — 1 in 7.58 s

Related: Mark Felix Retires From World’s Strongest Man Appearances; A Tribute to a Strongman Legend

Previous World’s Strongest Man Winners

Since its inception in 1977, the World’s Strongest Man (WSM) competition has crowned 23 champions across 45 contests (no WSM in 1987). Here is the list of all WSM winners:

1. Tom Stoltman (2021, 2022)
2. Oleksii Novikov (2020)
3. Martins Licis (2019)
4. Hafthór Júlíus Björnsson (2018)
5. Eddie Hall (2017)
6. Brian Shaw (2011, 2013, 2015, 2016)
7. Žydrūnas Savickas (2009, 2010, 2012, 2014)
8. Phil Pfister (2006)
9. Vasyl Virastyuk (2004)
10. Mariusz Pudzianowski (2002, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2008)
11. Svend Karlsen (2001)
12. Janne Virtanen (2000)
13. Magnus Samuelson (1998)
14. Jouko Ahola (1997, 1999)
15. Gary Taylor (1993)
16. Ted van der Parre (1992)
17. Magnús Ver Magnússon (1991, 1994-1996)
18. Jamie Reeves (1989)
19. Jón Páll Sigmarsson (1984, 1986, 1988, 1990)
20. Geoff Capes (1983, 1985)
21. Bill Kazmaier (1980-1982)
22. Don Reinhoudt (1979)
23. Bruce Wilhelm (1977-1978)

Related: Every Winner of The World’s Strongest Man Competition Since 1977

FAQs

How Does The Scoring System Work?

The resulting system is based on the number of competitors. Seeing that there are six athletes in each group, the winner of the event gets six points, with every following position receiving one point less.

Who Won Last Year’s World’s Strongest Man Title?

Tom Stoltman from Scotland is the reigning 2x World’s Strongest Man champion. He won two consecutive titles in 2021 and 2022.

Which World’s Strongest Man Is Inducted Into Hall Of Fame?

The WSM Hall of Fame is a club of the most impressive Strongman athletes in history. It was established in 2008, but still features only a small number of athletes. The Hall of Fame has six members as of 2022: Bill Kazmaier, Mariusz Pudzianowski, Svend Karlsen, Magnús Ver Magnússon, Jón Páll Sigmarsson, and Magnus Samuelsson.

Is this the final appearance for Brian Shaw?

Yes, Brian Shaw no longer plans on competing at the WSM following this year. However, he will still appear at the 2023 Shaw Classic before retiring from Strongman completely.

Full WSM 2023 Coverage

• 2023 World’s Strongest Man Results — Day Two Finals 
• 2023 World’s Strongest Man Results — Finals Day One
• 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

The 2023 World’s Strongest Man was one to remember due to multiple reasons. We witnessed Mitchell Hooper make history with his victory and put in one of the greatest performances in history. In addition, we saw the final WSM performances from two Strongman icons, Brian Shaw and Mark Felix.

Stay on top of the 2024 World’s Strongest Man! Reporting live from Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Find exclusive interviews, final results, and all the latest news at our WSM hub: FitnessVolt.com/wsm

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