Confirmed Events for 2023 World’s Strongest Man Competition

Preview of Upcoming Events for World’s Strongest Man in South Carolina

Written By Tahir Malik

Credited image @theworldsstrongestman (Instagram)

On March 9th, 2023, the World’s Strongest Man (WSM) organization announced the list of events for both the Qualifying Stage and the Final Stage of this year’s competition. The WSM contest is scheduled to take place in Myrtle Beach, SC from April 19-23, 2023, and the athletes are expected to face a series of challenging events throughout the five-day competition.

The 2023 World’s Strongest Man competition is set to feature 10 events, according to a recent announcement. The competition will take place in six different venues across the United States, with the finals being held in Lake Tahoe, California.

The 10 events that the competitors will face include the log press, deadlift, squat, overhead press, car carry, loading race, keg toss, farmer’s walk, yoke carry, and Atlas stones.

This year’s competition will feature 25 athletes from around the world, including four-time World’s Strongest Man champion Hafthor Bjornsson, who is returning to the competition after a two-year hiatus. The competition will also include a number of other top strongmen, including JF Caron, Martins Licis, and Tom Stoltman.

The World’s Strongest Man competition has been held annually since 1977 and is considered the premier event in the sport of strongman. The competition has featured some of the biggest and strongest athletes in the world, and this year’s event is expected to be no different.

The following is a rundown of the anticipated events in sequential order for the 2023 World’s Strongest Man competition:

World’s Strongest Man Events of 2023

As in previous years, the contest takes place across several days of competition. Athletes are challenged to perform multiple events each day, with one day of rest before the Final.

Qualifying Stage — Wednesday, April 19

Event One — Loading Race
Event Two — Deadlift Machine
Event Three — Log Ladder

Qualifying Stage — Thursday, April 20

Event Four — Conan’s Wheel
Event Five — Kettlebell Toss
Event Six — Stone Off

Final — Saturday, April 22

Event One — Fingal’s Fingers
Event Two — KNAACK Deadlift
Event Three — Reign Shield carry

Final — Sunday, April 23

Event Four — Max Dumbbell
Event Five — Vehicle Pull
Event Six — Atlas Stones

It is important to note that the WSM organization has not disclosed the exact weight of the implements or the format of each event. However, it is expected that some events, such as the Stone Off, will remain similar to previous years. In the Stone Off, which is usually the decisive event, the second and third-place finishers from each Qualifying Round compete in an Atlas Stones battle to earn a spot in the Final.

Here are some brief details about each athlete:

Tom Stoltman (United Kingdom) – The two-time defending WSM champion, known for his incredible strength and size.
Pavlo Kordiyaka (Ukraine) – A Ukrainian strongman who has competed in WSM multiple times.
Evan Singleton (United States) – A relatively new face in the WSM scene, but has already made a name for himself as a strong competitor.
Mitchell Hooper (Canada) – A Canadian strongman who has competed in various strongman competitions around the world.
Trey Mitchell (United States) – A young American strongman who has been making waves in the sport.
Adam Bishop (United Kingdom) – A former professional rugby player turned strongman competitor.
Aivars Šmaukstelis (Latvia) – A Latvian strongman who has been competing in WSM for several years.
Kevin Faires (United States) – An American strongman who has competed in various strongman events around the world.
Eythor Ingolfsson Melsted (Iceland) – An Icelandic strongman who has competed in WSM multiple times.
Paul Smith (United Kingdom) – A British strongman who has been competing in WSM for several years.
Rauno Heinla (Estonia) – An Estonian strongman who has competed in WSM multiple times.
Bobby Thompson (United States) – An American strongman who has competed in various strongman events around the world.
Mateusz Kieliszkowski (Poland) – A Polish strongman who has been competing in WSM for several years.
Gavin Bilton (United Kingdom) – A British strongman who has been making a name for himself in the sport.
Spenser Remick (United States) – An American strongman who has competed in various strongman events around the world.
Eddie Williams (Australia) – An Australian strongman who has been competing in WSM for several years.
Pavlo Nakonechnyy (Ukraine) – A Ukrainian strongman who has competed in WSM multiple times.
Konstantine Janashia (Georgia) – A Georgian strongman who has been making a name for himself in the sport.
Graham Hicks (United Kingdom) – A British strongman who has been competing in WSM for several years.
Luke Stoltman (United Kingdom) – The younger brother of Tom Stoltman, also a strongman competitor.
Mathew Ragg (New Zealand) – A New Zealand strongman who has been competing in WSM for several years.
Gabriel Rhéaume (Canada) – A Canadian strongman who has competed in various strongman events around the world.
Brian Shaw (United States) – A four-time WSM champion and one of the most well-known strongmen in the sport.
Jaco Schoonwinkel (South Africa) – A South African strongman who has been competing in WSM for several years.
Mark Felix (Grenada) – A Grenadian strongman who has been competing in WSM for several years.
Fadi El Masri (Lebanon) – A Lebanese strongman who has been making a name for himself in the sport.
*Maxime Boudreault (Canada) – A Canadian strongman who qualified for the competition but had to withdraw

The 2023 WSM will mark the final WSM contest for both Brian Shaw and Mark Felix. Shaw is a four-time WSM champion (2011, 2013, 2015-2016), and Felix has been a longtime competitor. Tom Stoltman is the current reigning champion, having won the title in 2021 and 2022. At the time of writing, Shaw and Stoltman are the only current or former WSM champions on the roster. Past winners like Oleksii Novikov (2020) have not yet been confirmed. This slate could potentially mark the beginning of a new era for the sport of strongman.