World Record Under Siege as Iron Biby Returns
On Saturday, 17th October the 2026 Giants Live season will reach its spectacular conclusion with one final showdown in Glasgow. The World Tour Finals will see twelve of the world’s best strongmen battle it out over five superhuman tests of strength. The athletes will be vying for not just the Douglas Edmunds winner’s trophy, but also the World Log Lift Challenge title, which will be contested in the opening event.
This year’s line-up is as stacked as ever, with three-time World’s Strongest Man winner, Tom Stoltman, leading an athlete roster bursting with talent. Evan Singleton will be lending his imposing bulk to proceedings. The ex-WWE wrestler is a six-time Giants Live winner, and as ever, will be settling for nothing less than victory. Defending champion, Luke Richardson, returns to Glasgow prepared to face the threat to his title posed by the Czech Republic’s Ondřej Fojtů, who has dominated this season’s contests so far, having won three shows in succession. Fojtů was last year’s runner-up and will be relishing the opportunity to take the Albatross’s scalp, as well as to turn the tables on Richardson.
Once the athlete’s entrances have been completed and the pyrotechnics have been cleared away, all eyes in Glasgow’s iconic OVO Hydro will be locked on one man and one massive piece of timber. The 2026 Giants Live World Tour Finals serves as the grand finale to a thrilling season, but the central storyline dominating the build-up is the long-awaited return of the most devastating overhead presser in human history: Burkina Faso’s Cheick “Iron Biby” Sanou. Opening the five-event extravaganza with the World Log Lift Challenge, the stage is set for a jaw-dropping attempt to rewrite the record books and push the boundaries of human strength once again.
The last time Iron Biby stepped onto the Giants Live log lift platform in 2024, he didn’t just win—he made history by hoisting an unbelievable 231kg overhead. That lift extended his own World Record, and was his third world best, producing an unforgettable moment that solidified his status as the world’s greatest presser. Now, the multiple-time champion returns to Glasgow with unfinished business and his eyes fixed on taking that world record even higher. The tension inside the Hydro as Iron Biby prepares to clean and press weights that defy gravity will be palpable as everyone in attendance will be asking the same question: just how much weight can the giant Burkinabe lift this time?
Two men who’ll be pushing Biby harder than ever are the phenomenal pressers who have titles of their own to protect. England’s Jack Forgacs (also known as Jack Osborn) enters as the defending World Log Lift champion, having produced a sensational performance last year to press an enormous 222kg for a new British record. Pushing him to the absolute edge on that occasion was Ondřej Fojtů, who locked out 220kg for a spectacular World Junior Record. Fojtů arrives in Glasgow in the form of his life, having already swept both the Europe’s Strongest Man and Strongman Classic titles in 2026.
Luke Stoltman will also be making his return to the Giants Live stage having not competed since Britain’s Strongest Man back in February. He’s a former World Tour Finals winner and for a time the British record holder in the log lift, with a massive personal best of 221kg! With The Highland Oak in the line-up, Forgacs defending his crown, Fojtů peaking at the right time, and Iron Biby targeting a new world record, the opening discipline alone is worth the price of admission and promises to set an explosive tone for the rest of the night.
While the overhead battle threatens to shatter world records right out of the gate, the overall fight for the World Tour Finals crown will immediately resume across four gruelling tests. Following the Log Lift comes the Deadlift Ladder, where four barbells will be used, with the final implement weighing in at 400kg! From there, the competitors will face the pure brutality of the Farmer’s Walk into Super Yoke—a test of crushing loads and leg-draining distance—before moving on to the Hercules Hold and then taking on the relentless grind of the Power Stairs, to wrap up a monumental night of competition.
Gripping Action
Beyond the overall championship battle, and World Log Lift Challenge, Glasgow is set to host an iconic, standalone moment when legendary grip master Mark Felix makes a rare, highly anticipated appearance. At 60 years old, the “Miracle Man” will return to the Giants Live stage to take aim at his own world record in the Hercules Hold—a staggering 1 minute and 32.37 seconds set during Europe’s Strongest Man in 2020. Widely revered as one of the greatest grip specialists the sport has ever seen, Felix, like Biby in the log, will be up against some stiff opposition and there may be multiple athletes in with a shot of a new record.
Australia’s Eddie Williams won this event when it was last included at World’s Strongest Man, and over the last two years has established world records in grip-dependent events such as the Nicol and Webster Stones and his chance to test himself on the Giants apparatus has been long awaited. Ondřej Fojtů eclipsed Williams’ Webster Stone world record at this season’s Europe’s Strongest Man and it will be fascinating to see how long he can withstand the inexorable pull of the 200kg pillars. Adding an extra layer of intrigue to the record-breaking attempt is the whisper of an additional, mystery lifter stepping up to the pillars.
The Main Event
Joining big brother, Luke Stoltman, in front of a home crowd will be none other than three-time World’s Strongest Man Tom Stoltman, who already holds the 2023 World Tour Finals title and won Britain’s Strongest Man earlier this year. He aims to cap off his season on home turf and on a high, with perhaps a second WTF title to add to his 2023 victory. Stoltman has been in the news recently having been signed to become one of the TV Gladiators from the popular series. He’ll be vying for the title alongside his brother Luke – himself a former Europe’s Strongest Man and 2021 World Tour Finals champion. While both siblings will share the pride of representing Scotland in front of their home crowd, family loyalty will give way to competitive rivalry as every single point on the leaderboard becomes critical and both men lock in on the job at hand.
Flying the flag for England will be defending champion Luke Richardson, the two-time Europe’s Strongest Man, as well as England’s Strongest Man, Andrew Flynn. Flying Flynn is having a superb season and was Britain’s best athlete at this year’s World’s Strongest Man, though he just missed out on a place in the final. He finished in third place at this contest last season, just behind Richardson and Fojtů.
This line-up is bursting with world-class depth. American powerhouse Evan “T-Rex” Singleton brings his explosive energy as a six-time Giants Live winner, while Ukraine’s 2023 Europe’s Strongest Man, Pavlo Kordiyaka, offers unmatched all-around pedigree. Ghana’s Evans Nana arrives full of momentum following a second-place finish at the Strongman Open where he joined the very exclusive 1,000lb deadlift club. He’ll be alongside rising Czech star Matyáš Funiok who joined him on the podium in Birmingham to become Giants Live’s youngest ever podium finisher
As always, it’s not just the championship trophy that these athletes will be focusing on winning. A top three finish will earn these athletes the final World’s Strongest Man qualifying spots for next year’s contest and with the field of the sport’s biggest contest cut to just 25 athletes, these invites will be more hotly contested than ever.
With the prospect of a truly epic battle in which one of the best line-ups in Giants history attempt to end the winning streak of Ondřej Fojtů, as well as Iron Biby’s assault on the log lift record and Mark Felix’s age-defying Hercules Hold record attempt, the 2026 Giants Live World Tour Finals is set to be an unforgettable showcase of modern strongman history.
Tickets for what can’t fail to be one of Strongman’s most hard-fought and thrilling contests are available at www.giants-live.com
