The final day of the qualifying rounds for the 2021 World’s Strongest Man, running from June 15th-20th, concluded today. While all ten athletes who are advancing to the Finals had incredible moments throughout, Oleksii Novikov and Robert Oberst really stole the show in Day Three.
All five qualifying groups competed in the two main events taking place on Thursday: the Overhead Press Medley, and the Pickaxe Hold. Following this, the second and third place athletes in each group went head-to-head in an Atlas Stone-Off event to determine who advances to the Finals.
This was the culmination of three hard days of qualifying, with athletes putting on insane performances each day. For Day Three however, it was Oleksii Novikov, and Robert Oberst who made the biggest impact, despite the fact they did not make it to the Finals.
Here is a recap of the day’s action, and what we can expect to see for the rest of the competition.
Oleksii Novikov Obliterates The Overhead Medley
First and foremost, let’s begin by mentioning just how closely contested and exciting Group Five has been to watch unfold. This was the group made up of Oleksii Novikov, Bobby Thompson, Luke Stoltman, and Kevin Faires.
Heading into Day Three, it could have been anybody’s day, but the 2020 WSM champ was the first to make a big statement with the Overhead Press Medley. Not only did he win the event in his group, but he had the fastest time out of anyone.
For the Overhead Press Medley event, athletes had to press the following over their head, being scored for time.
- 210lb dumbbell
- 220lb dumbbell
- 342lb circus barbell
- 260lb axle barbell
That said, it was still a close matchup within Group Five, with Novikov, Stoltman, and Faires all within five seconds of each other. The only other strongman who pressed all four implements in a time that was anywhere close to that, was Trey Mitchell.
Overhead Medley Results
Group One
- Brian Shaw – 4 in 0:34:72 (5 points)
- Maxime Boudreault – 4 in 0:37:19 (4 points)
- Gavin Bilton – 4 in 0:49:84 (3 points)
- Aivars Smaukstelis – 3 in 0:19:87 (2 points)
- Travis Ortmayer – 1 in 0:06:90 (1 point)
Group Two
- Trey Mitchell – 4 in 0:29:77 (5 points)
- Evan Singleton- 4 in 0:32:08 (4 points)
- Tom Stoltman – 4 in 0:38:02 (3 points)
- Johnny Hansson – 3 in 0:29:02 (2 points)
- Mark Felix – 1 in 0:06:42 (1 point)
Group Three
- JF Caron – 4 in 0:33:72 (5 points)
- Mikhail Shivlyakov – 4 in 0:38:18 (4 points)
- Eythor Ingolfsson Melsted – 4 in 0:39:77 (3 points)
- Robert Oberst – 4 in 0:52:25 (2 points)
- Luke Richardson – (withdrew)
Group Four
- Adam Bishop – 3 in 0:27:74 (5 points)
- Konstantine Janashia – 3 in 0:48:42 (4 points)
- Jerry Pritchett – on in 1:15:00 (0 points)
- Terry Hollands – (withdrew)
- Chris Van Der Linde – (withdrew)
Group Five
- Oleksii Novikov – 4 in 0:24:83 (5 points)
- Luke Stoltman- 4 in 0:25:63 (4 points)
- Kevin Faires – 4 in 0:29:23 (3 points)
- Bobby Thompson – 4 in 0:43:43 (2 points)
- Ervin Toots – 2 in 0:21:88 (1 point)
Robert Oberst Handles The Pickaxe Hold
The last chance for athletes to earn points towards qualifying for the 2021 World’s Strongest Man Finals was the Pickaxe Hold. This event had a lot of impressive performances, but it was Robert Oberst who achieved the longest time out of anyone.
This event required the strongmen to hold a giant 60lb pickaxe out, directly in front of them for as long as they possibly can. For Robert, that time was just over 48 seconds, which was enough for him to win his second event of the contest.
Not only was this enough for him to win the event in Group Three, but this was the best time of anyone for the day. We saw Eythór Ingólfsson Melsted come close, with about 43 seconds in Group Three, as well as Trey Mitchell with 46 seconds in Group Two.
Pickaxe Hold
Group One
- Aivars Smaukstelis – 0:32:51 (5 points)
- Gavin Bilton – 0:31:02 (4 points)
- Maxime Boudreault – 0:30:62 (3 points)
- Travis Ortmayer – 0:20:28 (2 points)
- Brian Shaw – 0:05:64 (1 point)
Group Two
- Trey Mitchell – 0:46:13 (5 points)
- Mark Felix – 0:40:82 (4 points)
- Tom Stoltman – 0:36:90 (3 points)
- Evan Singleton – 0:28:90 (2 points)
- Johnny Hansson – 0:28:15 (1 point)
Group Three
- Robert Oberst – 0:48:03 (5 points)
- Eythor Ingolfsson Melsted – 0:43:067 (4 points)
- JF Caron – 0:29:09 (3 points)
- Mikhail Shivlyakov – 0:23:25 ( points)
- Luke Richardson – (withdrew)
Group Four
- Jerry Pritchett – 0:35:39 (5 points)
- Adam Bishop – 0:25:07 (4 points)
- Konstantine Janashia – 0:10:97 (3 points)
- Terry Hollands – (withdrew)
- Chris Van Der Linde – (withdrew)
Group Five
- Bobby Thompson – 0:41:62 (5 points)
- Kevin Faires – 0:35:38 (4 points)
- Luke Stoltman- 0:34:60 (3 points)
- Oleksii Novikov – 0:32:81 (2 points)
- Ervin Toots – 0:24:42 (1 point)
Video courtesy of CBS Sports Network
Atlas Stone-Off Recap
At the conclusion of the Pickaxe Hold, the top athletes in each group advanced to the finals. From there, the second and third place strongmen went head-to-head in an Atlas Stone-Off to determine who will join the other five in the Finals.
This Stone-Off was different than past years, with athletes face off with their fellow group member. They take turns lifting stones of increasingly heavy stones ranging from 308lb-460lb over a platform, starting with the athlete who was in third place, going back and forth until someone is unable to lift or return the stone.
Atlas Stone Results
Group One
- Maxime Boudreault – 7 stones (winner)
- Aivars Smaukstelis – 7 stones
Group Two
- Tom Stoltman – 5 stones (winner)
- Mark Felix – 5 stones
Group Three
- Eythor Ingolfsson Melsted – 5 stones (winner)
- Robert Oberst – 5 stones
Group Four
- Adam Bishop – 2 stones (winner)
- Jerry Pritchett – 2 stones
Group Five
- Luke Stoltman – 7 stones (winner)
- Kevin Faires – 7 stones
2021 World’s Strongest Man Finalists
- Brian Shaw
- Trey Mitchell
- JF Caron
- Konstantine Janashia
- Bobby Thompson
- Maxime Boudreault
- Tom Stoltman
- Eythor Ingolfsson Melsted
- Adam Bishop
- Luke Stoltman
After a day off of competition, the 2021 World’s Strongest Man Finals begin on Saturday, June 19th, and conclude on June 20th. Stay tuned to Fitness Volt for continued coverage of the festivities in Sacramento.
Find complete coverage of the 2022 World’s Strongest Man, including exclusive interviews, event recaps, analysis, and results at our WSM coverage hub: FitnessVolt.com/wsm
