The 2024 Strongest Man On Earth took place on August 17-18 in Loveland, Colorado, and Mitchell Hooper came out victorious. However, his achievement has been smeared by the comments of some fans who believe that his path to victory, and the competition itself, were controversial. In turn, Hooper has turned to YouTube in order to address the situation.
Mitchell Hooper won the 2024 Strongest Man On Earth competition ahead of 15 other elite Strongmen, including the likes of Hafthor Bjornsson and Tom Stoltman. However, his performances in certain events, most notably the squat, have sparked some controversy. Consequently, Hooper decided to talk about everything that went on, both on the competition stage and backstage.
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Mitchell Hooper’s Response to 2024 SMOE Controversy
Mitchell Hooper made a half an hour long video, addressing the controversy, but also recapping his entire performance across all eight events.
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“I am the Strongest Man On Earth, but, as is the case with many of my other wins, it is not without controversy.
That show, there is no question, is the heaviest show of the year. It is as much about staying in one piece mentally and physically as anything else.”
Event One — Max Deadlift
The first event went well for Mitchell Hooper, as he ended up taking second-place. He was aware of the fact that Hafthor Bjornsson would take the win, but had to ensure that no other athlete stood between him and the Icelandic Strongman.
However, Hooper did feel a slight tweak in his back after the 431-kilogram (950-pound) pull and had to be mindful of it throughout the entire competition.
“Thor was always going to run away with this one… My back cracked a couple of times and I was very worried because it was quite sensitive after that… I came second in that event to Thor.”
Event Two — Overhead Medley
The second event of the competition was controversial in its own right, but that had nothing to do with Mitchell Hooper. Namely, the implements were not set in the right order for the first few athletes. So, the event was reset and those athletes had to perform the lifts again after everyone else.
Mitchell Hooper’s opinion on this is that it was an unfortunate situation, but that resetting the event was the only right solution. He ended up winning the event and overtaking Hafthor who had a lower finish because of his pec tear.
“He (Brian Shaw) genuinely cares about the integrity of the competition… He asked us to take the vote, and twelve people voted to get the implements right (in the correct order).
It is not fair to those four guys, because they already went out and they gave it their all and then have to go out and do it again. But, in that situation, it was the closest thing to fair to be done.”
Event Three — Keg Toss
The third event was pretty straight forward for Mitchell Hooper, as he tied for second place with a few other guys. His biggest rival, Hafthor Bjornsson, ended up setting a new World Record and winning the event. Luckily for Hooper, the point difference was not that large, allowing him to stay in first place overall.
“Thor, hats off, set a new World Record. Another event where he is setting the standard and we just have to train harder… I was a bit disappointed because the way that I missed was that I knocked the bottom of the bar all three times… Those are points that I left on the table and I knew that.”
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Event Four — Manhood Stones
The Manhood Stones event also sparked controversy about the competition since 10 out of 16 athletes were unable to get a single rep on the board. Well, Hooper once again believes that there was nothing controversial, but instead that the athletes overestimated their abilities at the time and chose to lift a heavier stone than possible.
“I think there were a couple of reasons why the guys failed to lift the stones. I think new stones can be a little bit slippery. But, I think more to the point, you are performing a Max Deadlift, Axle Clean and Press and Log Medley, and Keg Toss. I think some guys just overestimated what they were capable of.”
Event Five — Squat For Reps
The Squat was the most controversial event for Mitchell Hooper. Namely, the depth of his squat was visibly higher than that of other athletes. So, a part of the Strongman fan community accused him of trying to make the event easier for him.
Well, Hooper revealed that the machine’s depth was set according to the measurements that were taken prior to the start of the competition. However, once 810 pounds was loaded on the bar, his technique changed and he was able to reach the bottom limit without his hips dropping down too much. So, Hooper altered his technique to use more of his back, and he should definitely not be blamed for utilizing his strengths.
“This is the event of most controversy.
When we went and set up the lift, we had the apparatus, the day before the first day of competition. We had to get under it, place our feet in a particular spot, then we put the bar in whatever position we were going to squat with. Pictures were taken of our feet with our foot placement and the bar placement on our back.
We were testing it on somewhere around 120-kg, so I am staying much more upright because I don’t have to use my posterior chain as it is really light… Compared to others, my hips were definitely higher, but there is a reason for that.
When I squat heavy, I tend to lean forward much more… If my hips stay higher and my shoulders are coming down, the shoulders are still coming down the same amount which is why the squat bottomed out. So the vertical motion of it was what was required, but the hip element did not look as deep.
With 800 pounds, there is no way at all that I am strong enough to try to game my way in the movement. It is 800 pounds, you are just trying to move it as best as possible.
I ended up with 10 reps, the next closest was five. I think if I stayed more upright, I am very confident that I could have gotten more than five reps.”
Event Six — Power Medley
The Power Medley was another clean event both for Mitchell Hooper and the competition. It was, however, insanely difficult, but remained that way for all 16 athletes. So, after seeing how much other athletes were struggling on the Tractor Pull, Hooper realized exactly what he had to do in order to optimize his performance. He still ended up coming second behind the incredible Hafthor Bjornsson.
Event Seven — Dumbbell Medley
The seventh event had just one controversial moment and it involved Hafthor Bjornsson. To be specific, Hafthor lifted the third dumbbell, but ended up dropping it before his referee gave him the down call. So, his third rep was invalidated. Many people, including Mitchell Hooper, believe that it could have been given as a good lift, but the rules were specified in the athletes’ meeting before the competition.
“His third dumbbell was very close, it could have been given, but in this show the judging was very strict. I would have given him the rep.”
Event Eight — Fingal Fingers x Power Stairs
There wasn’t anything controversial regarding the final event of the 2024 Strongest Man On Earth. Mitchell Hooper had an easy task of securing the overall victory, having had an enormous lead coming into the event.
“Very proud of that, over the entire contest I lost just 11 points… This show proved that Thor and I were just on a different level.
The judging at this contest was very stringent, but it was very clear. The fans don’t know how clear it is.”
Watch the full video here:
Related: 2024 Official Strongman Games European Championships Results — Roman Grekov & Rebecca Roberts Win
Mitchell Hooper has now achieved something that no Strongman in history before him has managed, winning all four of the biggest Strongman competitions. That includes the World’s Strongest Man, Arnold Strongman Classic, Rogue Invitational, and now the Strongest Man On Earth. So, he is clearly one of the best and most successful athletes that Strongman has ever seen, but is still looking to add even more accolades to his resume.
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