The SBD World’s Strongest Man 2021 Heats and Grand Final all begin on Sunday 27th December on Channel 5 at 7.00pm where you’ll be able to see the newly crown World’s Strongest Man 2021.
The 5 Qualifying Heats run from the 27th to the 31st December on Ch5 in the UK
The 2021 WSM (World’s Strongest Man) Grand Final airs at 7pm, January 1st 2022, in Great Britain (Ch5).
You can watch them on Channel 5.
SPOILER ALERT: Do not read on unless you want to read about the results of the World’s Strongest Man 2021.
If you want to know the results of WSM 2021 and who could become the world’s strongest person ever then read on..
Last chance to turn away… OK, so this is how WSM 2021 went down:
Scotland’s Tom Stoltman, the “Invergordon Goliath,” won the 2021 World’s Strongest Man Final held from 15th to the 20th June 2021 in Sacramento, California, USA.
He beat 4-time winner Brian Shaw (USA) in the strongest man competition, who came 2nd and Maxime Boudreault of Canada was 3rd.
Tom Stoltman finished 2nd in the 2020 World’s Strongest Man finals, so was one of the favourites going into the finals.
Tom Stoltman managed to add the Britain’s Strongest Man 2021 title to his list of achievements, capturing the title at the Utilita Arena, Sheffield on the 23rd October.
Tom Stoltman, 27, is the younger of the Stoltman brothers who have dominated global strongman in the past two seasons.
Older brother Luke, 37, won Europe’s Strongest Man at the First Direct Arena in Leeds, in September 2021.
The brothers are the first to ever both qualify for the World’s Strongest Man finals, a feat they accomplished in 2019.
Oleksii Novikov, of the Ukraine won the 2020 World’s Strongest Man title in Bradenton, Florida in November 2020. After winning his heat he defeated Tom Stoltman of Great Britain, who placed 2nd and Jean-Francois-Caron of Canada, who placed 3rd.
Defending 2020 World’s Strongest Man, Oleksii Novikov (UKR) was unable to reach the grand final and defend his title after losing out in a highly competitive heat 5 to Amercia’s Bobby Thompson, Scotland’s Luke Stoltman and Kevin Faires of the USA.
In heat 5 of the World’s Strongest Man 2021, Oleksii Novikov, the defending champion was just a single point behind the heat winner, Bobby Thompson of the USA, but amazingly finished just 4th. Only 1 point separated the top 4 athletes!
In 2021, Okeksii Novikov of the Ukraine, became the first returning, defending champion to fail to qualify for the final, since Magnus Ver Magnusson in 1997.
Each season, the top 25 athletes in the world are invited or qualify for the finals which are held in a different location each year. Qualification for the World’s Strongest Man finals is partly achieved by placing in the top 3 at a Giants Live Arena Tour event.
At the World’s Strongest Man competition, the 25 qualifying strongmen are divided into 5 heats.
The heats are made-up of 5 tests of strength and each athlete accumulates points according to their placing. At the end of the heat, the athlete with the most points automatically progresses to the grand final.
The second and third placed athletes must fight it out in the “stone-off,” with the winner taking the second qualification spot for the grand final from that heat. A total of 10 athletes qualify for the grand final.
The “Stone-Off” is an exciting and gruelling final qualification decider for the 2nd and 3rd placed athletes in each heat.
In the qualifying heats at World’s Strongest Man, the winner progresses to the grand final, but the 2nd and 3rd placed athletes must fight for their qualification spot in a “stone-off.”
In a “stone-off,” the two combatants must lift 5 Atlas Stones in ascending order of weight over a bar, alternately.
If at any point one of the athletes cannot complete the lift, the other automatically wins.
Once the first 5 stones are lifted the athletes move to a 6th stone of 211kg (465lb).
This is the final and heaviest stone and it must be lifted repetitively until one of the athletes is so fatigued, they cannot complete the lift.
The 5 heats that 2021 World’s Strongest Man title contenders must negotiate are made up of a range of tests of strength. They are:
Loading race, deadlift of squat lift for maximum repetitions, Fingal’s Fingers or train push, overhead medley and the pickaxe hold.
A sixth event, the Stone-Off awaits the 2nd and 3rd placed athletes after 5 events.
A total of 10 athletes progressed from the 5 qualification heats to the grand final of the 2021 World’s Strongest Man. They were:
Brian Shaw (USA) is a 4-time winner of the World’s Strongest Man contest and is a favourite to add a record-equalling 5th title to his list of achievements.
That would equal the title haul of Poland’s Mariusz Pudzianowski, who is the only man to win the title 5-times.
Brian Shaw was unable to contest the 2020 World’s Strongest Man title due to Covid. Oleskii Novikov of the Ukraine stepped-up to win the contest and become the first Ukrainian to win the competition since Vasyl Virastyuk in 2004.
Defending 2020 World’s Strongest Man, Oleksii Novikov (UKR) was unable to reach the grand final and defend his title after losing out in a highly competitive heat 5 to America’s Bobby Thompson, Scotland’s Luke Stoltman and Kevin Faires of the USA.
Scotland’s Tom Stoltman, aka “The Albatross” has an excellent chance of improving on his second-place finish in 2020 and becoming the first Scot to win the World’s Strongest Man final.
The 6’ 8” “Invergordon Goliath” has shown the kind of all-round speed, power and physical size to claim the sports’ top prize.
Tom Stoltman’s older brother, Luke Stoltman has had a superb 2021 and looks good for a podium place, or even better, at the 2021 World’s Strongest Man finals.
In 2019 he placed 7th, behind his younger brother in 5th. In doing so, the pair became the first brothers to ever qualify for the World’s Strongest Man finals.
Canada’s Jean-Francois Caron placed 3rd in the 2020 World’s Strongest Man finals and is a very consistent performer at big contests. He undoubtedly poses a huge threat to the title this year.
Luke Richardson (GBR), the 2020 Giants Live, Europe’s Strongest Man winner, suffered a biceps injury during day-1 on heat 3 of the 2021 World’s Strongest Man contest.
Unfortunately, the severity of the injury was such that he was forced to withdraw and will not return to competition until 2022.
Graham Hicks (GBR), the 2019 Giants Live, Britain’s Strongest Man winner, was forced to withdraw from the heats of the 2021 World’s Strongest Man contest.
Hicks successfully qualified for the 2020 final but was unable to compete due to a biceps tear. Sadly, history repeated itself in 2021. He was replaced by Ervin Toots of Estonia.
Terry Hollands (GBR), the 2-time Britain’s Strongest Man winner, had to withdraw from his heat 4 qualification battle during day 1 of the 2021 World’s Strongest Man contest.
Terry Hollands qualified for 9 consecutive World Strongest Man finals from 2006 to 2014. Shortly after the 2021 contest, Hollands announced his retirement from strongman competition.
Britain’s Mark Felix, “The Miracle Man,” at 55 years of age was the oldest competitor at the 2021 World’s Strongest Man finals, in Sacramento, California.
He finished a highly creditable 3rd in heat 2 and took part in a “stone-off” against Scotland’s Tom Stoltman. Unsurprisingly, he lost out to the Scot, Tom Stoltman, who is considered to be the best stone lifter in the world.
Mark Felix (GBR, formerly Grenada) has appeared at the World’s Strongest Man competition no less than 14 times from 2007 to 2021, making the final on 2 occasions, 2007 and 2015.
His best performance was 7th in 2007, during his first appearance. Incredibly, Mark Felix was already 41 years of age when he made his debut!
2021 World’s Strongest Man Winner, Tom Stoltman, of Invergordon, Scotland is considered to be the best stone lifter on the planet.
On Saturday, May 23rd, Scottish strongman Tom Stoltman, “The Invergordon Goliath,” lifted a world record 286kg (630lb) Atlas Stone over a bar on a live stream to set the heaviest mark ever recorded in that lift.
In 2020, at the Giants Live, Britain’s Strongest Man contest, at the Utilita Arena, Sheffield, Tom “The Albatros” Stoltman completed a world record stone run, lifting all 5 stones, ranging in weight from 120-180kg (264-396lb) in 16.01 seconds.
For more info on Tom Stoltman and the upcoming Britains Strongest Man 2022 in February go to this article
Enjoy the SBD World’s Strongest Man 2021 on Channel 5.
To see it ‘live’ then take the plunge and get a ticket to a Giants Live contest and even meet the athletes with a VIP Ticket.
