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The 2021 World's Strongest Man officially kicked off in Sacramento, California, on Tuesday, June 15. In all, 25 of the strongest men on the planet gathered to find out who the strongest would be over the next six days. You can read our preview of the competition, then check back here for daily results and highlights.
Day 1 Highlights
Event 1: Loading Medley Race
The athletes were placed into five groups to battle it out for ten finals positions. For the first event, the competitors' job is to carry two wine barrels weighing 225 pounds each, a 275-pound anvil, and an 825-pound rickshaw frame 10 meters in the fastest time possible.
The standout athlete was Tom Stoltman from Scotland, who competed in Group Two. He completed the event in 46 seconds, which was the fastest time out of all athletes. The five winners are below. Unfortunately, Luke Richardson, competing in Group Three, had to withdraw due to a biceps injury.
- Group One: Maxime Boudreault, 1 minute
- Group Two: Tom Stoltman, 46 seconds
- Group Three: Robert Oberst, 3 implements completed plus 11 meters on the fourth
- Group Four: Konstantine Janashia, 3 implements completed plus 7 meters on the fourth
- Group Five: Kevin Faires, 59 seconds
Event 2/3: Squats/Deadlifts for Reps
Groups One and Three had to perform squats for reps with 700 pounds, while Groups Two, Four, and Five had to work with 750-pound deadlifts for reps. The squats were first, where Group One competitors four-time champion Brian Shaw and Aivars Smaukstelis shared top honors by performing 10 repetitions each.
- Squat, Group 1: Brian Shaw and Aivars Smaukstelis - 10 repetitions
- Squat, Group 3: J.F. Caron - 11 repetitions
- Deadlift, Group 2: Mark Felix, Tom Stoltman, Trey Mitchell - tied with 8 reps each
- Deadlift, Group 4: Adam Bishop - 9 repetitions
- Deadlift, Group 5: Bobby Thompson - 9 repetitions
Day 2 Highlights
Day 2 began with two athletes withdrawing. Terry Hollands suffered a biceps injury, and not only withdrew, but announced his retirement from future WSM contests. South Africa's Chris van der Linde is now out of the competition due to a nondisclosed issue. Both men were in Group Four.
Event 4: Fingal's Fingers (Groups One, Four, Five)
The five fingers weigh between 320 and 380 pounds. Competitors had to successfully flip over all five in the quickest time possible.
Three of the five groups competed in this event. Brian Shaw, Nick Best's pick to win this year's WSM, was the only man to flip all five fingers. Other winners were as follows:
- Group One: Brian Shaw, 40.47 seconds
- Group Four: Jerry Pritchett, 4 fingers in 41.19 seconds
- Group Five: Oleksii Novikov, 4 fingers in 28.44 seconds
Event 5: Train Pull (Groups Two and Three)
The original concept was for the competitors in Groups Two and Three to pull the 50-ton combination of the front and caboose of the train, similar to a harness drag. Brake issues with the front car led organizers to make a change; the competitors were asked to push the 25-ton caboose of the train, like the world's toughest sled push.
- Group Two: Johnny Hansson, 35.86 seconds
- Group Three: Eythór Ingólfsson Melsted, 37 seconds
Day 3 Highlights
Event 6: Overhead Press Medley
Lifters had to clean and press two dumbbells weighing 210 and 220 pounds, a single circus barbell at 342 pounds, and an axle barbell at 360 pounds in the fastest time possible, up to 75 seconds.
- Group One: Brian Shaw, 34.72 seconds
- Group Two: Trey Mitchell, 29.77 seconds
- Group Three: J.F. Caron, 33.72 seconds
- Group Four: Konstantine Janashia, 3 implements in 48.42 seconds
- Group Five: Bobby Thompson, 43.43 seconds
Event 7: Pickaxe Hold
Each athlete had to hold a 60-pound pickaxe at arm's length straight out and extended for the maximum time possible.
- Group One: Aivars Smaukstelis, 32.51 seconds
- Group Two: Trey Mitchell, 46.13 seconds
- Group Three: Robert Oberst, 48.03 seconds
- Group Four: Jerry Pritchett, 35.39 seconds
- Group Five: Bobby Thompson, 41.62 seconds
At this point in the competition, five athletes were already qualified for the Finals:
- Brian Shaw
- Trey Mitchell
- J.F. Caron
- Konstantine Janashia
- Bobby Thompson
Event 8: Stone Off
The other five athletes to make the finals were determined by a "stone off." The second and third place finishers in each group first faced off, with each man having to lift six atlas stones ranging from 310 to 465 pounds. The competitor who lifted the heaviest stone, or who lifted the sixth stone the greatest number of times, advanced to the finals.
The winners are:
- Maxime Boudreault def. Aivars Smaukstelis
- Tom Stoltman def. Mark Felix
- Eythór Ingólfsson Melsted def. Robert Oberst
- Adam Bishop def. Jerry Pritchett
- Luke Stoltman def. Kevin Faires
Surprisingly, 2020 champion Oleksii Novikov was among the athletes eliminated from the competition. He is the first reigning champion to fail at making the finals the following year since 1996 winner Magnus ver Magnusson in 1997.
Day 4 Highlights
After three days of qualifying events, the ten strongest men on the planet have been determined. June 18th served as a much needed rest day, but the first day of the finals is now in the books, and history was made during this competition.
Finals Event 1: Giants Medley
The opening event of the finals was a medley event. The athletes had to carry a 970-pound super yoke down a 10-meter course, and then they had to return to the starting line to pick up a 772-pound frame and carry it 15 meters. Both implements had to be completed within one minute. “The Albatross” Tom Stoltman was the winner of this event.
- First Place: Tom Stoltman, 18.36 seconds
- Second Place: Konstantine Janashia, 20.31 seconds
- Third Place: Brian Shaw, 20.53 seconds
Finals Event 2: Titans Turntable
A 30-ton train sat in the middle of a turntable with a handle on the end. Competitors had 75 seconds to turn the table with the train a total of 30 meters around the circle. Tom Stoltman once again came out victorious.
- First Place: Tom Stoltman, 46.89 seconds
- Second Place: Trey Mitchell, 52.34 seconds
- Third Place: Eythor Ingolfsson Melsted, 52.83 seconds
At this stage Tom Stoltman had 20 points for the overall lead. His older brother, Luke Stoltman, was tied with Brian Shaw for second place with 13 points each. They are the first brothers to be first and second in the standings at any point in the Finals.
Finals Event 3: Reign Keg Toss
The athletes were tasked with tossing a 15-kilogram (33 pounds) keg as high as possible over a crossbar. The crossbar moved up as the athletes took their turns. When they failed twice, they were eliminated. The last man standing was the winner. Four-time World’s Strongest Man Brian Shaw not only took the win here, but he broke his own world record of 7.25 meters by tossing the keg 7.75 meters (25 feet, 5.1 inches)!
- First Place: Brian Shaw, 7.75 meters
- Second Place (Tie): Tom Stoltman, 7.5 meters
- Second Place (Tie): Maxime Boudreault, 7.5 meters
After the first day of competition, here is how the top three athletes are positioned. Three more events will decide the 2021 World's Strongest Man winner by the end of Father's Day!
- First Place: Tom Stoltman, 28.5 points
- Second Place: Brian Shaw, 23 points
- Third Place: Maxime Boudreault, 18 points
Day 5 Highlights
The final day of the World's Strongest Man started with Tom Stoltman in the lead, followed by four-time winner Brian Shaw in second place and Maxime Boudreault in third. Whatever was left for the athletes to give, they had to give it here.
Finals Event 3: Max Log Press
The first event of the final day of competition was the Max Log Press. The objective is to press the heaviest weight possible on the log overhead to a complete lockout until the judge gives the "down" command. A Stoltman won this event, but it was actually the older brother, Luke Stoltman who took the event victory!
- First Place: Luke Stoltman, 215 kilograms/474 pounds
- Second Place (tie): Bobby Thompson/Brian Shaw/Trey Mitchell, 205 kilograms/452 pounds
Finals Event 4: Deadlift for Reps
Competitors competed two at a time, lifting unwieldy boxes weighing 760 pounds, with the objective being to perform as many reps as possible in one minute. The top three in this event all tied for first place; Adam Bishop, Trey Mitchell, and J.F. Caron all got 10 repetitions each. However, Brian Shaw got 9 reps, which was one more rep than Tom Stoltman who was the overall leader. That meant the final event of the competition would determine the champion.
- First Place (tie): Adam Bishop/J.F. Caron, Trey Mitchell, 10 repetitions each
Finals Event 5: Atlas Stone-Off
A strongman tradition, the Atlas Stones is the final event. The five stones range in weight from 310 to 465 pounds, and the man who can lift all five stones to their respective podiums in the quickest time wins.
Both Tom Stoltman and Brian Shaw are proficient in this event and faced off in the final pairing. Tom Stoltman won the overall event with a lightning-quick time of 20.21 seconds. Thus, Scotland's Tom Stoltman is the 2021 World's Strongest Man!
- First Place: Tom Stoltman, 20.21 seconds
- Second Place: Maxime Boudreault, 28.63 seconds
- Third Place: Brian Shaw, 31.45 seconds
Final Points Standings
- First place: Tom Stoltman, 45.5 points
- Second place: Brian Shaw, 42.5 points
- Third place: Maxime Boudreault, 36.5 points
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