Hooper Wins the Strongman Open as Biby Breaks Log Record!

Read on for our report on The Strongman Open.

But why not see Mitchell Hooper & Iron Biby in action again, live in Vegas, at the USA Strongman Championships on Saturday, September 28th. Limited tickets remain so secure your seat to see the strongmen now >>

Birmingham’s Utilita Arena played host to the Strongman Open on Saturday night, and there was no lack of drama as Mitchell Hooper blew away his competitors and Iron Biby proved, once again, that he is the best Log Lifter ever!

The Moose was in a class of his own as he took the Strongman Open title and Burkina Faso’s Cheick “Iron Biby” Sanou claimed his 5^th World Log Lift Challenge with a 231kg (509lb) world record press – the third of his career.

Britain’s Luke Richardson made another huge step on his road to recovery by taking 3^rd place overall. Having been plagued by injury for the last three years, the man they call “The Future” was able to win the Truck Pull in his first international competition since the 2021 World’s Strongest Man heats. Sitting in 2^nd going into the last event, he was pipped by Canada’s Maxime Boudreault, who finished with back-to-back wins in the Sandbag Throw and Power Stairs.

In Hooper and Biby, the massive crowds witnessed two true Strongman greats doing what they do best. The Moose is in imperious form right now and had established an unassailable lead before the final Power Stairs event had even begun. He has failed to win only one of his last seven contests; a second-place finish to Tom Stoltman at this year’s World’s Strongest Man. There seems to be no end in sight to Hooper’s current dominance and he was able to claim two event wins and two second places in the first four events. Not needing to take part in the Power Stairs, Hooper lifted just one weight to claim his 3^rd Giants victory.

In July he produced a stunning win at the Strongman Classic, and many may have expected him to be more fatigued after his recent win at the Shaw Classic. He confidently pressed a 210kg log, sharing top points with 22-year-old Ondřej Fojtů, who also completed a 210kg lift to set a new junior world record! Taking 2^nd in the Truck Pull, The Moose was back on top in the Axle Deadlift with a winning total of 8-reps. It was clear he was capable of many more, but with a busy competitive schedule to manage, the Canadian is highly adept in doing no more than he needs to. His second-place finish in the Sandbag Throw gave him a 10.5-point lead, with only 10 men remaining in the field.

Neil Pickup, the show’s emcee, has said more than once that Hooper’s strength is his lack of weaknesses. This was fully evident in his performance in Birmingham, where he continues to establish himself as one of the best-ever overhead lifters in Strongman. That’s particularly impressive from a man who rose to prominence off the back of a massive deadlift and extreme pace in moving and carrying events.

Biby was only in town to contest the Log Lift and once again the giant Burkinabe did not disappoint. Unusually for him, he opted to lift every weight increment as the Log rose from 170kg, to 185kg and then 200kg. He made short work of 210kg and there seemed plenty in reserve as he pressed out 220kg. Cleaning the world record weight with relative comfort there was little doubt his massive arms and shoulders would fail him. Leaning back, he heaved the huge log overhead, then brought his head through, straightening his arms more fully to get the down signal and his third Log world record.

It was the performance of the night and as Biby celebrated and completed his media duties on the live stream, the Open competition continued. Welsh Bull, Gavin Bilton sustained a leg injury and was forced to withdraw. This came after American Nathan Goltry, who was making his Giants Live debut, sustained a serious injury attempting 200kg in the Log.

England’s Paddy Haynes placed 10^th overall and performed solidly across the board. The highlight of his evening was his 2^nd place finish in the Axle Deadlift. His 7-reps was bettered only by Hooper and was two more than anyone else managed.

Evan Singleton was tied for 4^th with compatriot Thomas Evans, another man making his Giants debut. The T-Rex had disappointed in the Log Lift, failing 185kg, and was trying bravely to make up ground for the rest of the evening.

2020 World’s Strongest Man, Oleksii Novikov is still some way off the kind of form that saw him win several Giants Live events in past seasons. Returning from injury, he finished 6^th overall, just ahead of Fojtů. Latvia’s Aivars Šmaukstelis placed 6^th, 1.5-points clear of America’s Kevin Faires. Both these men have reached the podium previously at Giants Live contests and were some way off their best on this occasion.

On an evening where spectators and fans were reminded of the inherent dangers to the athletes who push themselves to the very limits of human performance, it was tremendous to see Luke Richardson looking healthy and back to somewhere near his best. Mitchell Hooper, in a manner that we have come to expect in a sport so full of camaraderie, was full of admiration for the Englishman and paid tribute to his resilience and talent.

Canada fielded three athletes in this year’s World’s Strongest Man final, which didn’t include Maxime Boudreault, who placed 3^rd in 2021. Their one-two in Birmingham highlights the depth of Canadian strongmen just now, and with Hooper going from strength-to-strength and Boudreault returning to his best, it’s a trend that looks set to continue!

For anyone who missed the show, the contest is available to stream through
www.officialstrongman.com

You can also buy tickets to see the Giants Live in the USA & UK in 2024 and 2025.
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Event 1: SBD World Log Lift Challenge

Round 1: 170kg, Rd 2: 185kg, Rd 3: 200kg, Rd 4: 210kg, Rd 5: 220kg, Rd 6: 231kg (WR)

Event 2: IVECO Truck Pull

Truck weight: 8 tonnes

Event 3: MiraFIT Axle Deadlift

Axle weights: 350kg

Event 4: boohooMAN Sandbag Throw

6x Sandbags: 18-18kg, bar height: 4.0m

Event 5: Castle Water Power Stairs

Implements weights: 200kg, 210kg, 225kg, 240kg, 250kg, 15 steps total.

Overall Standings