Strength athletics in the United States refers to the various strongman events throughout United States and North America in the sport of strength athletics in association with the World's Strongest Man ("WSM") contest. America has both an amateur and a professional sanctioning body.
American Strongman Corporation ("ASC") is the sole sanctioning body for all professional American strength athletes and organizes the annual America's Strongest Man contest, [1] as well as the NAS US Amateur National Championships, the winner of which receives their pro card to compete in professional contests. [2] North American Strongman ("NASM") organizes the majority of the amateur contests in the United States, and holds pro qualifier events and national championship events throughout the year with men's, woman's, teen's and master's divisions as well as lightweight and heavyweight classes similar to ASC.
United States Strongman [3] is a relatively new organization.
2021 | |
Tournament information | |
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Location | United States |
Established | 1997 |
Format | Multi-event competition |
Current champion | |
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America's Strongest Man is an annual strongman competition held in the United States and featuring only American athletes. The contest was established in 1997, with Mark Philippi winning the inaugural contest.
Champion | Times |
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![]() | 2 |
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2014 | |
Tournament information | |
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Location | various locations, North America |
Established | 1992 |
Format | Multi-event competition |
Current champion | |
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North America's Strongest Man is an annual strongman competition consisting of athletes from both United States and Canada. The event was established in 1992. [4]
The Amateur US Nationals were created in 1997 and are held annually in various locations throughout the United States, with the winner of each weight class earning their pro card to compete professionally. Traditionally, the winner of the men's heavyweight class will go on to compete in major national and international strongman contests such as the World's Strongest Man and the Arnold Strongman Classic. [2]
Year | Winner | Venue |
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2004 | ![]() | |
2005 | ![]() | Louisville, Kentucky |
2009 | ![]() | Carencro, Louisiana |
2010 | ![]() | Reno, Nevada |
2011 | ![]() | Tunica, Mississippi |
Riku Kiri is a Finnish former strongman and powerlifter, best known for competing in the World's Strongest Man competition, narrowly missing out on capturing the title on more than one occasion. He has been referred to as: "the strongest man never to win World's Strongest Man."
Jouko Ahola is a Finnish former strongman, powerlifter and actor. He is a two time World's Strongest Man winner, a two time Europe's Strongest Man winner, and is regarded as one of the best pound for pound strongmen in history.
World's Strongest Woman is an annual strongwoman contest, and considered the pinnacle for female competitors and recognized as the world championships. The format was similar to the World's Strongest Man (WSM) contest, and was held during the same time and same location as WSM from 2001 to 2003.
Derek Anthony Poundstone is an American police officer, former professional strongman and strength coach from Woodbridge, Connecticut. He was the runner-up at the 2008 World's Strongest Man, a two-time Arnold Strongman Classic champion, and a three-time winner of America's Strongest Man. Poundstone is also a high-ranking officer for the Naugatuck, Connecticut Police Department and is the former owner and landlord of an apartment complex and gym.
Travis Ortmayer is an American professional Strongman athlete from Cypress, Texas. He is nicknamed the Texas Stoneman due to his many world records in the Atlas Stone event.
Nick Best is an American professional strongman competitor and world champion powerlifter.
The Arnold Strongman Classic is an annual competition featuring strength athletes from all over the world, determining who is the Strongest Man in the World. Created by Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jim Lorimer and Terry Todd, it is an offshoot of the Arnold Sports Festival which takes place annually in Columbus, Ohio, USA.
Manfred Hoeberl is an Austrian former strongman and powerlifter who was known as having the largest arms in the world during the early-mid 1990s. Hoeberl was born in the same town as bodybuilding legend and former Governor of California, Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Giants Live was created in 2009 as the official Tour that qualifies strongmen to compete in the annual World's Strongest Man contest. At each Grand Prix, up to twelve international strongmen come together and compete over six events. The top three at each contest will receive an invitation to compete at the World's Strongest Man contest for that same year.
Louis-Phillipe Jean is a Canadian strongman competitor and entrant to the World's Strongest Man competition on multiple occasions.
Gerrit Badenhorst is a former WPC world champion powerlifter and professional strongman competitor from South Africa.
Strength athletics in Canada refers to the various strongman events throughout Canada and its provinces in the sport of [strength athletics] in association with the World's Strongest Man. The roots of strongman in Canada go back long before the birth of WSM in 1977, particularly with [Louis Cyr] in the early 1900s, who was deemed the "Strongest Man on Earth" during his lifetime. Four Canadian athletes have finished on the podium, placing 2nd in 1982 with Tom Magee and 3rd in 2005 with Dominic Filiou, Jean-François Caron placing 3rd in 2020, and Maxime Boudreault placing 3rd in 2021. The provinces of Canada hold annual championships with the top 2-4 athletes going on to the National Championships at the end of the year to crown Canada's Strongest Man. Mitchell “Moose” Hooper's win in WSM 2023 makes him the first Canadian to finish in first place.
Strength athletics in Norway refers to the participation of Norwegian competitors in the field of strength athletics in association with the World's Strongest Man.
Strength athletics in Finland refers to the participation of Finnish competitors and events in the field of strength athletics in association with the World's Strongest Man.
Tomi Lotta is a Finnish strongman competitor. He has competed in both the World's Strongest Man and IFSA Strongman World Championships, but failed to make the finals in both events. His career best win is the 2004 Finland's Strongest Man title. He is known by his nickname "the Finnish Beach Boy". Lotta officially broke the Guinness world record for the forward hold while competing in Rome on March 5, 2010. His record setting time was 20 kg(44 lbs.) for 76.73 seconds.
Strongest Man of the Netherlands is an annual strongman competition held in the Netherlands and featuring exclusively Dutch athletes. The contest was established in 1979, with Gerard Du Prie winning the inaugural contest. Berend Veneberg and Jarno Hams hold the record for most wins with 7. Kelvin de Ruiter holds 4 wins, Ted van der Parre holds 3 wins, and Ab Wolders and Gerard Du Prie each have 2 wins in the contest.
Christian Savoie is a leading Canadian strongman competitor and entrant to the World's Strongest Man competition on multiple occasions.
Strength athletics in Iceland refers to the participation of Icelandic competitors and the holding of Icelandic events in the modern phenomenon of strength athletics inaugurated by the World's Strongest Man. The sport's roots have a long and ancient history going back many centuries with the legends of Orm Storolfsson and Grettir Ásmundarson to the 19th century traditional strongmen including Snorri Björnsson, Brynjólfur Eggertsson and Gunnar Salómonsson; before the televisation of strongman competitions in the late 1970s.
Mike Jenkins was an American professional strongman competitor from Westminster, Maryland. Jenkins worked as a high school athletics director at Milton Hershey School in Hershey Pa, when not competing as a strongman. He was a college and professional football player before switching over to strongman competition in 2007. He won the Maryland's Strongest Man contest in 2007 which qualified him for the North American amateur national strongman championships later that year and he placed sixth in that contest. He placed second in the North American nationals in 2009.
Rebecca Roberts, is a Welsh strongwoman and grip athlete, current UK's Strongest Woman 2023 and winner of the 2021 and 2023 World's Strongest Woman competition. She regained the title of 'World's Strongest Woman' after winning at the Official Strongman games in West Virginia December 2023, becoming one of only 4 women in history to become a multiple Worlds Strongest Woman champion.
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