The World's Strongest Man is an international strongman competition held every year. Organized by American event management company IMG, a subsidiary of Endeavor, it is broadcast in the US during summers and in the UK around the end of December each year. Competitors qualify based on placing in the top three at the four to eight Giants Live events each year. The current event sponsor is SBD Apparel. Previous sponsors include Tachi Palace, Coregenx, Commerce Hotel and Casino, DAF Trucks, Tonka, MET-Rx, and PartyPoker.com.
The 1998 World's Strongest Man was the 21st edition of World's Strongest Man and was won by Magnus Samuelsson from Sweden. It was his first title after finishing third the previous year. 1997 champion Jouko Ahola from Finland finished second, and Wout Zijlstra from the Netherlands finished third. This year had 10 qualifying heats with the winner of each heat going on to the finals. Half the field were injured during the finals of the contest, as well as several heat winners prior to the finals such as Flemming Rasmussen and Gerrit Badenhorst. The contest was held in Tangier/Tétouan, Morocco.
The 1997 World's Strongest Man was the 20th edition of World's Strongest Man and was won by Jouko Ahola from Finland. It was his first title. Flemming Rasmussen from Denmark finished second after finishing fourth the previous year, and Magnus Samuelsson from Sweden finished third. Three time defending champion Magnus Ver Magnusson, chasing a fourth straight title and record fifth overall, was eliminated in the qualifying heats. The contest was held in Primm Valley Resort, Nevada.
The 1995 World's Strongest Man was the 18th edition of World's Strongest Man and was won by Magnus Ver Magnusson from Iceland, it was his second consecutive and third overall title. Gerrit Badenhorst from South Africa finished second after finishing fourth the previous year, and Marko Varalahti from Finland finished third. The contest was held in Nassau, Bahamas.
The 1996 World's Strongest Man was the 19th edition of World's Strongest Man and was won by Magnús Ver Magnússon from Iceland. This was Magnús' fourth WSM title, tying the record of fellow Icelander Jón Páll Sigmarsson. Riku Kiri from Finland finished second, and Gerrit Badenhorst from South Africa finished third after finishing second the previous year. The contest was held in Port Louis, Mauritius.
The 1993 World's Strongest Man was the 16th edition of World's Strongest Man and was won by Gary Taylor from the United Kingdom. It was his first title after finishing fifth the previous year. 1991 winner Magnus Ver Magnusson from Iceland was runner up for the second year in a row, and Riku Kiri from Finland finished third. The contest was held in Orange, France.
The 1992 World's Strongest Man was the 15th edition of World's Strongest Man and was won by Ted van der Parre from the Netherlands after finishing fourth the previous year. It was his first title. 1991 winner Magnus Ver Magnusson from Iceland finished second equal with 1989 winner Jamie Reeves from the United Kingdom. The contest was held in Reykjavík, Iceland.
The 1991 World's Strongest Man was the 14th edition of World's Strongest Man and was won by Magnus Ver Magnusson from Iceland. It was his first title. Henning Thorsen from Denmark finished second after finishing fourth the previous year, and Gary Taylor from the United Kingdom finished third. The contest was held in Tenerife, Spain.
The 1990 World's Strongest Man was the 13th edition of the World's Strongest Man competition and was won by Jón Páll Sigmarsson from Iceland. It was his fourth title after finishing third the previous year, and his last as he did not compete in any future event before his 1993 death. O.D. Wilson from the United States finished second, and Ilkka Nummisto from Finland finished third after finishing sixth the previous year. The contest was held in Joensuu, Finland.
The 1979 World's Strongest Man was the third edition of World's Strongest Man and was won by Don Reinhoudt from the United States. It was his first title after finishing second the previous year. Lars Hedlund from Sweden finished second after finishing third the previous year, and Bill Kazmaier also from the United States finished third. The contest was held at the Universal Studios, California.
The 2004 World's Strongest Man was the 27th edition of World's Strongest Man and was won by Vasyl Virastyuk from Ukraine. It was his first title after finishing third the previous year. Zydrunas Savickas from Lithuania finished second for the third year in a row. Originally Mariusz Pudzianowski from Poland finished third, but was later disqualified after testing positive for a banned substance, thus third place was given to Magnus Samuelsson from Sweden. The contest was held in Nassau, Bahamas. The qualifying heats saw a major format change, going from the traditional 5-6 man heats with the top 2 going to the finals. This year's format was a 12-man round-robin competition taking place over 5 days, with the top six going onto the finals.
The 2000 World's Strongest Man was the 23rd edition of World's Strongest Man and was won by Janne Virtanen from Finland. It was his first title after finishing second the previous year. Svend Karlsen from Norway finished second after finishing third the previous year, and 1998 winner Magnus Samuelsson from Sweden finished third. The contest was held in Sun City, South Africa.
The 2001 World's Strongest Man was the 24th edition of World's Strongest Man and was won by Svend Karlsen from Norway. It was his first title after finishing second the previous year. 1998 winner Magnus Samuelsson from Sweden finished second after finishing third the previous year, and 2000 winner Janne Virtanen from Finland finished third. The contest was held at Victoria Falls, Zambia.
The 2008 World's Strongest Man was the 31st edition of World's Strongest Man and was won by Mariusz Pudzianowski from Poland. It was his fifth and record breaking title. Derek Poundstone from the United States finished second, and Dave Ostlund also from the United States finished third after finishing sixth the previous year. The contest was held at Charleston, West Virginia.
The 1980 World's Strongest Man was the fourth edition of World's Strongest Man and was won by Bill Kazmaier from the United States. It was his first title after finishing third the previous year. Lars Hedlund from Sweden finished second after finishing second the previous year, and Geoff Capes from the United Kingdom finished third.
The 1985 World's Strongest Man was the ninth edition of World's Strongest Man and was won by Geoff Capes from the United Kingdom. It was his second title after finishing third the previous year. 1984 champion Jón Páll Sigmarsson from Iceland finished second and Cees de Vreugd from the Netherlands finished third. The contest was held at Cascais, Portugal.
The 1984 World's Strongest Man was the eighth edition of World's Strongest Man and was won by Jón Páll Sigmarsson from Iceland. It was his first title after finishing second the previous year. Ab Wolders from the Netherlands finished second and, 1983 champion Geoff Capes from the United Kingdom finished third. The contest was held at Mora, Sweden.
The 1986 World's Strongest Man was the tenth edition of World's Strongest Man and was won by Jón Páll Sigmarsson from Iceland. It was his second title after finishing second the previous year. 1983 and 1985 champion Geoff Capes from the United Kingdom finished second and, Ab Wolders from the Netherlands finished third. The contest was held at Nice, France.
The 1989 World's Strongest Man was the 12th edition of World's Strongest Man and was won by Jamie Reeves from the United Kingdom. It was his first and only title after finishing third the previous year. Ab Wolders from the Netherlands finished second after finishing fourth the previous year, and Jón Páll Sigmarsson from Iceland finished third. The contest was held at San Sebastián, Spain.
Heinz Ollesch is a strongman from Germany. He won Germany's Strongest Man 12 times, and participated in the World's Strongest Man finals in 1995 and 1997.
South Africa 
Magnús Ver Magnússon 
