The 2025 World’s Strongest Man competition was held from May 15 to 18 in Sacramento, California, bringing together 25 elite Strongmen from around the world to compete for the ultimate title. The event featured two days of intense qualifiers followed by two days of grueling finals. After all the points were counted, Rayno Nel stood tall as the new World’s Strongest Man.
Rayno Nel dominated the opening day of the 2025 World’s Strongest Man finals, surging past veterans in his rookie outing. The South African star won the Knaack Carry & Hoist, powering through a 250-kilogram Zercher carry in 30.58 seconds. He took second in the 18-inch Max Deadlift with a 490-kilogram pull and outlasted most in the Hercules Hold, gripping 350 kilograms for 75 seconds. Nel’s commanding effort, dropping just two points, built a seven-point lead over champions Mitchell Hooper and Tom Stoltman.
Day Two of the finals delivered high drama as Rayno Nel lost ground with an eighth-place finish in the Flintstone Barbell, allowing both Mitchell Hooper and Tom Stoltman to close the gap by finishing in the top three. The championship came down to the final event — the Atlas Stones. Tom Stoltman delivered a flawless run and won the event, but Nel’s third-place finish earned him just enough points to clinch the 2025 World’s Strongest Man title.
2025 World’s Strongest Man Leaderboard
| Rank | Athlete Name | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rayno Nel (RSA) | 47 |
| 2 | Tom Stoltman (GBR) | 46.5 |
| 3 | Mitchell Hooper (CAN) | 43.5 |
| 4 | Trey Mitchell (USA) | 38.5 |
| 5 | Paddy Haynes (GBR) | 32 |
| 6 | Ondrej Fojtu (CZE) | 27 |
| 7 | Shane Flowers (GBR) | 25.5 |
| 8 | Pavlo Kordiyaka (UKR) | 25 |
| 9 | Luke Stoltman (GBR) | 21.5 |
| 10 | Eddie Williams (AUS) | 20.5 |
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Finals Recap — Day Two
Flintstone Barbell Max
The second-to-last event of the 2025 World’s Strongest Man was the Flintstone Barbell. It is a style of overhead press from the blocks, with the only goal being to lift as much weight as possible. So, the athletes were allowed to use any technique they like, including the split jerk, strict press, and others.
Tom Stoltman showed why he won three editions of the World’s Strongest Man competition in previous years by winning the Flintstone Barbell event. He lifted 241 kilograms (531.3 pounds) to take the event win, sharing the position with Trey Mitchell, who matched his effort. With this, Tom Stotlman made himself a legitimate title contender once again, with the final event being his greatest strength.
Mitchell Hooper and Ondrej Fojtu shared the third place, with both men locking out 230 kilograms (507.1 pounds). They put up an incredible battle, locking out mind-blowing amounts of weight above their heads. However, the most important moment of the event was Rayno Nel’s eighth-place finish, as he was unable to lift more than 188 kilograms (414.5 kilograms).
- Tom Stoltman — 241 kilograms
- Trey Mitchell — 241 kilograms
- Mitchell Hooper — 230 kilograms
- Pavlo Kordiyaka — 230 kilograms
- Ondrej Fojtu — 220 kilograms
- Shane Flowers — 200 kilograms
- Luke Stoltman — 200 kilograms
- Rayno Nel — 188 kilograms
- Paddy Haynes — No Lift
- Eddie Williams — No Lift
Atlas Stones
The final event of the 2025 World’s Strongest Man was the Atlas Stones. It set a task of lifting and loading five massive boulders onto their respective platforms. The weight of the implements progressively increased, starting at 140 kilograms (308.6 pounds) and ending at 210 kilograms (463 pounds). The time limit for the event was set at 60 seconds.
The win in the final event went to Tom Stoltman, who continued to cement his legacy as the ‘King of the Stones’. He finished all five stones quicker than many athletes lifted four, asserting his dominance and taking the max points. Apart from Tom, Trey Mitchell turned out to be the only other athlete that completed all five stones.
However, Rayno Nel was the star of the event, finishing in third-place and securing the overall win at the 2025 World’s Strongest Man. He lifted four stones in 30.17 seconds, beating Mitchell Hooper by just 0.85 seconds. If he had placed lower than third in the Atlas Stones, Rayno would have lost the title.
- Tom Stoltman — 5 in 31.76 s
- Trey Mitchell — 5 in 41.08 s
- Rayno Nel — 4 in 30.17 s
- Mitchell Hooper — 4 in 31.02 s
- Paddy Haynes — 4 in 34.07 s
- Pavlo Kordiyaka — 4 in 38.39 s
- Shane Flowers — 4 in 54.09 s
- Luke Stoltman — 3 in 25.05 s
- Eddie Williams — 3 in 25.88 s
- Ondrej Fojtu — 3 in 31.38 s
Finals Recap — Day One
Knaack Carry & Hoist
The athletes opened up the finals of the 2025 World’s Strongest Man with a very difficult and pain-inducing event. It consisted of two separate parts, with the first one being a 250-kilogram (551.2-pound) Zercher Carry for 20 meters. The second half of the event was a hoist lift, weighing 200 kilograms (440.9 pounds) and having to be lifted up to 8 meters.
Rayno Nel secured an event win at the start of the 2025 World’s Strongest Man Finals, despite making his debut at the competition. Having experience in the sport of rugby, Rayno maintained his speed and agility, along with his ability to move incredibly heavy weights. It would not be an understatement to say that he absolutely crushed his rivals, beating everyone by over four seconds.
Tom Stoltman and Mitchell Hooper performed the Knaack Carry & Hoist at the same time, pushing each other to the absolute limits. It was nearly impossible to see who was in the lead between the two, which is why the rankings had to be decided via a frame-by-frame review.
Tom Stoltman’s time of 34.49 seconds ended up being enough for a second-place finish, ensuring a decent start for the defending champion. Consequently, Mitchell Hooper had to settle for third place, being one second slower than Stoltman.
- Rayno Nel — 30.58 seconds
- Tom Stoltman — 34.49 seconds
- Mitchell Hooper — 35.47 seconds
- Paddy Haynes — 36.97 seconds
- Pavlo Kordiyaka — 37.42 seconds
- Eddie Williams — 38.11 seconds
- Ondrej Fojtu — 40.95 seconds
- Luke Stoltman — 45.58 seconds
- Trey Mitchell — 49.38 seconds
- Shane Flowers — 8.6 meters
Deadlift
The second event of the finals pushed the athletes to their limits, giving them a task of establishing a one-rep max on the deadlift. However, instead of the standard deadlift, the athletes performed the 18-inch elevated variation, which allowed them to load more weight than usual on the bar.
Following a subpar finish in the first event of the 2025 World’s Strongest Man finals, Trey Mitchell knew that he needed a very good performance in the deadlift to get back in the race for the podium. So, he put on the deadlift suit, which he only started using recently, and crushed all lifts that he was tasked with. While other men reached their limit, Trey continued lifting until he reached the winning number. That turned out to be a 500-kilogram (1,102.3-pound) 18-inch deadlift.
It was quite unclear how well Rayno Nel would perform in the 18-inch deadlift, seeing that this is his first time competing at the WSM. However, similar to his performances in previous events, Rayno continued showing that he is a legitimate candidate for the title. So, after winning the first event, Rayno managed to finish in second place on the deadlift with a result of 490 kilograms (1,080.3 pounds).
Mitchell Hooper and Tom Stoltman both got stuck at the 465-kilogram (1,025-pound) mark, failing the next weight jump to 490 kilograms (1,080.3 pounds). Three other athletes achieved the same lift as the two, meaning that they were placed in a five-man tie for third place. This cost them a lot of points in their battle against Rayno, allowing him to start building a notable lead as the overall leader.
- Trey Mitchell — 500 kilograms
- Rayno Nel — 490 kilograms
- Tom Stoltman — 465 kilograms
- Mitchell Hooper — 465 kilograms
- Paddy Haynes — 465 kilograms
- Ondrej Fojtu — 465 kilograms
- Shane Flowers — 465 kilograms
- Pavlo Kordiyaka — 435 kilograms
- Eddie Williams — 435 kilograms
- Luke Stoltman — 402 kilograms
Hercules Hold
Continuing to push the athletes to the fullest, the third event of the 2025 World’s Strongest Man finals put the grip strength to the test. The infamous Hercules Hold has made its appearance in multiple elite Strongman shows, resulting in a lot of excitement due to its visual appeal. The point of the event was to hold two 159-kilogram (350.5-pound) pillars for as long as possible.
Eddie Williams was waiting for the moment when he could showcase his incredible grip strength, as he is easily one of the greatest Strongmen in the world when it comes to these kinds of challenges. So, he made sure to crush the Hercules Hold, not letting go of the implements for a whopping one minute and 22 seconds. Moreover, he held a smile on his face throughout the majority of the performance.
The newest Strongman superstar, Rayno Nel, secured yet another second-place finish, further extending his overall lead. Nel got very close to Eddie’s time, holding on to the implements for one minute and 15 seconds. So, it is safe to say that Rayno’s performance on the first day of finals is one for the history books.
Paddy Haynes wrapped up the top three with a result of 59.64 seconds. Moreover, with Hooper placing sixth and Tom Stoltman finishing in eighth, Paddy managed to get closer to both of them on the overall leaderboards, allowing himself to set goals for a podium finish.
- Eddie Williams — 82.14 s
- Rayno Nel — 75.63 s
- Paddy Haynes — 59.64 s
- Ondrej Fojtu — 55.41 s
- Shane Flowers — 40.26 s
- Mitchell Hooper — 40.09 s
- Luke Stoltman — 32.30 s
- Tom Stoltman — 31.82 s
- Pavlo Kordiyaka — 29.91 s
- Trey Mitchell — 22.29 s
2025 World’s Strongest Man Qualifying Stage Leaderboard
| Group 1 | ||
| Rank | Name | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tom Stoltman (Qualified) | 22.5 |
| 2 | Eddie Williams (Qualified) | 17.5 |
| 3 | Jaco Schoonwinkel | 11.5 |
| 4 | Thomas Evans | 11.5 |
| 5 | Austin Andrade | 11 |
| Group 2 | ||
| Rank | Name | Points |
| 1 | Mitchell Hooper (Qualified) | 20.5 |
| 2 | Paddy Haynes (Qualified) | 18 |
| 3 | Bryce Johnson | 11.5 |
| 4 | Wesley Derwinsky | 11.5 |
| 5 | Mathew Ragg | 10.5 |
| Group 3 | ||
| Rank | Name | Points |
| 1 | Rayno Nel (Qualified) | 22 |
| 2 | Shane Flowers (Qualified) | 18 |
| 3 | Lucas Hatton | 14.5 |
| 4 | Evans Nana | 13.5 |
| 5 | Mateusz Kieliszkowski | 5 |
| Group 4 | ||
| Rank | Name | Points |
| 1 | Trey Mitchell (Qualified) | 20 |
| 2 | Ondrej Fojtu (Qualified) | 19 |
| 3 | Maxime Boudreault | 16 |
| 4 | Tristain Hoath | 15 |
| 5 | Luke Richardson (Withdrew) | 1 |
| Group 5 | ||
| Rank | Name | Points |
| 1 | Luke Stoltman (Qualified) | 20 |
| 2 | Pavlo Kordiyaka (Qualified) | 18.5 |
| 3 | Nick Guardione | 16.5 |
| 4 | Andrew Flynn | 15 |
| 5 | Evan Singleton (Withdrew) | 1 |
Qualifying Recap — Day Two
Titan’s Toss
The Titan’s Toss might have not been the heaviest event at the 2025 World’s Strongest Man, but it was definitely one of the most complex ones. The reason for this is the required technique to perfectly toss 10 separate sandbags from different positions. The athletes needed to achieve perfect trajectory with each throw, especially during the final few sandbag tosses, which were the farthest from the beam. Each sandbag weighed 14 kilograms (30.9 pounds).
Group One
- Tom Stoltman — 10 in 31.97 s
- Eddie Williams — 8 in 35.66 s
- Jaco Schoonwinkel — 7 in 25.03 s
- Thomas Evans — 7 in 29.06 s
- Austin Andrade — 7 in 31.28 s
Group Two
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- Wesley Derwinsky — 9 in 29.88 s
- Mathew Ragg — 9 in 32.22 s
- Mitchell Hooper — 8 in 27.97 s
- Paddy Haynes — 6 in 18.72 s
- Bryce Johnson — 4 in 17.75 s
Group Three
- Shane Flowers — 8 in 23.38 s
- Rayno Nel — 8 in 29.41 s
- Lucas Hatton — 8 in 44.06 s
- Mateusz Kieliszkowski — 7 in 31.97 s
- Evans Nana — 6 in 23.66 s
Group Four
- Maxime Boudreault — 10 in 46.91 s
- Tristain Hoath — 7 in 29.75 s
- Trey Mitchell — 6 in 27.22 s
- Ondrej Fojtu — 3 in 11.41 s
Group Five
- Luke Stoltman — 9 in 34.81 s
- Nick Guardione — 8 in 28.38 s
- Andrew Flynn — 6 in 20.16 s
- Pavlo Kordiyaka — 4 in 12.81 s
Stone Medley
The last event of the 2025 World’s Strongest Man qualifying stage was the Stone Medley. It consisted of four separate exercises, which were: 123-kg (271.2-lb) stone press, 158-kg (348.3-lb) stone to shoulder, 176-kg (388-lb) stone carry for 20 meters, and 182-kg (401.2-lb) stone load. The time limit to complete the event was set at 90 seconds.
Group One
- Austin Andrade — 4 in 85.69 s
- Eddie Williams — 2 + 8.87 meters
- Tom Stoltman — 2 in 65.88 s
- Jaco Schoonwinkel — 1 in 12.44 s
- Thomas Evans — No Lift
Group Two
- Mitchell Hooper — 4 in 56.22 s
- Paddy Haynes — 3 in 82.03 s
- Bryce Johnson — 2 in 45.53 s
- Wesley Derwinsky — No Lift
- Mathew Ragg — No Lift
Group Three
- Rayno Nel — 4 in 62.00 s
- Shane Flowers — 1 in 11.38 s
- Evans Nana — 1 in 13.47 s
- Lucas Hatton — 1 in 16.72 s
- Mateusz Kieliszkowski — Did Not Attempt
Group Four
- Trey Mitchell — 4 in 73.56 s
- Ondrej Fojtu — 3 in 61.34 s
- Tristain Hoath — 3 in 64.10 s
- Maxime Boudreault — 1 in 9.81 s
Group Five
- Luke Stoltman — 3 in 69.34 s
- Nick Guardione — 3 in 71.84 s
- Pavlo Kordiyaka — 2 in 69.88 s
- Andrew Flynn — 1 in 70.94 s
Qualifying Recap — Day One
Loading Race
The qualifying stage of the 2025 World’s Strongest Man started off with the Loading Race. In this event, the athletes had the task of carrying four 130-kilogram (286.6-pound) sacks for a certain distance and loading them onto a platform. The first implement was placed 5 meters away from the platform, while the distance for the remaining ones increased progressively. So, the second implement had to be carried for 10 meters, the third one for 15 meters, while the final one was set 20 meters away. The time cap for the event was 75 seconds.
Group One
- Tom Stoltman — 4 in 38.71 s
- Eddie Williams — 4 in 44.70 s
- Thomas Evans — 4 in 48.58 s
- Jaco Schoonwinkel — 4 in 50.34 s
- Austin Andrade — 4 in 53.33 s
Group Two
- Mitchell Hooper — 4 in 38.60 s
- Paddy Haynes — 4 in 41.26 s
- Mathew Ragg — 4 in 43.79 s
- Wesley Derwinsky — 4 in 49.14 s
- Bryce Johnson — 4 in 51.83 s
Group Three
- Shane Flowers — 4 in 40.13 s
- Rayno Nel — 4 in 42.36 s
- Evans Nana — 4 in 44.90 s
- Mateusz Kieliszkowski — 4 in 46.28 s
- Lucas Hatton — 4 in 48.09 s
Group Four
- Ondrej Fojtu — 4 in 42.55 s
- Maxime Boudreault — 4 in 42.81 s
- Trey Mitchell — 4 in 49.38 s
- Tristain Hoath — 4 in 51.60 s
- Luke Richardson — 2 in 13.53 s
Group Five
- Pavlo Kordiyaka — 4 in 38.61 s
- Luke Stoltman — 4 in 41.21 s
- Nick Guardione — 4 in 41.34 s
- Andrew Flynn — 4 in 45.66 s
- Evan Singleton — 2 in 14.25 s
Deadlift
The second event of the 2025 World’s Strongest Man was one of the most traditional exercises in Strongman. Of course, it was the Deadlift. In this instance, the goal of the event was to perform as many reps as possible on a barbell loaded with 350 kilograms (771.6 pounds). So, endurance definitely played a big factor, especially considering that there was no time to rest with the 60-second time limit.
Group One
- Tom Stoltman — 7 reps
- Eddie Williams — 7 reps
- Thomas Evans — 6 reps
- Jaco Schoonwinkel — 6 reps
- Austin Andrade — 5 reps
Group Two
- Paddy Haynes — 8 reps
- Mitchell Hooper — 7 reps
- Wesley Derwinsky — 7 reps
- Mathew Ragg — 7 reps
- Bryce Johnson — 7 reps
Group Three
- Rayno Nel — 8 reps
- Evans Nana — 7 reps
- Lucas Hatton — 7 reps
- Shane Flowers — 6 reps
- Mateusz Kieliszkowski — No Lift
Group Four
- Trey Mitchell — 10 reps
- Tristain Hoath — 8 reps
- Ondrej Fojtu — 5 reps
- Maxime Boudreault — 1 rep
- Luke Richardson — Withdrew
Group Five
- Andrew Flynn — 6 reps
- Pavlo Kordiyaka — 4 reps
- Nick Guardione — 4 reps
- Luke Stoltman — 2 reps
- Evan Singleton — Withdrew
Overhead Medley
Wrapping up day one was a test of upper body strength and endurance. Specifically, the athletes performed two reps on a 90-kg (198.4-lb) dumbbell, two reps on a 145-kg (319.7-lb) log, two reps on a 154-kg (339.5-lb) circus barbell, and one rep on a 168-kg (370.4-lb) Axle. So, it is clear that with this number of reps, this was set to be one of the most difficult events in this year’s World’s Strongest Man competition.
Group One
- Tom Stoltman — 7 in 56.95 s
- Thomas Evans — 7 in 65.11 s
- Austin Andrade — 7 in 73.81 s
- Jaco Schoonwinkel — 5 in 66.86 s
- Eddie Williams — 4 in 41.11 s
Group Two
- Mitchell Hooper — 7 in 59.74 s
- Bryce Johnson — 6 in 65.54 s
- Paddy Haynes — 5 in 64.40 s
- Wesley Derwinsky — 5 in 65.14 s
- Mathew Ragg — 4 in 31.07 s
Group Three
- Lucas Hatton — 6 in 47.41 s
- Rayno Nel — 5 in 36.81 s
- Evans Nana — 5 in 48.91 s
- Shane Flowers — 5 in 52.74 s
- Mateusz Kieliszkowski — 4 in 26.25 s
Group Four
- Ondrej Fojtu — 7 in 60.21 s
- Trey Mitchell — 7 in 60.54 s
- Maxime Boudreault — 6 in 57.99 s
- Tristain Hoath — 6 in 73.70 s
Group Five
- Pavlo Kordiyaka — 6 in 46.35 s
- Luke Stoltman — 6 in 49.98 s
- Andrew Flynn — 5 in 46.99 s
- Nick Guardione — 5 in 67.85 s
Related: Lucas Hatton Locks Out a Mind-Blowing 600-lb Overhead Press in Prep 2025 WSM
Previous World’s Strongest Man Winners
- Bruce Wilhelm — 1977
- Bruce Wilhelm — 1978
- Don Reinhoudt — 1979
- Bill Kazmaier — 1980
- Bill Kazmaier — 1981
- Bill Kazmaier — 1982
- Geoff Capes — 1983
- Jon Pall Sigmarsson — 1984
- Geoff Capes — 1985
- Jon Pall Sigmarsson — 1986
- Not Held — 1987
- Jon Pall Sigmarsson — 1988
- Jamie Reeves — 1989
- Jon Pall Sigmarsson — 1990
- Magnus Ver Magnusson — 1991
- Ted van der Parre — 1992
- Gary Taylor — 1993
- Magnus Ver Magnusson — 1994
- Magnus Ver Magnusson — 1995
- Magnus Ver Magnusson — 1996
- Jouko Ahola — 1997
- Magnus Samuelsson — 1998
- Jouko Ahola — 1999
- Janne Virtanen — 2000
- Svend Karlsen — 2001
- Mariusz Pudzianowski — 2002
- Mariusz Pudzianowski — 2003
- Vasyl Virastyuk — 2004
- Mariusz Pudzianowski — 2005
- Phil Pfister — 2006
- Mariusz Pudzianowski — 2007
- Mariusz Pudzianowski — 2008
- Zydrunas Savickas — 2009
- Zydrunas Savickas — 2010
- Brian Shaw — 2011
- Zydrunas Savickas — 2012
- Brian Shaw — 2013
- Zydrunas Savickas — 2014
- Brian Shaw — 2015
- Brian Shaw — 2016
- Eddie Hall — 2017
- Hafthor Julius Bjornsson — 2018
- Martins Licis — 2019
- Oleksii Novikov — 2020
- Tom Stoltman — 2021
- Tom Stoltman — 2022
- Mitchell Hooper — 2023
- Tom Stoltman — 2024
FAQs
Who is the defending World’s Strongest Man champion?
Tom Stoltman enters the 2025 World’s Strongest Man as the defending champion, having already secured titles in 2021, 2022, and 2024.
How To Watch 2025 World’s Strongest Man?
There is no livestream set up for the 2025 World’s Strongest Man, meaning that there is no way to watch the competition from the comfort of your home in real time. However, the fans based in the USA will be able to watch the competition on TV later this summer, specifically on CBS and CBS Sports Network.
Who is the winningest athlete at the World’s Strongest Man?
Mariusz Pudzianowski holds the record for most wins at the WSM, having topped the leaderboards on five occasions. He won the WSM in 2002, 2003, 2005, 2007, and 2008. Four other athletes are sitting on four titles.
Full 2025 World’s Strongest Man Coverage
- Breaking: Rayno Nel Wins 2025 World’s Strongest Man in His Debut
- 2025 World’s Strongest Man Finals — Day Two Results
- 2025 World’s Strongest Man Finals — Day One Results
- 2025 World’s Strongest Man Results — Day Two Qualifiers
- 2025 World’s Strongest Man Results — Day One Qualifiers
- How to Watch 2025 World’s Strongest Man
- 2025 World’s Strongest Man Withdrawals
- 2025 World’s Strongest Man Finalists Revealed
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