Mitchell Hooper has recaptured the World’s Strongest Man title after a nail-biting tussle with defending champion Rayno Nel.
The Moose stood atop the podium in Myrtle Beach on Sunday evening (26th April), roaring into the humid Carolina air as he captured his second victory after one of the most dramatic, tightly fought finals the sport has seen in years.
The Canadian powerhouse didn’t win a single event across the two‑day final – but through relentless consistency, steely nerve, and a perfectly timed surge in the Atlas Stones, he outlasted the South African to reclaim the crown he first won in 2023.
Hooper’s victory, sealed by just two points, marks a historic moment: no athlete in the 49‑year history of WSM has ever won the title without winning a finals event. What Hooper’s performance lacked in winning lifts, it more than made up for with its brutal consistency. It was a masterclass in pressure management, tactical brilliance, and sheer competitive grit.
The 2026 edition brought 25 athletes from 11 nations to Myrtle Beach, where they battled through two days of qualifiers before the top ten advanced to the finals. The qualifying events – ranging from the punishing Carry & Climb to the explosive Circus Press Medley – quickly separated the contenders from the hopefuls.
The biggest shock came early: three‑time champion Tom Stoltman failed to advance from the heats for the first time since his debut in 2017. The unravelling of his title bid was due partly to a torn callous in the opening event. 2024 podium finisher Evan Singleton was another notable casualty of the preliminaries, placing just 4th in his group and continuing the poor form and misfortune that seems to dog him at WSM.
Their absence opened the door for rising stars, including Czech standout Ondřej Fojtů, the reigning Europe’s Strongest Man, who dominated his group with the highest qualifying score of the entire field. Mexico’s Austin Andrade also turned heads, muscling his way back to the finals with a group win, having finished 7th on his debut back in 2024.
Rayno Nel topped his heat, as did Hooper and Ukraine’s Pavlo Kordayaka. Not a single Brit managed to qualify for this year’s final with Adam Bishop withdrawing and last year’s finalist, Paddy Haynes, placing just 5th in his group. With two-time Europe’s Strongest Man, Luke Richardson, third in his pool, England’s Andrew Flynn was the UK’s best performer, amassing 16.5 points to trail 2nd placed Trey Mitchell by just 1.5 points in Group 5.
If there were any questions remaining concerning Rayno Nel’s readiness to defend his title, he answered them emphatically.
The South African champion, riding high after his 2025 victory, powered through the Flip & Carry, ground out a commanding performance in the Deadlift, as the only man to complete 5-reps with the 400kg bar, and launched nine of the ten implements skyward in the Titan’s Toss with a confidence that suggested he might run away with the title. Claiming an astonishing sweep of all three events on the first day he overturned Hooper’s narrow lead from the heats to take a slender 2.5-point advantage into Day 2.
But Hooper never blinked. He finished second in all three events, refusing to let Nel build an insurmountable lead. Every rep, every second, every point mattered—and Hooper collected them with machine‑like precision. By Saturday evening, Nel held the lead, but Hooper was close enough to strike. Both men were well clear of the chasing pack in what was most definitely a two-horse race for the title.
Sunday opened with the Max Log, and for a moment, the spotlight shifted away from the two front‑runners. American giant Trey Mitchell electrified the crowd with a staggering 213‑kg (470‑lb) lift—the heaviest of the competition and one of the biggest in WSM history.
Hooper and Fojtů tied for second at 209 kg, while Nel faltered slightly, finishing fourth with 200kg. It wasn’t a collapse, and was in fact a performance that constituted great improvement in Nel’s overhead lifting, but it was enough to narrow the gap to a single point and set the stage for a nail‑biting finale.
As the sun dipped behind the Myrtle Beach skyline, the ten finalists approached the iconic Atlas Stones, the event that has crowned more champions than any other. Hooper and Nel were placed head-to-head in the final climactic heat; the entire competition distilled into one final duel.
Nel exploded off the line, loading the first three stones with a speed that sent a ripple through the crowd. Hooper stayed close, refusing to let the defending champion pull away. Then came the turning point: Nel slipped on the fourth stone, losing precious seconds. Hooper seized the moment, powering the 200‑kg sphere onto its platform with a roar.
Hooper finished with four stones in 28.67 seconds, enough to secure the title. Neither man managed the fifth 210kg stone, but the damage was done. Nel’s early lead evaporated as his time for four stones was crucially slower that both Martins Licis and Pavlo Kordiyaka, leaving him 5th.
Hooper’s time for four was only bettered by Trey Mitchell, the only man to lift all five – earning him his first career podium place at World’s, having placed 4th on multiple occasions. Hooper’s consistency had carried him to glory and he attributed his ability to come through at the crucial moment to the experience he has accumulated in recent years, battling it out for title after title.
Hooper’s 2026 triumph adds another chapter to his rapidly growing legacy. Already considered one of the most complete athletes in strongman, he now holds multiple WSM titles and continues to redefine what consistency and composure look like at the elite level.
For Nel, the narrow defeat will sting, but his performance—especially his Day One sweep—cements him as one of the sport’s most formidable competitors. His 52‑point runner‑up finish is the highest in WSM’s current scoring format.
Meanwhile, Trey Mitchell’s podium breakthrough and Fojtů’s meteoric rise signal a new generation pushing hard against the established stars.
The 2026 World’s Strongest Man will be remembered not just for Hooper’s historic victory, but will serve as a reminder that consistency is so often the key.
With past champions and podium finishers failing to make the final, the sport has never looked more competitive, nor the field of talent so deep. Hooper’s second win is surely no more than he deserves, having dominated the sport for the past few seasons.
The question now, is how many more titles can he win?
