The Albatross swoops to fourth British title

FINAL STANDINGS

HOW THE NIGHT UNFOLDED

Moving to within reach of Eddie Hall’s record five titles, the Invergordon Goliath produced a dominant performance on Saturday 7th February as he stormed to a 6-point victory over England’s Adam Bishop and Paddy Haynes. The atmosphere in the arena was electric and the crowd noise deafening as the twelve competitors slugged it out over five events.

In what was an emotional evening that saw the Strongman community remember the late Pa O’Dwyer, Tom underlined his superiority as he won two of the five events and was never out of the top three. Having triumphed in the contest’s opener, the Circus Press Medley, he also took top honours in the Bag Toss and amassed a 7-point lead going into the Power Stairs finale. In the final pairing he was bested by Adam Bishop who was looking to secure the runner-up spot ahead of Haynes, but the result was never in doubt and the Scot looked to be in superb form.

There was barely a dry eye in the building as the crowd gave a minute of applause for O’Dwyer who had finished runner-up at this contest in 2022. Many of the athletes had taken the opportunity to pay tribute to Pa, including defending champion, Luke Stoltman. The six-time World’s Strongest Man finalist had started well with 2nd in the Circus Press Medley, but his podium chances unravelled with his equal 11th place finish in the Axle Deadlift.

With Tom is such commanding form, Bishop, Haynes and The Bull, Gavin Bilton, were left to scrap it out for the podium places. Current England’s Strongest Man, Haynes, had a hugely impressive season last year and got his 2026 season off to a flyer as he recorded event victories in the Axle Deadlift and Power Stairs. His efforts fell just half a point short of preventing a resurgent Adam Bishop from adding the runner-up spot to his BSM accolades, and he had to be content with third; his first BSM podium.

Having withdrawn from the contest mid-show last season, two-time former winner, Bish, had competed just once in the last year, but looked to be close to his best as he won the Car Walk in a world class time of 11.81sec. But for a better placing in the Press Medley, he may well have pushed Stoltman all the way, as he finished top three in all the remaining events. Adam is the last English winner of the title since Graham Hicks in 2019 and took his 6th BSM podium place on this occasion.

Support for former runner-up Gavin Bilton is rarely unforthcoming, and this show was no exception. Looking to be back to some of his best condition, the Welshman performed very consistently throughout and was in the hunt for a podium finish. His 7th place performance in the Power Stairs was his worst result, though he finished what was a gruelling final event. It put paid to his hopes of a medal and a much-coveted World’s Strongest Man invite, but The Bull will be hugely satisfied with his night’s work and will look to build on it as the season progresses.

Another former champion returning to the fray was England’s Graham Hicks. He disappointed somewhat in the Press Medley, but placed second in the Car Walk, which was his best showing of the contest. A five-time podium finisher, he ended the show in 5th, just a few points behind Bilton. It was his first appearance at Britain’s since 2023 and if it weren’t for a disallowed rep in the Axle Deadlift, he might have placed even higher.

Last season’s bronze medallist, Andrew Flynn, struggled in both the Bag Toss and Power Stairs and finished 8th overall. Placing 6th in the first three events, he seemed to fade somewhat and did not quite seem to be the Flying Flynn that we know so well. Likewise, Ben Glasscock would have been hoping to place higher having finished 5th last year and 4th at England’s. He finished mid-table in most events, apart from securing third in the Circus Press Medley. is best

There were four Scots in the field this year, including Scotland’s Strongest Man, Calum Crozier. He struggled in the Car Walk but showed tremendous grit to finish the Power Stairs and claim 11th overall ahead of debutant Matt McKeegan of Ireland, who had moved up from the U105Kg division to mix it with the Giants. Conor Curran was just a point ahead of Crozier in 10th, which was a two-place improvement on his 12th position from 2024. Of all the men making their debuts, it was Ireland’s Ruairí O’Hagan who impressed the most. His 9th place finish included some decent performances including him completing both the Car Walk and Power Stairs – two extremely demanding disciplines.

With the current champions of England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland all in attendance, this was one of the best fields ever assembled for Britain’s Strongest Man. Watching many of them push themselves to the limits of their ability just to finish some of the disciplines, highlights the huge physical challenge faced by these competitors. To witness the relative ease with which Tom Stoltman completed those same events only served to emphasise the enormous talent he possess.

Every year Tom has triumphed at Britain’s Strongest Man, he has gone on to claim the World’s Strongest Man title and few would bet against him doing the same this year, such was the quality of his performance. As he continues to accumulate contest victories, he further cements his place as one of the sports greatest champions. With the help of older brother Luke, the British title has only left Scotland once in the last six years and it looks highly likely that the giant Highlander has many more wins to look forward to!