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.
A strongman is someone who exhibits strength through strength athletics. Strength athletics, also known as strongman competitions, are composed of a variety of events in which competitors have to move the highest weights possible, the winner being the one having the highest tally across all events. In the 19th century, the term strongman referred to an exhibitor of strength or similar circus performers who performed feats of strength.
Brian Shaw is an American retired professional strongman who is widely regarded as one of the greatest strength athletes of all-time. He won the 2011, 2013, 2015, and 2016 World's Strongest Man, making him one of only five men to win the World’s Strongest Man four times or more. In 2011, Shaw became the first man to win the Arnold Strongman Classic and the World's Strongest Man competitions in the same calendar year, a feat he replicated in 2015. With 27 international competition wins, he is the fourth most decorated strongman in history behind Lithuania's Žydrūnas Savickas, Poland's Mariusz Pudzianowski and Iceland's Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson.
The 2011 World's Strongest Man was the 34th edition of World's Strongest Man and was held on the campus grounds of Wingate University in Wingate, North Carolina, US. The event was sponsored by MET-Rx. The qualifying heats were scheduled for September 15–18, and the finals on September 21 and 22, 2011.
The 2013 World's Strongest Man was the 36th edition of World's Strongest Man. The event was held in Haitang Bay, Sanya, China, the same host city as the 2006 World's Strongest Man contest. The qualifying heats were held from August 17–20 and the finals on Aug. 23 & 24. The event was sponsored by the Commerce Casino and will be broadcast in the United States on the CBS Sports Network. Brian Shaw from the United States placed first, winning his second WSM title after winning in 2011. Zydrunas Savickas from Lithuania was second after finishing 1st the year before, and Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson from Iceland was third for the second year in a row.
The 2017 World's Strongest Man was the 40th edition of the World's Strongest Man competition. It was held in Gaborone, Botswana from May 20 to 28. The tournament was won by Eddie Hall of the United Kingdom, with Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson of Iceland second and defending champion Brian Shaw of the United States third. Hall announced after the competition that he would not defend his title. Four-time champion Zydrunas Savickas of Lithuania finished in ninth place; this marked the first time in his career that he failed to finish in the top three after qualifying for the final.
The 2018 World's Strongest Man was the 41st edition of the World's Strongest Man competition held in Manila, Philippines from April 28 to May 6, and was won by Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson the first Icelander since Magnús Ver Magnússon in 1996 to win the title. Mateusz Kieliszkowski of Poland finished second and four-time winner Brian Shaw of the United States third.
The 2019 World's Strongest Man was the 42nd edition of the World's Strongest Man competition. It took place in Bradenton, Florida between June 13 and 16. Martins Licis of the United States won the competition for the first time in his career. Mateusz Kieliszkowski of Poland finished second for the second year in a row. Defending champion Hafthor Julius Bjornsson of Iceland finished third, having suffered a torn plantar fascia during the qualifying heats that hampered him throughout the finals.
Tom Ryan Stoltman is a British professional strongman competitor, from Invergordon, Scotland. He is a three time winner of the World's Strongest Man in 2021, 2022, and 2024. He also won the national title of Britain's Strongest Man on the same years. Nicknamed "The Albatross" due to his sizeable arm span, Stoltman is known for his prowess with the Atlas Stones. In 2020, Stoltman broke the world record for the 5 Atlas Stones 100–180 kilograms (220–400 lb) in just 16.01 seconds; he also holds the world record for the heaviest Atlas stone ever lifted over a 1.22 metres (4.0 ft) bar at 286 kilograms (631 lb).
The 2019 Giants Live Wembley was a strongman competition that took place in London, England on July 6, 2019 at the Wembley Arena. This event was part of the 2019 Giants Live tour.
The 2015 Europe's Strongest Man was a strongman competition that took place in Leeds, England on 10 July 2015 at the Headingley Stadium. This event was part of the 2015 Giants live tour.
The 2017 Europe's Strongest Man was a strongman competition that took place in Leeds, England on 1 April 2017 at the First Direct Arena. This event was part of the 2017 Giants live tour.
The 2020 World's Strongest Man was the 43rd edition of the World's Strongest Man competition. It took place in Bradenton, Florida between November 11 and 15. Oleksii Novikov of Ukraine won the competition for the first time in his career, with Tom Stoltman of Great Britain taking second and Jean-François Caron of Canada taking third. At 24 years old, Novikov is the youngest man to win the event since Jón Páll Sigmarsson in 1984.
The 2021 World's Strongest Man was the 44th edition of the World's Strongest Man competition, an event that took place in Sacramento, California from June 15 to June 20, 2021. The defending champion was Oleksii Novikov of Ukraine, though he failed to progress to the final after coming fourth in his heat. In so doing, he became the first World's Strongest Man reigning champion to compete at the following year's event and fail to qualify for the final since Magnús Ver Magnússon in the 1997 competition. The contest was won by Tom Stoltman who improved on his second place finish the previous year. Four-time champion Brian Shaw came second, returning to the podium after a 2 year absence, and Canada's Maxime Boudreault came third.
The 2021 Europe's Strongest Man was a strongman competition that took place in Leeds, England on 4 September 2021 at the First Direct Arena. This event was part of the 2021 Giants live tour.
The 2022 World's Strongest Man was the 45th edition of the World's Strongest Man competition, an event that took place in Sacramento, California from May 24 to May 29, 2022. The contest was won by Tom Stoltman with this being his second consecutive title. Joining him on the podium were the 2019 and 2020 World's Strongest Man winners, Martins Licis and Oleksii Novikov respectively, who tied on points. In the event of a draw, the higher placing athlete in the last event, in this case Licis in the Atlas Stones, wins the tie-breaker.
Kristján Jón Haraldsson is an Icelandic strongman from Reykjavík and the reigning 2 x times Iceland's Strongest Man.
The 2022 Europe's Strongest Man was a strongman competition that took place in Leeds, England on 2 April 2022 at the First Direct Arena. This event was part of the 2022 Giants live tour.
The 2023 Shaw Classic was the 4th edition of the Shaw Classic strongman competition which took place in Loveland, Colorado from 19 to 20 August 2023 at the Budweiser Events Center. The competition included separate professional men's, open men's and open women's categories. This would also be the last event of four times World's Strongest Man and organiser of the competition Brian Shaw's career. The winner of the professional men's category was given the title of The Strongest Man on Earth after Brian acquired the trademark for the phrase from Paul Ohl, the organiser of the now defunct Fortissimus strongman competition.
The 2024 World's Strongest Man was the 47th World's Strongest Man competition that took place in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina from May 1 to 5, 2024.
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Mitchell Hooper 
