Life
Born in Barrie, Ontario, Mitchell Hooper is a Canadian strength athlete and exercise physiology clinician. He is a 2022 World’s Strongest Man finalist, despite never having competed internationally prior to that contest, and has deadlifted the 3rd heaviest weight in strongman history of 475kg/1,047lb.
At 1.93m (6’ 4”) and 140kg (308lb), Mitchell is not as densely muscled as many of his massive competitors but has shown huge static strength, as well as an ability to move at lightening speed, under load. He is a tremendously versatile athletes who has competed in several sports prior to strongman, including American football, golf, marathon running and ice hockey.
Career
Hooper’s sporting background involves 10 years of Ice Hockey, which is quite common for Canadians, as well as a period in high-level golf before settling to play football at the University of Guelph. His transition into lifting came as a result of a weight loss regime that saw him enter a men’s physique contest in Barrie, Ontario. Mitchell lost 40kg/88lb and after a brief spell running marathons (his best time was an impressive 3 hours 24 minutes) he began powerlifting whilst completing his master’s degree in Sydney, Australia.
Hooper competed at national and state level, establishing national records lifting raw in the -120kg weight class. He began strongman competitions around this time and was able to win everything he entered, instantly displaying world class performances in yoke and farmer’s walk/medley events.
During 2021 Hooper was able to drastically improve his already brilliant deadlift. His meteoric development in what is regarded as possibly the greatest test of strength, culminated in him successfully deadlifting 475kg/1,047lb at the Excalibur Max Deadlift Exhibition. This performance grabbed the strength community’s attention, resulting in his invite to the 2022 World’s Strongest Man contest, where his efforts stunned fans and competitors alike.
Best Title
In a strength career of just three years, in the middle of a global pandemic, it is not surprising that Mitchell’s competition resume is a touch on the light side. Incredibly, his 2022 World’s Strongest Man appearance was his first full international strongman contest.
The Canadian rookie was able to win his heat in Sacramento, beating 4-time World’s Strongest Man, Brian Shaw (USA) into second place. Hooper was able to take event wins in the Loading Race (he produced the fastest time for completing the course across all 5 heats), deadlift Ladder and Car Walk, then take a joint 1st place in the Log Lift.
Competition Results
Powerlifting
Best Lifts
Competition Lifts
Training lifts
Present Day
Hooper is fully committed to being the best strength athlete he can be. His 2022 World’s Strongest Man appearance has caused quite a sensation in the strongman community and Hooper will be in high demand for future shows.
The Canadian is confirmed to compete at the 2022 Giants Live Strongman Classic at The Royal Albert Hall on July 9th, 2022. He is also due to compete at the Giants Live World Open and Deadlift World Championships on August 6th at Cardiff’s Motorpoint Arena.
He has promised to establish a new world record in the deadlift and to consign both Eddie Hall’s 500kg/1,102lb and Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson’s 501kg/1,105lb lifts to the history books.
Media
Mitchell has an extensive media presence including accounts on Facebook: Mitchell Hooper Strength Athlete, Instagram: @mitchellhooper, where he has 16k followers and on YouTube where his channel, Mitchell Hooper has 5.66k subscribers. He also has his own website: www.mitchellhooperstrongman.com.
There are a multitude of YouTube videos available either profiling, interviewing, or showing highlights from Hooper’s training and competing. Mitchell has recently appeared on the Giants Live Strongman podcast, following his exploits at the 2022 World’s Strongest Man finals, which will be aired on UK television’s Channel 5, over the festive period.
