Strongman is weird. You’ve got these massive human beings, basically modern-day titans, converging on a beach to lift rocks and pull buses while tourists eat ice cream a few yards away. That was the scene in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. But the World's Strongest Man 2023 wasn't just another show. It felt like a massive shift in the sport's tectonic plates.
The sand was flying. The rain was pouring. Honestly, the weather was a total mess for half the contest.
Mitchell Hooper won. Let that sink in for a second. The guy had only been a pro for about a year. People call him "The Moose," and he basically stormed into the most prestigious show on earth and took the trophy back to Canada for the first time ever. It wasn't even that close by the end. He beat out Tom Stoltman, who was trying to three-peat, and Oleksii Novikov, who is arguably the most technical lifter we’ve ever seen.
The Rise of Mitchell Hooper
Hooper is a freak of nature, but not in the way you’d think. He doesn't look like a 400-pound brick wall like Brian Shaw. He’s "smaller," more athletic, and moves like a guy half his size. Before he was lifting logs, he was running marathons. Think about that. A guy who can run 26 miles also happens to be the strongest man on the planet.
He didn't just win; he dominated the qualifiers. He won four out of five events in his heat. Then the finals started, and he just kept the foot on the gas. He won the Shield Carry, beating Tom Stoltman by a literal foot. Then he won the Knaack Deadlift with 8 reps of 782 pounds. It was clinical.
A Brutal Weekend in South Carolina
The weather in Myrtle Beach was kind of a nightmare. On the first day of the finals, they had to delay the Fingal’s Fingers because the rain made the implements too dangerous to flip. When they finally got to it, the athletes were lifting in a literal downpour.
- Shield Carry: Hooper took first (64.8m), Stoltman second (63.15m).
- Knaack Deadlift: Hooper won again with 8 reps.
- Fingal's Fingers: Tom Stoltman finally got a win here, flipping all five in 39.36 seconds.
It’s easy to look at the scores and think it was a breeze, but these guys were miserable. Imagine trying to grip a massive metal pole while water is blinding you and the ground is turning into a mud pit. That’s the reality of the World's Strongest Man 2023.
The Controversial Penalty That Changed Everything
We have to talk about Pavlo Kordiyaka. The guy is a powerhouse from Ukraine, and he was absolutely flying in the Shield Carry. He actually finished with the best distance, but the judges slapped him with a massive penalty. Apparently, he didn't properly touch the line on one of his turns.
They docked him 19.8 meters.
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That moved him from 1st place in the event down to 6th. In a sport where every single point is the difference between a podium and obscurity, that was a death blow. Kordiyaka ended up 6th overall. If that penalty hadn't happened? The leaderboard would have looked very different. It’s one of those "what if" moments fans will be arguing about for years.
The End of an Era: Shaw and Felix
This contest was also the end of the road for two legends. Brian Shaw, the four-time champion, had already announced 2023 would be his final WSM. He finished 7th. You could tell he didn't have that same explosive "pop" he had in 2011 or 2016, but the crowd stayed with him every second.
Then there’s Mark Felix. The man is 57 years old. Fifty-seven! He’s been competing at the top level longer than some of the other guys have been alive. He didn't make the final, but he broke the record for the oldest competitor in history. Seeing him pull a deadlift with those legendary "Felix grips" one last time was special.
How the Finals Shook Out
By the time they got to the Atlas Stones—the classic finishing move of any strongman show—Hooper had a 5.5-point lead. Tom Stoltman is the King of the Stones. Everyone knew Tom would win the event, and he did, loading all five in 33.26 seconds. But Hooper just had to be "good enough."
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He was better than good enough. He took second in the stones, which was more than enough to secure the title.
- Mitchell Hooper (Canada): 53.5 points
- Tom Stoltman (UK): 49 points
- Oleksii Novikov (Ukraine): 41 points
- Trey Mitchell (USA): 39.5 points
- Evan Singleton (USA): 39.5 points
Novikov was dealing with a nasty elbow injury. He basically couldn't lock out his right arm without stabbing pain. The fact that he still took 3rd place in the world while essentially being one-armed is insane. He’s built differently.
Why 2023 Matters for the Future
The World's Strongest Man 2023 proved that the "static monster" era might be fading. You can't just be huge anymore. You have to be fast. You have to have a massive engine. Hooper’s background in kinesiology and endurance sports gave him a blueprint that the rest of the field is now trying to copy.
If you're looking to get into the sport or just want to improve your own strength, there are a few things to take away from Myrtle Beach. First, stop neglecting your cardio. Even the strongest men on earth need a gas tank. Second, technique beats raw power when the implements get weird. Watch Novikov’s footwork or Hooper’s transitions—it’s like a dance.
If you want to follow the current season, keep an eye on the Giants Live tour. That's where these guys qualify and where you see the real grit before the big cameras show up for the WSM finals. The sport is getting more competitive every year, and the gap between 1st and 10th is shrinking. It's a great time to be a fan.
The 2023 contest wasn't just a win for Canada; it was a wake-up call for the rest of the world. "The Moose" is loose, and the blueprint for the strongest man on earth has been officially rewritten.
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To stay updated on current strongman rankings and upcoming events, check the official World's Strongest Man website or follow the athletes on social media for behind-the-scenes training footage. You'll see pretty quickly that what happens on TV is only 10% of the actual struggle.