The 2026 World’s Strongest Man competition took place on April 23-26 in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. It featured a total of 25 athletes from 11 countries along with ten events in total, evenly divided across the qualifiers and the finals. Ultimately, Mitchell Hooper managed to claim his second title following a truly spectacular performance.
Mitchell Hooper’s performance at the 2026 World’s Strongest Man was a masterclass in consistency. Despite not winning a single event in the finals, he placed second in every one, proving he has no weaknesses across the various disciplines of the sport. This helped him beat Rayno Nel in one of the most intense duels ever seen at the WSM.
Mitchell Hooper’s 2026 World’s Strongest Man Performance
Qualifiers
- Carry & Climb: 9 in 39.64 s (Second-place)
- Circus Press Medley: 7 in 58.47 s (Second-place)
- Squat Lift: 12 reps (Second-place)
- Truck Pull: 33.02 s (First-place)
- Natural Stone Medley: 4 in 52.81 s (First-place)
Finals
Note: Mitchell Hooper started off his finals campaign with 10 points, which he earned based on his performance in the qualifiers.
- Flip & Carry: 27.44 s (Second-place)
- Deadlift: 4 reps with 400-kg + 1 rep with 360-kg (Second-place)
- Titan’s Toss: 8 in 35.00 s (Second-place)
- Max Log: 209-kg / 461-lb (Tied-Second)
- Atlas Stones: 4 in 28.67 s (Second-place)
Mitchell Hooper’s 2026 World’s Strongest Man performance was truly proof of his consistency, starting with the qualifiers. In the qualifying stage, Hooper won two events and secured an additional three second-place finishes. He was battling against the likes of Eddie Williams and Lucas Hatton but still managed to come out on top with ease.
The first day of the 2026 World’s Strongest Man finals was bittersweet for Mitchell Hooper. He placed second in all three events, which was incredible. On the other hand, his biggest rival, Rayno Nel, won all three events. Moreover, Hooper was not far behind on either event, especially the Flip & Carry where he was just 0.14 seconds slower than Nel.
Going into the second day of the 2026 World’s Strongest Man finals, Mitchell Hooper knew that he had to beat Rayno Nel on the Log Lift. He ended up doing so and even got in a tie for second place with Ondrej Fojtu, which gained him an extra 0.5 points. Consequently, he got within just one point of Rayno with one event left.
Mitchell Hooper was once again better than Rayno Nel on the Atlas Stones. As a result, he overtook Nel on the overall leaderboards and claimed his title in the final moments of the competition. Interestingly, Hooper finished with eight second-place event finishes and two event wins across both qualifiers and finals.
Mitchell Hooper’s resume now holds 29 international appearances, along with 18 impressive victories. He has practically won every major title in Strongman, with the WSM seemingly being the most difficult competition for him, having waited three years to reclaim his title. Hooper is now preparing for the 2026 Enhanced Games, where he will attempt to set a new Deadlift World Record.
2026 WSM Related Content
- 2026 World’s Strongest Man Results
- 2026 World’s Strongest Man Finals — Day Two Results
- 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
