Mitchell Hooper made headlines once again with an impressive win at the 2026 World’s Strongest Man on April 23-26 in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. It was his second time on top of the podium, as he has proven once again that he is one of the strongest men to ever walk the earth. In an exclusive interview with Fitness Volt, he opened up about the 2026 WSM, his battle against Rayno Nel, future goals, and much more.
The World’s Strongest Man competition has been held for nearly 50 years and Mitchell Hooper is now one of just 11 men who managed to win the competition two or more times. That, alongside his wins at other major competitions, makes him one of the greatest Strongmen in history. However, it is important to note that Hooper has been competing professionally for just four years now.
Related: 2026 Arnold Strongman Classic Results — Mitchell Hooper Wins 4th Consecutive Title
Mitchell Hooper’s Exclusive Interview
Mitchell Hooper recapped his 2026 World’s Strongest Man performance, with a special emphasis on the finals and his battle against Rayno Nel. He recognized that day-one events were great for his rival but was still slightly surprised by the results. However, going into day two of the competition, Hooper knew that Rayno’s weakness would be the Max Log lift. Consequently, Hooper made sure to continue putting up consistent performances, which led him to a new title.
“I knew that day one was going to be good for Rayno. He did better than I thought, but not by much. I thought his ceiling was pretty high. I didn’t doubt that I’d be able to come back because his weakness is overhead press, where he came eighth out of ten last year on the max overhead… I was doubting in a small way, as Rayno kept hitting PR after PR on the Max Log, because with his overhead improving, there is really nowhere to gain many points and I was lucky enough to squeeze closer.
One nice thing about it not being me vs. Tom Stoltman was that going into stones against anyone but Tom, you feel like you have a chance; you feel like it is all on the line.”
Mitchell Hooper has won the Arnold Strongman Classic and the Rogue Invitational on multiple occasions. However, going into the WSM, he had one title to his name. So, he wanted to get another gold medal from the most prestigious Strongman competition of the year to solidify his legacy.
“I feel like I’ve had some unfinished business with only winning the WSM once, when I have won all other major titles multiple times. It is nice to know that whatever happens moving forward in my career, I have been able to get it done more than once and join a pretty small group of people who have been able to do that.”
The 2026 World’s Strongest Man was one of the most exciting editions of the competition ever seen in its decades-long history. On the other hand, it was also a very challenging experience for Hooper, who admits that it was the hardest-fought victory of his career so far. He credited Rayno Nel for that, as the duel between the two came down to the final moments of the competition.
“This is far and away the hardest victory I’ve had in the sport. There was no margin of error and there was no room to breathe for either of us the whole time. I think it really did come down to a bit of a coin flip. You run that contest 1,000 times over and I win 500, Rayno wins 500. I am very lucky to come away with a win, but it certainly squeezed every little bit out of me and every little bit out of him. But that makes the sport great and the competition so exciting. I think it is going down in history as one of the most exciting World’s Strongest Man’s of all time.”
With the 2026 World’s Strongest Man behind him, Mitchell Hooper is now shifting his focus toward the 2026 Enhanced Games. Having won the WSM, ‘The Moose’ has revealed that he will be going into the World Record attempt with less pressure, as he won’t have anything to prove.
“The Deadlift World Record at the Enhanced Games is a huge ask for me. It does give me a level of confidence that I can push through a lot, and I can do some things that maybe even I doubt myself at times. Ultimately, it kind of just takes the pressure off, because I will be going in with the title of World’s Strongest Man and build some really strong momentum. So I don’t feel like I have anything to prove; I feel it is a great opportunity to launch myself into a whole other category of legends of strength.”
Mitchell Hooper touched on his legacy and the strength of the Strongman field in the current era. He explained that his winning percentage is a testament of his greatness. Although a couple other athletes have the same potential as him, Hooper is the only one who is performing at such a level in every competition he takes part in.
“Over the last four years, I think I have been the number one Strongman in the world. I have won about 65% of the shows during that time and I think the next closest, out of a large sample size, is 10% or less than that. I don’t see the era as me, Tom, and Rayno; I see the era as me and whoever turns up in shape. This time it was Rayno in a big way. Other times it was Tom; other times it was Trey Mitchell. I think it is the deepest era of Strongman, but to date, I think I have proved that I’m the only one who is always turning up in shape. Other people have the same peak as me, but no one has shown the same sustainability as me.”
Across the years, a number of Strongman athletes have been involved in the Greatest of All Time debate, including Brian Shaw, Zydrunas Savickas, Hafthor Bjornsson, and others. Well, with the success that he has achieved in recent years, Mitchell Hooper is certainly another name that has been mentioned. The Canadian Strongman has shared his opinion on the topic, revealing that he is potentially better than anyone before him when it comes to a hypothetical competition. However, he also recognizes that he still needs to catch up with others when it comes to longevity and impact on the sport.
“I think it depends on how you define the greatest of all time. I think in terms of impact on the sport, longevity, and number of titles, I certainly have a little way to go. But, if you put the best version of me against the best version of any other guy in history, I think I’d bet on myself in that case. So, if you define a G.O.A.T. as who would win a Strongman contest at their best, I think I am pretty close to that title.”
Mitchell Hooper never placed lower than second across any of the ten events at the 2026 World’s Strongest Man competition. As a result, many recognize him as arguably the most consistent Strongman in history, with little to no weakness in any challenge that he is put through. His endurance is particularly impressive, potentially because of his background in long-distance running. However, Hooper believes that it is more about the mentality, since he can’t stand being bad at something.
“There were actually three of us with distance running backgrounds in this contest: myself, Paddy Haynes also ran marathons, and Nick Guardione was also a cross-country runner in high school. So, there seems to be something going on there. I don’t think it is necessarily the background in running per se. That definitely helps with the engine, but I have done every sport under the sun: running, golf, basketball, football, swimming, baseball, you name it.
I think that helps having no natural weakness and knowing your body, but I also think that I have the advantage of being more annoyed of being bad at things and being excited about being good at things. That annoyance forces me to think about it, work it in, and get better.”
In 2024, Hooper had a near-perfect year, winning everything except for the World’s Strongest Man. However, his goal is now back on track, as he is currently undefeated in 2026, having won both the Arnold Strongman Classic and the World’s Strongest Man.
“After winning the Arnold’s and World’s this year and having the Rogue Invitational last year, I think it is a pretty good goal to go undefeated this year. I think health would be the number one thing that stops that. I have got to get my body back in one piece, because that was a pretty difficult contest and I have got four weeks to turn around for the Enhanced Games before starting the Giants Live circuit. I think it is possible for sure, but if I don’t win another show this year, I have won the most important one. So, I think I’ll be able to rest easy anyways.”
Related: Mitchell Hooper and Inez Carrasquillo Win 2025 Rogue Invitational Strongman & Strongwoman
Mitchell Hooper has taken part in a total of 29 international competitions over the course of his career and won 18 of them. Moreover, he failed to secure a podium finish on only two occasions, one of them being his professional debut at the 2022 WSM. He plans on continuing his streak in the upcoming months but will first face Hafthor Bjornsson on May 25th at the Enhanced Games.
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
