The 2023 World’s Strongest Nation event happened on November 18th in Liverpool, England, at the M&S Bank Arena. This was the second time for this special competition, and it was a hit last year. This year’s showdown was just as exciting. Team USA and Team UK faced off in different events to see who would win the 2023 World’s Strongest Nation title. In the end, Team USA came out on top.
Back in 2022, Team UK did better than Team USA, and that motivated them to do even better this year. Under the leadership of Martins Licis, Team USA made a strong comeback. Even though Team UK had a great team, they couldn’t beat the impressive Strongmen and Strongwomen from the USA.
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The Rules
Let’s talk about how the competition worked. The teams earned three points for winning an event, and the other team got zero. The goal for each team was to gather as many points as possible before the final event, the Power Stairs. The points decided who got a head start on the Power Stairs. Each point ahead meant a 0.5-second advantage. The team winning the Power Stairs would be declared the overall winner.
Bonus Point: One bonus point went to the team whose athletes did the best in an event.
Joker Card: Each team could play a Joker Card in one event, doubling their points for that event (Win = 6 points).
2023 World’s Strongest Nation Official Results
Event 1 : Team Sandbag Steeplechase
In the initial challenge of the 2023 World’s Strongest Nation, athletes had to carry and load hefty sandbags. The aim was to finish the course as quickly as possible.
After combining the times for both teams, Team USA emerged more than half a minute faster overall. Additionally, Evan Singleton stood out as the top performer, clocking in at an impressive 17.56 seconds and securing another bonus point for Team USA.
It’s worth mentioning that Inez Carrasquillo took on the event twice, stepping in for Gabi Dixson.
Collective Team Results
| Team | Time | Points |
|---|---|---|
| Team USA | 2:39.39 | +3 |
| Team UK | 3:13.87 |
Individual Results
| Rank | Athlete | Time | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Evan Singleton | 17.56 s | +1 |
| 2 | Gavin Bilton | 17.66 s | |
| 3 | Luke Stoltman | 18.00 s | |
| 4 | Tom Stoltman | 18.12 s | |
| 5 | Inez Carrasquillo | 18.19 s | |
| 6 | Inez Carrasquillo | 18.20 s | |
| 7 | Erin Murray | 19.59 s | |
| 8 | Rebecca Roberts | 19.99 s | |
| 9 | Kevin Faires | 20.44 s | |
| 10 | Spenser Remick | 21.39 s | |
| 11 | Rob Kearney | 21.39 s | |
| 12 | Nadia Stowers | 22.63 s | |
| 13 | Donna Moore | 24.43 s | |
| 14 | Mark Felix | 29.63 s | |
| 15 | Lucy Underdown | 32.47 s | |
| 16 | Andrea Thompson | 33.57 s |
Event 2: Farmer’s Carry
Similar to the first event, the Farmer’s Carry in the 2023 World’s Strongest Nation required athletes to finish the task as quickly as possible. Their challenge was to lift two heavy objects and carry them the length of the course.
Although the gap between the teams wasn’t as significant as in the first event, Team USA still secured the victory. They were nine seconds faster overall, and Evan Singleton earned another bonus point by completing the event in an impressive 18.19 seconds—almost two seconds quicker than the 2x WSM, Tom Stoltman.
Collective Team Results
| Team | Time | Points |
|---|---|---|
| Team USA | 3:04.90 | +3 |
| Team UK | 3:13.65 |
Individual Results
| Rank | Athlete | Time | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Evan Singleton | 18.10 s | +1 |
| 2 | Tom Stoltman | 19.94 s | |
| 3 | Luke Stoltman | 20.11 s | |
| 4 | Kevin Faires | 20.36 s | |
| 5 | Rebecca Roberts | 20.87 s | |
| 6 | Martins Licis | 21.12 s | |
| 7 | Gabi Dixson | 21.48 s | |
| 8 | Inez Carrasquillo | 21.68 s | |
| 9 | Andrea Thompson | 21.87 s | |
| 10 | Spenser Remick | 23.26 s | |
| 11 | Erin Murray | 24.65 s | |
| 12 | Gavin Bilton | 25.17 s | |
| 13 | Lucy Underdown | 26.55 s | |
| 14 | Mark Felix | 26.61 s | |
| 15 | Donna Moore | 32.53 s | |
| 16 | Nadia Stowers | 34.25 s |
Event 3: Head-to-Head Axle Deadlift
The format for the third event in the 2023 World’s Strongest Nation contest was different. Instead of focusing on time, the athletes had to aim for as many reps as possible in the Axle Deadlift. Additionally, only four athletes from each team participated in this event, unlike previous ones where all members took part.
Team UK had their moment of glory, with their five members completing a total of 28 repetitions. In contrast, Team USA achieved 23 repetitions. The standout difference was Lucy Underdown, who completed an impressive 13 repetitions on her own. This wasn’t surprising, considering she is the current World Record Holder. Lucy’s outstanding performance earned a bonus point for Team UK.
Collective Team Results
| Team | Reps | Points |
|---|---|---|
| Team UK | 28 | +3 |
| Team USA | 23 |
Individual Results
| Rank | Athlete | Reps | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lucy Underdown | 13 | +1 |
| 2 | Gabi Dixson | 10 | |
| 3 | Andrea Thompson | 8 | |
| 4 | Nadia Stowers | 6 | |
| 5 | Gavin Bilton | 4 | |
| 6 | Rob Kearney | 4 | |
| 7 | Evan Singleton | 3 | |
| 8 | Tom Stoltman | 3 |
Event 4: Head-to-Head Circus Dumbbell
After assessing quickness, endurance, and various aspects of strength, it was time for athletes to showcase their upper body power on the Circus Dumbbell. This event required competitors to overhead press a substantial dumbbell with one arm, aiming for as many reps as possible. Once again, each team selected four athletes to participate.
Team USA reclaimed their winning momentum, with nearly all their members securing one more repetition than their counterparts from Team UK. Team USA emerged victorious with a total of 22 repetitions. Evan Singleton stood out with seven reps, earning his team an additional bonus point.
To add to their success, Martins Licis, the captain of Team USA, played the Joker Card. Since his team won the event, their points were doubled, making their victory worth six points, coupled with an extra point from Singleton.
Collective Team Results
| Team | Reps | Points |
|---|---|---|
| Team USA | 22 | +6 (Joker) |
| Team UK | 19 |
Individual Results
| Rank | Athlete | Reps | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Evan Singleton | 7 | +1 |
| 2 | Andrea Thompson | 6 | |
| 3 | Rob Kearney | 6 | |
| 4 | Luke Stoltman | 6 | |
| 5 | Inez Carrasquillo | 5 | |
| 6 | Donna Moore | 4 | |
| 7 | Nadia Stowers | 4 | |
| 8 | Gavin Bilton | 3 |
Event 5: Wrecking Ball Hold
Grip strength endurance faced another challenge at the 2023 World’s Strongest Nation competition in the Wrecking Ball Hold Event. Contestants were tasked with standing upright while tightly gripping a metal beam with a Wrecking Ball attached, aiming to hold on for as long as possible. The team with the longest cumulative times would secure the win.
Team UK gained more points and closed the gap with their rivals after the Wrecking Ball Hold. Their final total time reached 4:23.30, which was over 20 seconds longer than Team USA’s performance.
Even though Team UK won the event and earned 3 points, Kevin Faires still contributed a point for Team USA. He was the standout individual performer, holding the Wrecking Ball for nearly two minutes.
Collective Team Results
| Team | Time | Points |
|---|---|---|
| Team UK | 4:23.30 | +3 |
| Team USA | 4:01.84 |
Individual Results
| Rank | Athlete | Time | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kevin Faires | 113.00 s | +1 |
| 2 | Mark Felix | 97.38 s | |
| 3 | Evan Singleton | 75.99 s | |
| 4 | Gavin Bilton | 62.02 s | |
| 5 | Rebecca Roberts | 57.47 s | |
| 6 | Lucy Underdown | 46.43 s | |
| 7 | Nadia Stowers | 46.10 s | |
| 8 | Gabi Dixson | 6.84 s |
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Event 6: Tug-of-War
The last chance for Teams to earn valuable points before the Power Stairs was the Tug-of-War. In this straightforward event, the teams grabbed opposite ends of a rope and pulled.
Team UK secured victory in all three rounds of the Tug-of-War, earning the associated points. As there were no individual performances, no bonus points were awarded. However, Eddie Hall, Team UK’s captain, played his Joker Card on this event, doubling their win’s value to six points instead of the usual three.
Collective Results
| Team | Round Wins | Points |
|---|---|---|
| Team UK | 3 | +6 (Joker) |
| Team USA | 0 |
Final Event: Team Power Stairs
The Power Stairs marked the concluding event of the competition, requiring athletes to lift heavy implements up a flight of stairs. The team completing the sequence faster would be crowned the 2023 World’s Strongest Nation.
Entering the final event, Team USA (16) had a three-point advantage over Team UK (13). This translated to a 1.5-second head start for Team USA on the Power Stairs. Though it might not sound like much, this head start proved crucial. Team USA maintained their lead throughout the race and emerged as the winners of the 2023 World’s Strongest Nation.
Collective Results
| Team | Time | Points |
|---|---|---|
| Team USA | – | – |
| Team UK | – | – |
Winner: Team USA
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Team USA delivered an outstanding performance in the initial events of the 2023 World’s Strongest Nation, suggesting they would enter the Power Stairs with a substantial lead. Nevertheless, Team UK added a thrilling twist to the show by narrowing the gap and reducing the difference to just three points. This set the stage for an engaging final event, contributing to an overall fantastic and competitive competition.
Overview
The 2023 World’s Strongest Nation, held at Liverpool’s M&S Bank Arena, witnessed an intense showdown between Team USA and Team UK on November 18. In this second edition of the competition, Team USA, led by Martins Licis, made a triumphant comeback after their 2022 defeat. The format comprised multiple events, each contributing points, culminating in a gripping finale—Power Stairs. Team USA ultimately secured victory, showcasing exceptional strength and determination. The competition highlighted outstanding performances and fierce competition between the two powerhouse teams.
Featured Image @giantslivestrongman (Instagram)
