2026 World’s Strongest Man Results

The 2026 World’s Strongest Man took place from April 23 to 26 in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, bringing together the top strength athletes from around the world. After two intense days of qualifying followed by two days of Finals, the winner was decided. In the end, Mitchell Hooper claimed his second World’s Strongest Man title after one of the most intense finishes in recent history.

The defending champion, Rayno Nel, had the best performance on day one of the 2026 WSM finals. He won the Flip & Carry, Deadlift, and Titan’s Toss events, beating the likes of Mitchell Hooper, Eddie Williams, and others across all three tests. Nel had some intense battles against Hooper but managed to slightly outperform him every time. On the other hand, Hooper secured three consecutive second-place finishes, which allowed him to remain within 2.5 points of Rayno going into day two.

The start of the second day at the 2026 World’s Strongest Man finals saw Hooper rank above Rayno Nel, chipping his lead down to just one point with a huge 209-kilogram (461-pound) Log Lift. Moreover, Hooper ranked higher than Rayno in the Atlas Stones as well, which moved him up to first place overall.

On the other hand, five athletes battled for the bronze, but Trey Mitchell managed to secure the final spot on the podium with a fantastic performance on the Atlas Stones.

2026 World’s Strongest Man Leaderboard

Related: 2026 Europe’s Strongest Man Results — Ondřej Fojtů Wins

Finals Recap — Day Two

Max Log

Following three long and exhausting days of action, the athletes were met with the Log Lift at the start of the last day. The format of the event required them to overhead press as much weight as possible, with each athlete being granted multiple attempts. As such, the event was a perfect test of static strength, ensuring that the competition truly crowns the World’s Strongest Man.

Trey Mitchell won the Log Lift and got closer to a podium spot. He performed multiple attempts, with his heaviest coming out to 213 kilograms (470 pounds). Trey was involved in a very tight battle for first place with Ondrej Fojtu. However, Fojtu decided to go for 218 kilograms (480 pounds) but was unsuccessful. In turn, his heaviest successful lift of 209 kilograms (461 pounds) earned him second place.

Mitchell Hooper managed to tie Fojtu for second, which helped reduce Rayno Nel’s overall lead to just one point going into the final event. Hooper locked out a 209-kilogram (461-pound) Log, which is one of his greatest overhead pressing achievements ever.

Rayno Nel’s overhead pressing strength has been one of his only ‘weaknesses’ in the past. However, his performance on the Log Lift proved that he has made a lot of progress, having locked out a 200-kilogram (441-pound) lift.

• Trey Mitchell — 213-kg (470-lb)
• Ondrej Fojtu — 209-kg (461-lb)
• Mitchell Hooper — 209-kg (461-lb)
• Rayno Nel — 200-kg (441-lb)
• Mathew Ragg — 191-kg (421-lb)
• Pavlo Kordiyaka — 191-kg (421-lb)
• Martins Licis — 191-kg (421-lb)
• Nick Guardione — 191-kg (421-lb)
• Eddie Williams — No Lift

Atlas Stones

The World’s Strongest Man traditionally concluded with the Atlas Stones, and the 2026 edition of the competition was not an exception. The series consisted of five stones, ranging in weight from 140 kilograms (308.6 pounds) to 210 kilograms (463 pounds). This made it a very heavy set of implements, which was perfect for a competition of this caliber. The time limit was set to 60 seconds, but the athletes raced to finish the event as quickly as possible.

Trey Mitchell was the best performer on the Atlas Stones and was the only one who managed to get the final 210-kilogram (463-pound) stone onto the platform. Therefore, Trey moved up to third place overall, which was an incredible achievement following his relatively underwhelming start to the competition.

Mitchell Hooper performed well under pressure and secured second place on the Atlas Stones. He was the fastest to load four stones, doing so in a time of 28.67 seconds. As a result, Mitchell was crowned the 2026 World’s Strongest Man. Rayno Nel finished fifth on the Atlas Stones despite getting off to an incredible start.

• Trey Mitchell — 5 in 42.10 s
• Mitchell Hooper — 4 in 28.67 s
• Martins Licis — 4 in 29.71 s
• Pavlo Kordiyaka — 4 in 32.70 s
• Rayno Nel — 4 in 35.01 s
• Ondrej Fojtu — 4 in 42.07 s
• Nick Guardione — 3 in 22.15 s
• Mathew Ragg — 3 in 30.60 s
• Eddie Williams — 3 in 32.39 s

Finals Recap — Day One

Flip & Carry

The 2026 World’s Strongest Man finals kicked off with the Flip & Carry event. For the first half of the event, the athletes had to flip a 520-kilogram (1,146.4-pound) box four times. Then, the athletes proceeded to the 454-kilogram (1,000.9-pound) Yoke, which they had to carry for a distance of 20 meters. Consequently, the goal was to complete the entire event in the shortest time possible.

Rayno Nel had an incredible start to his WSM finals campaign, winning the first event and catching up with Mitchell Hooper on the overall leaderboards. Nel’s speed helped him achieve a lot of success in his career, and his performance on the Flip & Carry was no exception. He moved rapidly across the field and was one of just two men to the event in under half a minute.

Mitchell Hooper had to settle for second place, being just 0.14 seconds slower than Rayno Nel. Hooper is also recognized as one of the quickest Strongmen in the world, which made for an incredible duel between him and the defending champion, resulting in a true photo finish. On the other hand, Pavlo Kordiyaka and Eddie Williams were involved in a battle of their own, with former Europe’s Strongest Man coming out on top with a time of 33.80 seconds.

• Rayno Nel — 27.30 seconds
• Mitchell Hooper — 27.44 seconds
• Pavlo Kordiyaka — 33.80 seconds
• Eddie Williams — 34.74 seconds
• Ondrej Fojtu — 36.13 seconds
• Mathew Ragg — 37.24 seconds
• Martins Licis — 39.31 seconds
• Trey Mitchell — 40.43 seconds
• Austin Andrade — 40.57 seconds
• Nick Guardione — 43.86 seconds

Deadlift

The 2026 World’s Strongest Man competition would not be complete without a deadlift event, as it is often regarded as one of the ultimate tests of strength. In this case, the athletes were tasked with performing as many reps as possible with one of two barbells. Consequently, they got to choose between pulling 360 kilograms (793.7 pounds) or 400 kilograms (881.8 pounds). However, the athletes had to keep in mind that one rep with the heavier bar ranked higher than any number of reps with the lighter one.

The South African Strongman, Rayno Nel, continued dominating the field, having secured his second win of the day. He is known for immense deadlifting power, but many would still expect the likes of Hooper, Ragg, and perhaps some others to potentially beat him. However, that was not the case, as Nel ended up pulling 400 kilograms (881.8 pounds) for five reps.

Mitchell Hooper was one of the favorites to take the win in the event, especially since he is actively preparing for a World Record attempt at the upcoming 2026 Enhanced Games. His performance was spectacular, as he finished with four reps on the heavier barbell and one with the lighter one. Mathew Ragg achieved the exact same result, which put him in a tie with Hooper.

• Rayno Nel — 5 reps with 400-kg
• Mitchell Hooper — 4 reps with 400-kg + 1 rep with 360-kg
• Mathew Ragg — 4 reps with 400-kg + 1 rep with 360-kg
• Eddie Williams — 3 reps with 400-kg + 1 rep with 360-kg
• Martins Licis — 3 reps with 400-kg
• Trey Mitchell — 3 reps with 400-kg
• Ondrej Fojtu — 2 reps with 400-kg + 1 rep with 360-kg
• Austin Andrade — 1 rep with 400-kg
• Nick Guardione — 1 rep with 400-kg
• Pavlo Kordiyaka — No Lift

Titan’s Toss

The last event on day one of the 2026 World’s Strongest Man finals was the Titan’s Toss. Similar to last year, the athletes were tasked with tossing ten 14-kilogram (30.9-pound) implements over a beam. However, they started by standing 7 meters in front of the beam for the first implement and continued moving farther away, all the way until 12 meters for the final implement. If they failed to get one of the implements over the beam, they had to advance to the next one since they got one toss per implement.

Rayno Nel went three for three on the first day of the 2026 World’s Strongest Man finals, wrapping it up with a spectacular event win on the Titan’s Toss. He was the only man to complete nine successful throws, which made him the clear winner. He was very close to securing all ten, but narrowly missed one attempt.

Mitchell Hooper put up another spectacular performance but was once again bested by Rayno Nel. However, their rivalry continued, with Hooper ending the event with eight successful throws in 35 seconds. Nick Guardione also completed eight but was also eight seconds slower than Hooper. In turn, Hooper claimed third, while Guardione rounded out the top three.

• Rayno Nel — 9 in 39.23 s
• Mitchell Hooper — 8 in 35.00 s
• Nick Guardione — 8 in 43.09 s
• Pavlo Kordiyaka — 6 in 21.78 s
• Mathew Ragg — 6 in 23.10 s
• Martins Licis — 6 in 26.78 s
• Trey Mitchell — 6 in 28.44 s
• Eddie Williams — 6 in 33.94 s
• Ondrej Fojtu — 3 in 17.84 s
• Austin Andrade — Withdrew

2026 World’s Strongest Man Qualifying Stage Leaderboard [Live Updates]

Qualifying Recap — Day Two

Event Four — Truck Pull

The second day of the 2026 World’s Strongest Man kicked off with the Truck Pull. In the event, the athletes had to pull a massive 25,000-kilogram (55,115-pound) vehicle for 25 meters. The goal was to reach the finish line quicker than the rest. The truck pull usually favors the larger athletes, but it still requires a high technical proficiency, along with immense power and determination.

Group One

• Rayno Nel — 35.03 seconds
• Nick Guardione — 37.69 seconds
• Luke Richardson — 38.91 seconds
• Ben Glasscock — 42.06 seconds
• Tristain Hoath — 43.00 seconds

Group Two

• Austin Andrade — 34.69 seconds
• Levi Strong — 34.84 seconds
• Tom Stoltman — 37.59 seconds
• Jaco Schoonwinkel — 37.94 seconds
• Mathew Ragg — 38.69 seconds

Group Three

• Mitchell Hooper — 33.02 seconds
• Matyáš Funiok — 35.22 seconds
• Lucas Hatton — 35.25 seconds
• Eddie Williams — 36.50 seconds
• Paddy Haynes — 38.34 seconds

Group Four

• Martins Licis — 36.09 seconds
• Ondrej Fojtu — 37.94 seconds
• James Jeffers — 38.28 seconds
• Bryce Johnson — Withdrew
• Kevin Hazeleger — Withdrew

Group Five

• Andrew Flynn — 35.78 seconds
• Pavlo Kordiyaka — 37.66 seconds
• Trey Mitchell — 39.03 seconds
• Evans Nana — 39.16 seconds
• Evan Singleton — 39.97 seconds

Event Five — Natural Stone Medley

The fifth and last event of the 2026 WSM qualifiers was the Natural Stone Medley. It started with a 158-kilogram (348.3-pound) Stone-to-Shoulder, followed by a 177-kilogram (390.2-pound) Stone Carry for 16 meters. Once that was done, the athletes had to complete a Webster Stone Walk for 8 meters with implements that weighed 136 kilograms (299.8 pounds) and 113 kilograms (249.1 pounds). Lastly, the men were met with a 182-kilogram (401.2-pound) Stone that they had to load onto a platform.

Group One

• Rayno Nel — 4 in 43.70 s
• Nick Guardione — 4 in 71.38 s
• Tristain Hoath — 4 in 80.25 s
• Ben Glasscock — 4 in 107.82 s
• Luke Richardson — 2 + 6.10 m

Group Two

• Jaco Schoonwinkel — 4 in 60.65 s
• Austin Andrade — 4 in 101.41 s
• Tom Stoltman — 3 in 50.16 s
• Mathew Ragg — 3 in 82.35 s
• Levi Strong — 3 in 100.73 s

Group Three

• Mitchell Hooper — 4 in 52.81 s
• Eddie Williams — 4 in 55.03 s
• Matyáš Funiok — 4 in 58.81 s
• Paddy Haynes — 4 in 67.81 s
• Lucas Hatton — 1 in 27.50 s

Group Four

• Ondrej Fojtu — 4 in 80.83 s
• Martins Licis — 4 in 92.22 s
• James Jeffers — 3 in 84.67 s
• Kevin Hazeleger — Withdrew
• Bryce Johnson — Withdrew

Group Five

• Pavlo Kordiyaka — 4 in 67.00 s
• Trey Mitchell — 4 in 72.75 s
• Andrew Flynn — 4 in 97.66 s
• Evan Singleton — 1 + 13.40 m
• Evans Nana — No Lift

Qualifying Recap — Day One

Event One — Carry & Climb

The opening event of the 2026 World’s Strongest Man was a two-part challenge consisting of a Farmer’s Walk and Power Stairs. The Farmer’s implements weighed 140 kilograms (308.6 pounds) and had to be carried for a distance of 33 meters. On the other hand, the Power Stairs implement came out to 225 kilograms (496 pounds) and had to be carried up a flight of nine steps. The time limit was 75 seconds, but the goal was to finish the event in the shortest time possible.

Group One

• Rayno Nel — 37.06 seconds
• Nick Guardione — 43.91 seconds
• Tristain Hoath — 46.78 seconds
• Luke Richardson — 60.34 seconds
• Ben Glasscock — 65.68 seconds

Group Two

• Mathew Ragg — 38.29 seconds
• Jaco Schoonwinkel — 38.80 seconds
• Levi Strong — 51.84 seconds
• Austin Andrade — 53.85 seconds
• Tom Stoltman — 70.21 seconds

Group Three

• Eddie Williams — 37.88 seconds
• Mitchell Hooper — 39.64 seconds
• Paddy Haynes — 46.21 seconds
• Matyáš Funiok — 47.58 seconds
• Lucas Hatton — 50.16 seconds

Group Four

• Ondrej Fojtu — 38.22 seconds
• Bryce Johnson — 41.53 seconds
• James Jeffers — 43.91 seconds
• Kevin Hazeleger — 45.78 seconds
• Martins Licis — 46.08 seconds
• Adam Bishop — Withdrew

Group Five

• Evan Singleton — 38.58 seconds
• Andrew Flynn — 51.95 seconds
• Evans Nana — 54.62 seconds
• Pavlo Kordiyaka — 6 in 74.05 seconds
• Trey Mitchell — 22 meters

Event Two — Circus Press Medley

The second event of the 2026 World’s Strongest Man was all about the overhead press. So, the athletes faced a series of three dumbbells, weighing 80-kg (176.4-lb), 90-kg (198.4-lb), and 100-kg (220.5-lb), respectively. That was not the end of the event, though, since the athletes then performed an AMRAP (As Many Reps As Possible) with a 159-kilogram (350.5-pound) barbell.

Group One

• Ben Glasscock — 6 in 62.78 s
• Nick Guardione — 5 in 44.50 s
• Luke Richardson — 5 in 53.29 s
• Rayno Nel — 4 in 26.11 s
• Tristain Hoath — 2 in 16.84 s

Group Two

• Austin Andrade — 6 in 59.33 s
• Tom Stoltman — 5 in 50.76 s
• Mathew Ragg — 5 in 61.15 s
• Levi Strong — 4 in 70.35 s
• Jaco Schoonwinkel — 3 in 42.16 s

Group Three

• Lucas Hatton — 8 in 74.60 s
• Mitchell Hooper — 7 in 58.47 s
• Eddie Williams — 5 in 55.47 s
• Matyáš Funiok — 5 in 61.38 s
• Paddy Haynes — 5 in 70.15 s

Group Four

• Ondrej Fojtu — 8 in 64.87 s
• Martins Licis — 6 in 63.21 s
• Bryce Johnson — 4 in 40.97 s
• James Jeffers — 4 in 44.52 s
• Kevin Hazeleger — 3 in 29.97 s

Group Five

• Trey Mitchell — 8 in 71.72 s
• Evan Singleton — 7 in 73.61 s
• Pavlo Kordiyaka — 6 in 59.85 s
• Andrew Flynn — 6 in 63.56 s
• Evans Nana — 4 in 69.36 s

Event Three — Squat Lift

The squat has produced some memorable moments at the WSM in the past and it has found its place in this year’s edition of the competition. The weight was set to 320 kilograms (705.5 pounds) for everyone, giving them a task of locking out as many repetitions as possible. However, they had only 60 seconds to do so, leaving no time to rest between the reps.

Group One

• Luke Richardson — 16 reps
• Rayno Nel — 13 reps
• Ben Glasscock — 10 reps
• Tristain Hoath — 7 reps
• Nick Guardione — 6 reps

Group Two

• Austin Andrade — 16 reps
• Mathew Ragg — 15 reps
• Tom Stoltman — 12 reps
• Jaco Schoonwinkel — 10 reps
• Levi Strong — 5 reps

Group Three

• Lucas Hatton — 17 reps
• Mitchell Hooper — 12 reps
• Eddie Williams — 11 reps
• Matyáš Funiok — 7 reps
• Paddy Haynes — 6 reps

Group Four

• Martins Licis — 14 reps
• Ondrej Fojtu — 10 reps
• Bryce Johnson — 9 reps
• James Jeffers — 8 reps
• Kevin Hazeleger — 2 reps

Group Five

• Trey Mitchell — 15 reps
• Pavlo Kordiyaka — 14 reps
• Evans Nana — 12 reps
• Andrew Flynn — 12 reps
• Evan Singleton — 8 reps

Related: Luke Stoltman Withdraws From 2026 World’s and Europe’s Strongest Man After Breaking His Leg

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
• Rayno Nel — 2025

FAQs

Who is the winningest athlete at the WSM?

Mariusz Pudzianowski holds the top spot as the athlete with the most wins in the history of the World’s Strongest Man competition. He stood on top of the podium five times, putting him above the likes of Brian Shaw and Zydrunas Savickas, both of whom won it four time.. When it comes to the 2026 World’s Strongest Man, Tom Stoltman is the standout athlete, as he is coming into the competition with three titles under his belt.

How to watch the 2026 World’s Strongest Man?

The 2026 World’s Strongest Man is not broadcast live on any platform but will instead be televised on CBS and CBS Sports Network in June and July for US-based fans and Channel 5 in December for fans from the UK. However, we are doing a full coverage of the WSM, including point standings, event recaps, potential injury updates, records, and everything related to the competition.

Who are the favorites for the 2026 World’s Strongest Man?

The lineup for the 2026 World’s Strongest Man is incredibly stacked and the group seedings have made the situation even more intense. However, the fan favorites are mainly the athletes who have already won the competition, which includes Rayno Nel, Tom Stoltman, and Mitchell Hooper.

2026 WSM Related Content

• Mitchell Hooper Reclaims His Title at 2026 World’s Strongest Man
• 2026 World’s Strongest Man Finals — Day One Results
• 2026 World’s Strongest Man Results — Day Two Qualifiers
• 2026 World’s Strongest Man Results — Day One Qualifiers
• How to Watch 2026 World’s Strongest Man
• 2026 World’s Strongest Man Withdrawals
• 2026 World’s Strongest Man Finalists Revealed — Tom Stoltman Eliminated

Follow the 2026 World’s Strongest Man – event breakdowns, athlete interviews, full results, and all the latest news at our WSM hub: FitnessVolt.com/wsm

Athletes Mentioned in This Article

Mitchell HooperEddie WilliamsRayno NelTrey MitchellPavlo KordiyakaOndřej FojtůMartins LicisMathew RaggNick GuardioneAustin Andrade