Two-time World’s Strongest Man adds one other title to his resume.

Written by Stephen Sheehan, CPT Last updated on October 23, 2023

Squaring off against a stacked lineup of strongman competitors that included Mitchell Hooper, current World’s Strongest man and winner of the 2022 Giants Live World Tour, Tom “The Albatross” Stoltman cemented his case as the very best of the bunch by winning the 2023 Giants Live World Tour Finals.

Showcasing his range of skills across five grueling events, the two-time World’s Strongest Man captured the coveted title on Oct. 21, 2023, in front of a gregarious Glasgow crowd that proudly cheered on each Tom and his older brother, Luke Stoltman, who were born and raised roughly 200 miles north in Invergordon, Scotland. Although Latest Zealand’s Mathew Ragg got here agonizingly near besting the younger Stoltman brother, Ragg ultimately finished three points behind the champion for a hard-fought second-place finish.

Listed below are the ultimate standings from the 2023 Giants Live World Tour Finals:

2023 Giants Live World Tour Finals Standings

1. Tom Stoltman (UK) — 54.5 points
2. Mathew Ragg (Latest Zealand) — 51.5 points
3. Mitchell Hooper (Canada) — 46 points
4. Pavlo Kordiyaka (Ukraine) — 42.5 points
5. Luke Stoltman (UK) — 40.5 points
6. Gavin Bilton (UK) — 34 points
7. Ondřej Fojtů (Czech Republic) — 27.5 points
8. Tyler Cotton (USA) — 22 points
9. Pa O’Dwyer (Ireland) — 22 points
10. Eddie Williams (Australia) — 21 points
11. Conor Curran (UK) — 16.5 points
12. Evans Aryee (Ghana) — 6 points (Withdrew after second event)

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Event Breakdown

Tom Stoltman undoubtedly stole the show with a dominant all-around outing that saw him secure victories in three of the five events. Nonetheless, he definitely wasn’t the one strongman who shined.

Here’s an in depth event-by-event breakdown of the 2023 Giants Live World Tour Finals.

Event One: Max Log Lift

The competition kicked off with a classic strongman event that tested the athletes’ upper-body strength and power. To little surprise, Tom Stoltman took home top honors within the Max Log Lift, becoming the one man to successfully overhead press a 463-pound (210-kilogram) log. Meanwhile, Mitchell Hooper, Pavlo Kordiyaka, Luke Stoltman, and Tyler Cotton each earned 9.5 points by locking out 440.9 kilos (200 kilograms).

Although he didn’t take part in the general competition, Cheick “Iron Biby” Sanou delivered essentially the most impressive rep of all of them by pressing 507.1 kilos (230 kilograms) to set the Log Lift World Record. Sanou also held the previous record, 504.8 kilos (229 kilograms), which he set on the 2021 edition of the competition.

1. Tom Stoltman — 463 kilos (210 kilograms)
2. Mitchell Hooper — 440.9 kilos (200 kilograms)
3. Pavlo Kordiyaka — 440.9 kilos (200 kilograms)
4. Luke Stoltman — 440.9 kilos (200 kilograms)
5. Tyler Cotton — 440.9 kilos (200 kilograms)
6. Mathew Ragg — 410.1 kilos (186 kilograms)
7. Ondřej Fojtů — 410.1 kilos (186 kilograms)
8. Gavin Bilton — 374.8 kilos (170 kilograms)
9. Eddie Williams — 374.8 kilos (170 kilograms)
10. Evans Aryee — 374.8 kilos (170 kilograms)
11. Pa O’Dwyer — No Lift
12. Conor Curran — No Lift

Event Two: Sandbag Steeplechase

A staple in Giants Live competitions, the second event required the athletes to choose up, carry, and throw two 330.7-pound (150-kilogram) sandbags over a waist-high pole. As if that wasn’t difficult enough, they then needed to go around to the opposite side of the pole, lift the sandbags again, and cargo them onto a platform.

Proving he had the precise combination of brute strength and fleet feet, Tom Stoltman took home his second straight victory by completing the course in slightly below 30 seconds. He narrowly edged out 2023 Europe’s Strongest Man Pavlo Kordiyaka, who finished in second place by just over half a second.

1. Tom Stoltman — 29.92 seconds
2. Pavlo Kordiyaka — 30.48 seconds
3. Mathew Ragg — 31.41 seconds
4. Luke Stoltman — 33.62 seconds
5. Ondřej Fojtů — 34.44 seconds
6. Mitchell Hooper — 34.63 seconds
7. Conor Curran — 35.30 seconds
8. Gavin Bilton — 36.81 seconds
9. Pa O’Dwyer — 36.84 seconds
10. Tyler Cotton — 37.76 seconds
11. Evans Aryee — 38.22 seconds
12. Eddie Williams — 42.16 seconds

Event Three: Axle Deadlift

The third event revolved around the great ol’ deadlift. Only on this case, the burden was loaded onto an axle — a thicker, stiffer, and tougher implement to utilize in comparison with a normal barbell. Competitors needed to perform as many repetitions as possible with 771.6 kilos (350 kilograms), and for the primary time on the day, Tom Stoltman didn’t finish ahead of the pack.

Six-time Latest Zealand’s Strongest Man Mathew Ragg starred on this deadlift challenge, pulling off eight reps and securing the utmost amount of points. Overall, only 4 of the 12 competitors accomplished at the very least five reps.

1. Mathew Ragg — Eight reps
2. Tom Stoltman — Seven reps
3. Mitchell Hooper — Seven reps
4. Gavin Bilton — Five reps
5. Pavlo Kordiyaka — 4 reps
6. Luke Stoltman — 4 reps
7. Ondřej Fojtů — 4 reps
8. Pa O’Dwyer — 4 reps
9. Eddie Williams — 4 reps
10. Tyler Cotton — Three reps
11. Conor Curran — Three reps
12. Evans Aryee — Withdrew

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Event 4: Conan’s Wheel

The penultimate event proved to be essentially the most difficult for the eventual champion. Conan’s Wheel required the strongmen to choose up a metal beam fixed to a middle point and spin it around so far as possible without letting it hit the ground. After ending in first in two of the primary three events, Tom Stoltman slipped to fifth.

Then again, Mathew Ragg continued to construct momentum from the Axle Deadlift, completing almost two and a half revolutions (845 degrees) before bowing out. The Latest Zealand native needed every step to secure a narrow victory, as Mitchell Hooper got here inside 4 degrees of a first-place tie, settling for second with 841 degrees. Pavlo Kordiyaka (820 degrees) and Ireland’s Pa O’Dwyer (756 degrees) were the one other competitors who surpassed two full revolutions.

1. Mathew Ragg — 845 degrees
2. Mitchell Hooper — 841 degrees
3. Pavlo Kordiyaka — 820 degrees
4. Pa O’Dwyer — 756 degrees
5. Tom Stoltman — 618 degrees
6. Gavin Bilton — 608 degrees
7. Luke Stoltman — 562 degrees
8. Ondřej Fojtů — 553 degrees
9. Conor Curran — 506 degrees
10. Eddie Williams — 471 degrees
11. Tyler Cotton — 425 degrees

Event Five: Castle Stones

The ultimate event featured five gargantuan stones starting from 264.6 kilos (120 kilograms) to 440.9 kilos (200 kilograms). In a test of each strength and coordination, the athletes had to choose every one up and cargo it onto a platform within the fastest time possible. 4 of the five strongmen accomplished the circuit, but Tom Stoltman shockingly needed lower than 20 seconds to secure his spot atop the rostrum.

While Mathew Ragg did well to load all five Atlas stones in 28.81 seconds, he finished nearly 10 seconds behind. Luke Stoltman and Gavin Bilton also succeeded in getting that 440.9-pound stone onto the platform. Nonetheless, the previous took nearly double the time as his brother to perform that feat.

1. Tom Stoltman — Five in 19.23 seconds
2. Mathew Ragg — Five in 28.81 seconds
3. Luke Stoltman — Five in 37.56 seconds
4. Gavin Bilton — Five in 41.64 seconds
5. Mitchell Hooper — 4 in 19.32 seconds
6. Eddie Williams — 4 in 23.71 seconds
7. Pavlo Kordiyaka — 4 in 25.94 seconds
8. Tyler Cotton — 4 in 29.13 seconds
9. Pa O’Dwyer — 4 in 50.11 seconds
10. Ondřej Fojtů — Three in 42.16 seconds

By winning three of the five events — including one in exceedingly dominant fashion — Tom Stoltman left little doubt about who deserved to face atop the rostrum on the 2023 Giants Live World Tour Finals. Still, it’s secure to say that Mathew Ragg raised some eyebrows by pushing the champion to the brink in what essentially amounted to a two-man race for the title. With the 2023 Rogue Strongman Invitational right across the corner on Oct. 27-28, let’s see if Stoltman keeps the train rolling.

Featured Image: @giantslivestrongman / Instagram