Super Mitchell Hooper claimed his fifth consecutive contest victory as he made a clean sweep of the first four events in Glasgow’s OVO Hydro Arena. Adding a second World Tour Finals victory to the win he took back in 2022, he afforded himself the luxury of not needing to lift a single Atlas Stones, having raced to a 12.5-point lead over England’s Luke Richardson.
The Glasgow crowds gave deafening support to all twelve of the athletes, but the Canadian proved, yet again, that he is in a class of his own as he cruised to victory. Having won seven of his last eight contests, Hooper came to this show as an overwhelming favourite. Few strongmen have ever displayed such dominance over a world-class field and what is most concerning for his competitors is that he only seems to be getting better!
Opening the night’s proceedings with a head-to-head in the Dumbbell Ladder with home-crowd hero Luke Stoltman, The Moose looked as smooth as silk as he hefted all five implements overhead and eclipsed the brilliant time of Ukraine’s Roman Grekov. In Event 2: Farmer’s & Super Yoke, he demonstrated breathtaking superiority in what is his favourite discipline. Winning the event in a blistering 22.69 seconds, he seemed to be barely impeded by the 150kg per hand Farmer’s or the 1,000lb yoke, producing a time nearly 5-seconds quicker than his nearest rival – Evans Nana of Ghana.
Going last in the Deadlift, he made child’s play of the 360kg axles, pumping out 6-reps to better a group of four athletes who had achieved 5, including Luke Richardson, Trey Mitchell, Wes Derwinsky and Nana. As Nana attempted a 6th, Hooper prepared to complete a 7th to assure himself the win, but the truth is he looked as if he could have lifted several more reps and was just doing enough to secure victory.
Trey Mitchell’s 69.79 seconds in the Hercules Hold headed the pack as Hooper stepped up to take his turn. This gruelling test of grip strength can so often prove to be the chink in the armour of so many champions, but Hooper, showing unparalleled consistency, proved yet again that his strength lies in his lack of weaknesses. Surpassing the American’s time by a few seconds he released the pillars looking as though he was good for more.
With a 12.5-point lead in a field of twelve, Hooper secured his 4th Giants Live victory this season with an event to spare – something that happens very rarely in Strongman. Addressing the crowd before the stones he vowed he would be back in Glasgow, better than ever, and wanted, sportingly, to allow the final pairing of Trey Mitchell and Luke Richardson to battle it out for the podium places.
Both men have returned to the sport having overcome terrible injuries and both appear to be back to their very best! Mitchell produced a superb performance to steal second from Richardson in what was a thrilling final heat of the Castle Water Stones. Big Thicket was able to load the final orb fractionally quicker than the Englishman and equal him on points, taking second place overall by virtue of the quicker Stone run. Richardson has had two podium finishes now after badly tearing his hamstring last year. His 5-reps in the Deadlift – the very event that caused the injury – cemented his return to full fitness!
No one received more support on the night than Scotland’s Luke Stoltman who took victory in the Stones on his way to fourth overall; the crescendo of cheering from the crowd was truly overwhelming! A disappointing Hercules Hold put paid to his chances of a podium finish after he had made tremendous showings in the Dumbbell Ladder and Farmer’s & Super Yoke.
Ghana’s Evans Nana was perhaps the surprise package of the evening as he claimed 5th place, pipping Canada’s second “Moose,” Wes Derwinsky – a man who placed 6th at this year’s World’s Strongest Man final. Nana was a crowd favourite, showing infectious exuberance and incredible talent as he performed superbly in both the Farmer’s & Yoke, as well as the Deadlift, where his 5-reps were only bettered by Hooper.
The Miracle Man, Mark Felix, came withing a fraction of a second of bettering the Hercules Hold world record he established in 2020. Appearing as a guest, along with Iron Biby, the 58-year-old resisted the 250kg pillars for 91.93 seconds, just 0.4 of a second short. Biby, taking his turn moments before, recorded 72.01, and was disappointed not to have held on longer, having been tipped as a man who might break Felix’s record. Felix received his now customary salute from the crowd, having proved yet again that he has the strongest grip of all.
The World Tour Final is the finale of the Giants Live Arena Tour and bring the curtain down on what has been a thrilling season. With World records in the Axle Press and Log Lift, Giants contests this year have produced some incredible moments this sesson. They have been dominated by Mitchell Hooper, who has won all the shows he has been eligible to contest. Next year, he will resume his competitive rivalry with the reigning World’s Strongest Man, Tom Stoltman. The Albatross will be under no illusions of the difficulty of his task in defending that title. And with the likes of Trey Mitchell and Luke Richardson back to full fitness, perhaps we will see some different names atop the podium?
For anyone who missed the show, the contest will still be available to stream through www.officialstrongman.com
Event 1: SBD Dumbbell Ladder
5 Dumbbells: 80kg, 90kg. 100kg, 110kg, 120kg
Event 1: SBD Dumbbell Ladder | |||
Place | Name | Result | Points |
1 | Mitchell Hooper (CAN) | 5 in 43.84 Sec | 12 |
2 | Roman Grekov (UKR) | 5 in 45.54 sec | 11 |
3 | Trey Mitchell (USA) | 5 in 51.14 sec | 10 |
4 | Luke Stoltman (SCO) | 5 in 51.61 sec | 9 |
5 | Luke Richardson (ENG) | 4 in 38.28 sec | 8 |
6 | Pavlo Kordiyaka (UKR) | 4 in 39.48 sec | 7 |
7 | Wes Derwinsky (CAN) | 4 in 44.21 sec | 6 |
8 | Spenser Remick (USA) | 4 in 45.16 sec | 5 |
9 | Kane Francis (ENG) | 4 in 59.29 sec | 4 |
10 | Evans Nana (GHA) | 3 in 40.98 sec | 3 |
11 | Chris Beetham (SCO) | 3 in 48.04 sec | 2 |
12 | Jaco Schoonwinkel (RSA) | 2 in 17.18 sec | 1 |
Event 2: boohooMAN Farmer’s Walk and Super Yoke
150kg Farmer’s Walk, 1,000lb Super Yoke
Event 2: boohooMAN Farmer’s Walk and Super Yoke | ||||
Place | Name | Result | Points | Total
Points |
1 | Mitchell Hooper (CAN) | 22.69 sec | 12 | 24 |
2 | Evans Nana (GHA) | 27.46 sec | 11 | 14 |
3 | Luke Stoltman (SCO) | 28.23 sec | 10 | 19 |
4 | Pavlo Kordiyaka (UKR) | 29.39 sec | 9 | 16 |
5 | Luke Richardson (ENG) | 29.88 sec | 8 | 16 |
6 | Spenser Remick (USA) | 30.43 sec | 7 | 12 |
7 | Wes Derwinsky (CAN) | 31.47 sec | 6 | 12 |
8 | Kane Francis (ENG) | 32.77 sec | 5 | 9 |
9 | Trey Mitchell (USA) | 38.58 sec | 4 | 14 |
10 | Roman Grekov (UKR) | 58.13 sec | 3 | 14 |
11 | Chris Beetham (SCO) | 29.50m | 2 | 4 |
12 | Jaco Schoonwinkel (RSA) | Withdrew | 0 | 1 |
Event 3: MiraFit Axel Deadlift
360kg
Event 3: MiraFit Axel Deadlift | ||||
Place | Name | Result | Points | Total
Points |
1 | Mitchell Hooper (CAN) | 6 reps | 12 | 36 |
=2 | Trey Mitchell (USA) | 5 reps | 9.5 | 23.5 |
=2 | Wes Derwinsky (CAN) | 5 reps | 9.5 | 21.5 |
=2 | Luke Richardson (ENG) | 5 reps | 9.5 | 25.5 |
=2 | Evans Nana (GHA) | 5 reps | 9.5 | 23.5 |
=6 | Kane Francis (ENG) | 4 reps | 6.5 | 15.5 |
=6 | Spenser Remick (USA) | 4 reps | 6.5 | 18.5 |
=8 | Pavlo Kordiyaka (UKR) | 3 reps | 4.5 | 20.5 |
=8 | Luke Stoltman (SCO) | 3 reps | 4.5 | 23.5 |
10 | Roman Grekov (UKR) | 2 reps | 3 | 17 |
11 | Chris Beetham (SCO) | 1 rep | 2 | 6 |
12 | Jaco Schoonwinkel (RSA) | Withdrew | 0 | 1 |
Event 4: IVECO Hercules Hold
250kg in each hand
Event 4: IVECO Hercules Hold | ||||
Place | Name | Result | Points | Total
Points |
1 | Mitchell Hooper (CAN) | 72.48 sec | 12 | 48 |
2 | Trey Mitchell (USA) | 69.79 sec | 11 | 34.5 |
3 | Luke Richardson (ENG) | 65.34 sec | 10 | 35.5 |
4 | Wes Derwinsky (CAN) | 58.66 sec | 9 | 30.5 |
5 | Spenser Remick (USA) | 53.92 sec | 8 | 26.5 |
6 | Evans Nana (GHA) | 53.74 sec | 7 | 30.5 |
7 | Kane Francis (ENG) | 49.59 sec | 6 | 21.5 |
8 | Chris Beetham (SCO) | 49.12 sec | 5 | 11 |
9 | Pavlo Kordiyaka (UKR) | 46.14 sec | 4 | 24.5 |
10 | Luke Stoltman (SCO) | 44.25 sec | 3 | 26.5 |
11 | Roman Grekov (UKR) | 31.58 sec | 2 | 19 |
12 | Jaco Schoonwinkel | Withdrew | 0 | 1 |
Event 5: Castle Water Stones
Implements weights: 120kg, 140kg, 160kg, 180kg, 200kg.
Event 5: Castle Water Stones
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Place | Name | Result | Points | Total
Points |
1 | Luke Stoltman (SCO) | 5 in 24.94 sec | 12 | 38.5 |
2 | Kane Francis (ENG) | 5 in 26.38 sec | 11 | 32.5 |
3 | Trey Mitchell (USA) | 5 in 26.69 sec | 10 | 44.5 |
4 | Luke Richardson (ENG) | 5 in 28.81 sec | 9 | 44.5 |
5 | Spenser Remick (USA) | 5 in 29.59 sec | 8 | 34.5 |
6 | Roman Grekov (UKR) | 5 in 32.09 sec | 7 | 26 |
7 | Evans Nana (GHA) | 4 in 23.42 sec | 6 | 36.5 |
8 | Wes Derwinsky (CAN) | 4 in 28.78 sec | 5 | 35.5 |
9 | Pavlo Kordiyaka (UKR) | 4 in 30.59 sec | 4 | 28.5 |
10 | Chris Beetham (SCO) | 4 in 50.73 sec | 3 | 14 |
11 | Jaco Schoonwinkel (RSA) | Withdrew | 0 | 1 |
12 | Mitchell Hooper (CAN) | Withdrew | 0 | 48 |
Overall Standings
Overall Standings | ||
Place | Name | Overall Points |
1 | Mitchell Hooper (CAN) | 48 |
2 | Trey Mitchell (USA) | 44.5 |
3 | Luke Richardson (ENG) | 44.5 |
4 | Luke Stoltman (SCO) | 38.5 |
5 | Evans Nana (GHA) | 36.5 |
6 | Wes Derwinsky (CAN) | 36.5 |
7 | Spenser Remick (USA) | 34.5 |
8 | Kane Francis (ENG) | 32.5 |
9 | Pavlo Kordiyaka (UKR) | 28.5 |
10 | Roman Grekov (UKR) | 26 |
11 | Chris Beetham (SCO) | 14 |
12 | Jaco Schoonwinkel (RSA) | 1 |