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93-725: The World's Strongest Man is an international strongman competition held every year. Organized by American event management company IMG , a subsidiary of Endeavor , it is broadcast in the US during summers and in the UK around the end of December each year. Competitors qualify based on placing in the top three at the four to eight Giants Live events each year. The current event sponsor is SBD Apparel. Previous sponsors include Tachi Palace , Coregenx, Commerce Hotel and Casino , DAF Trucks , Tonka , MET-Rx , and PartyPoker.com . The competition has been won by 24 men representing 13 nationalities. Three of

186-475: A boycott , and was thereby forced to resign his position. Capes was a shot putter and represented his country over a span of 11 years, winning two Commonwealth Games and two Indoor European Championship titles. His first major competition was the 1970 Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh, where he finished fourth. In the next two games in 1974 and 1978 he took the gold medal. In this period he also became

279-403: A 5th podium finish as the runner up, as Hall continued his steady rise to finish 3rd, despite placing last in the first event. In the 2017 contest, two four-time winners ( Brian Shaw and Žydrūnas Savickas ) competed head-to-head for the first time since the 2015 contest, but Eddie Hall won his first title over runner-up Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson by 1 point and was the first person to win for

372-603: A Highland Games competitor, he was six times world champion , first winning the title in Lagos in 1981 and the final title in 1987. He also set over 15 strength related world records. Following retirement from competitive sport, he continued to be involved in strength athletics as a referee, event promoter, and coach. He also ran a sportswear retail shop, and became renowned as a world-class breeder of birds. Capes stood 197 cm (6 ft 5 + 1 ⁄ 2  in) and weighed 170 kg (375 lb) in his prime. Capes

465-563: A TWI owned event, IFSA Holdings announced its own World Championships for 2005, to be held in Quebec, and thus from that point had no involvement in the WSM contest. The split with IFSA, which banned its registered athletes from competing at WSM, meant that not all the recognized best strength athletes in the world were eligible to compete. However, the reputation of WSM as the premier event maintained its lure for broadcasting purposes. In recent years,

558-470: A coalman and an agricultural labourer, being able to load twenty tons of potatoes in twenty minutes. Following in the footsteps of his grandfather, uncle and older brothers, he joined Cambridgeshire Constabulary in 1970, and remained in the police for ten years; his departure from the police came when he decided to compete in the 1980 Moscow Olympics , despite the British Government's calls for

651-480: A day. Though competitive strongman events are ever-changing, there are a number of staples that frequently appear on the international stage, including: The strongmen are listed according to the chronological order of their birth. The following 75 strongmen have reached the podium (1st, 2nd or 3rd place) of World's Strongest Man since 1977 and/or World Muscle Power Classic from 1985 to 2004 and/or Arnold Strongman Classic since 2002. They are listed according to

744-694: A dozen eggs, two steaks, a jar of baked beans, two cans of sardines, a pound of butter, and a leg of lamb. Capes competed at many Highland Games gatherings in Scotland and across the world and became a hugely popular and respected figure. He won the World Heavy Events title in Lagos in 1981, in a year when there were two world championships, the second won in Melbourne by Bill Anderson. He went on to win again in 1983 in Carmunnock and

837-508: A favourite for the title. However, he eventually placed fifth, the winner being Vladimir Kiselyov whose Olympic record of 21.35 metres (70 ft 1 in) was well short of what Capes had achieved prior to the Games. Capes said his performance at the 1980 Moscow Olympics had left him "numbed with disappointment". Capes is the most capped British male athlete of all time, receiving 67 International caps and earning 35 wins, not including

930-546: A former powerlifting world record holder himself and went on to establish the H.J. Lutcher Stark Center for Physical Culture and Sports in 1990. He also was asked to establish the Arnold Strongman Classic in 2002 by Arnold Schwarzenegger . During this early period, the contest ranks consisted mostly of American football players, powerlifters, and bodybuilders and were held in American locations until it

1023-530: A further 35 caps for England. He is a winner of 17 national titles, including being seven times a winner of the AAA championship and three times UK champion. In 1983 he was voted Britain's best-ever field athlete. Capes' 1980 British record still stands. In 2003 Carl Myerscough threw 21.92 metres (71 ft 11 in) but the distance was not ratified. Colin Bryce , a former Strongman and television commentator for

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1116-453: A hurdler who later competed in the 1968 Olympics . Capes stated that Storey helped him turn his life around and guided him during his early days in athletics. Storey encouraged him to try shot put and participate in competitions. Lacking the means to buy proper clothes, Capes attended events wearing garments left behind by his mother's patients after they died. His first attempt at competitive shot-putting ended with him placing second-to-last in

1209-489: A lorry in under 20 minutes, just to demonstrate that it could be done. By 16, he had taken on the role of assistant coalman and odd-job worker for a haulier in Lincolnshire. During tea breaks at the haulier's yard, he developed his arm strength by lifting two four-stone weights overhead. He also created a makeshift gymnasium with two friends. During this time, he joined a local athletics club, where he met Stuart Storey ,

1302-554: A memorable TV commercial for the Volkswagen Polo Mk2 in which he picked the car up and rolled it over with his bare hands. His profile also led to numerous appearances on British television, one such example being in the Tyne Tees Television programme Supergran in the episode "Supergran Grounded". He appeared on Blue Peter where he lost a challenge from Welsh strongman/showman George Davies (Strang

1395-544: A possible 70 points, and 20 ahead of runner up Savickas. 2003 was also the first appearance of Ukrainian Vasyl Virastyuk , who finished 3rd. In 2004, Savickas and Virastyuk were tied for the lead heading into the final event, the Atlas Stones. Virastyuk would defeat Savickas to claim the title, with the Lithuanian finishing as runner up for the 3rd year in a row. Originally, Mariusz Pudzianowski finished in 3rd but

1488-811: A rough, unbalanced log. This eventually earned him a place in the WSM Hall of Fame. After Kazmaier left, his nearest rival, former Olympian Geoff Capes from the UK, traded wins with the Icelandic powerlifter Jón Páll Sigmarsson , with Capes winning in 1983 and 1985, and Sigmarsson in 1984 and 1986. Sigmarsson raised the popularity and awareness of the event to new levels. He died three years after winning his 4th and final WSM in 1990. In 1987, Sigmarsson would defeat Capes and Kazmaier in Pure Strength. Kazmaier returned to WSM in 1988, but could not dethrone Sigmarsson, who won his 3rd title. The only other man to claim

1581-437: A teacher twisted his ear until it bled as punishment for misbehaving in class. The same day, Capes's mother confronted the teacher and punched him. Capes described himself as a troubled youth and recalled that he was constantly fighting. "If the next town came down on a Friday and there were only eight or nine of them, I'd say, 'Go back and get some more ' ", he told The Daily Telegraph in 2023. "I'd fight them on my own. I

1674-487: A typical gym, training with a strongman regimen requires equipment not typically found in a gym. Some equipment used in a strongman competition would have to be found custom-made or at a strongman gym. Some of these equipment includes natural stones, tree trunk logs, farmers walk frames, yokes, kegs and various sorts of vehicles. Another part of a strongman's training is its intense diet regime. The biggest strongman competitors would need to ingest around 8,000 - 10,000 calories

1767-422: Is Worlds Strongest Man - Thirty Years Of Pain from 2008, celebrating the 30th anniversary. In 2017, a series of videos were released in recognition of the 40th anniversary of the contest. The concept behind "The World's Strongest Men", as it was originally named, was developed in 1977 for CBS by Langstar Inc. David Webster , a Scot who later received an OBE for his services to sport, was the head coordinator of

1860-624: Is a man who performs remarkable feats possessing enormous amounts of strength. In the 19th century, the term 'strongman' was referred to an exhibitor of strength during circus performances. In the first half of the 20th century, strongmen performed various feats of strength such as the bent press (not to be confused with the bench press , which did not exist at the time), supporting large amounts of weight held overhead at arm's length, steel bending, chain breaking, etc. They needed to have large amounts of wrist, hand, and tendon strength for these feats, as well as prodigious oblique strength. In

1953-488: The Arnold Strongman Classic or Fortissimus are the true strongest man competitions. However, it is routinely described as "the Worlds" by top strongman competitors and despite the critics, it is the leading brand name in the field. No other strongman contest commands close to the WSM's levels of TV exposure. The World's Strongest Man claims a viewership of 220 million. In the early 1990s, Magnús Ver Magnússon (Iceland) won

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2046-506: The Log Lift with a lift of 220 kg (490 lb). Shaw would regain his title in 2013 , ahead of Savickas (2nd) and Björnsson (3rd). The 2014 contest was one of the closest battles in WSM history, with these three men separated by just two points going into the Atlas Stones. Savickas clinched the title by just half a point ahead of Björnsson, and just 3 ahead of Shaw, becoming the fourth man to win four titles. This victory made Savickas

2139-725: The World's Strongest Man under the combined coaching of Capes and Bill Pittuck . Capes also helped promote the Daily Star funded UK Strongest Man tournaments until the turn of the millennium. Outside his sporting career Capes was for a long time a policeman and prior to that was a member of the Air Training Corps . Prior to his athletic retirement he had been awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal in 1977, for services to

2232-646: The World's Strongest Man . Capes represented England and Great Britain in field athletics , specialising in the shot put , an event in which he was twice Commonwealth champion , twice European indoor champion , and competed at three Olympic Games. As of October 2024, he still holds the British record for the shot put from 1980 when he putted it 21.68 metres (71 ft 2 in). As a strongman, he won World's Strongest Man twice, and World Muscle Power Classic twice, along with numerous other titles including Europe's Strongest Man and Britain's Strongest Man . As

2325-679: The World’s Strongest Man competition , said of Capes in an interview, “When you saw him sprint, you realized just what an absolutely terrifying athlete he was, as in terrifyingly good. He wasn’t just a big lump.” As a strongman, Capes became a household name in Britain and many parts of the world. He was particularly known for his incredible hand and arm strength, easily tearing London telephone directories in half and bending rolled steel bars measuring over 1 inch in diameter, and three feet in length. Capes turned fully professional in 1980,

2418-740: The 1987 victory was the only one. In 1987 his win in the World Muscle Power was accompanied by a win in the World Strongman Challenge and he is one of only three athletes to have won all three titles. There was no World's Strongest Man that year, but an event was held designed specifically to put the three most successful strongmen against one another. In 1986, Capes won the UK Truck Pulling Championship. 1987 Pure Strength featured Bill Kazmaier , Jón Páll Sigmarsson and Geoff Capes and

2511-489: The 1988 World Muscle Power Classic he finished second, and it proved to be his last major outing as a strongman. For years, Capes was England’s most famous athlete. He featured in various commercials, notably for Volkswagen , where he flipped a Polo car to inspect its underside. His popularity extended to children's games and television, with the World’s Strongest Man competition becoming a Christmas Day staple. He

2604-419: The 1998 title, becoming the only man to defeat Ahola in a WSM contest. Following Ahola's retirement, fellow Finn Janne Virtanen would improve on his 1999 runner up finish and take the title for himself in 2000. The final Scandinavian in this group to take the title was Norwegian Svend Karlsen , who did so in 2001. The early to late 2000s were dominated by five-time Polish winner Mariusz Pudzianowski , earning

2697-476: The Deadlift event for first place and then won the crucial Plane Pull to narrow the gap. Pudzianowski and Poundstone then battled for the title of World's Strongest Man in the last event, the Atlas Stones. Pudzianowski blistered through the event and was able to keep pace with the heavier Poundstone. On the final stone, Pudzianowski was able to capitalize on Poundstone's drop and clinched his fifth title. In 2009,

2790-540: The European Indoor Champion in both 1974 and 1976. His first Olympic experience was in 1972 when he competed in Munich . The 21-year-old Capes did not make it past the qualifying round, but improved on this considerably four years later. Having thrown a personal best of 21.55 metres (70 ft 8 in) on 28 May 1976 at Gateshead, he went into the 1976 Montreal Olympics as one of the favourites for

2883-581: The Olympics dominated the year and Capes did not compete in Britain's Strongest Man, but he did compete later in the Europe's Strongest Man competition and won that. This ensured his invitation to the 1980 World's Strongest Man and on his first entry he came third behind the by then more experienced Bill Kazmaier and Lars Hedlund . In 1981 he returned and improved to second place, again behind Kazmaier, and in 1982 he came fourth. 1983 World's Strongest Man

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2976-562: The Olympics in Moscow being his last event as an amateur athlete. He had already begun to make a name as a strongman having won the inaugural Britain's Strongest Man in 1979. In that competition he beat Bill Anderson , the World Highland Games champion into second place. Bill went on to the 1979 World's Strongest Man , the first Briton to compete in this tournament, whilst Capes concentrated on his athletic career. In 1980

3069-454: The Strong, Georgie Muscles). In 1987, Capes was a timekeeper on the charity television special The Grand Knockout Tournament . Capes appeared on the fourth series of Shooting Stars , alongside Patsy Kensit , where he threw a bomb at Johnny Vegas and in 2007 he became the face of Cadbury's Wispa relaunch, appearing on billboards and magazine advertisements. As of spring 2010, he was in

3162-566: The Top 10 but have not yet won a medal. Statistics are correct up to and including the end of the 2024 WSM competition. The WSM Hall of Fame was created in 2008 to recognize the greatest competitors in the history of the contest. As of 2024, there are eight members of the WSM Hall of Fame; Svend Karlsen , Bill Kazmaier , Mariusz Pudzianowski , Magnus Ver Magnusson , Magnus Samuelsson , Jón Páll Sigmarsson , Geoff Capes , and Zydrunas Savickas . Strongman Many sources state that strongman

3255-441: The UK since Welshman Gary Taylor in 1993. Hall also set a new strongman deadlift world record with a regular bar at 472.5 kg (1,042 lb) performed with just straps. Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson won the 2018 after three 3rd place and three 2nd place finishes and became the first Icelander since Magnús Ver Magnússon in 1996 to win the title. Mateusz Kieliszkowski of Poland finished second and four-time winner Brian Shaw of

3348-518: The United States third. Žydrūnas Savickas , also a four-time winner, finished tenth after withdrawing in event four due to an injury. The 2019 contest was held in Bradenton, Florida . The contest was won by Martins Licis of the United States who defeated defending champion Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson of Iceland. Björnsson suffered an injury, plantar fasciitis , in the qualifying heats but

3441-589: The World's Strongest Man, Capes also won Europe's Strongest Man three times: in London (1980), Amsterdam (1982) and Marken (1984). He regained his Britain's Strongest Man title in 1981 and again in 1983. Capes also won the World Muscle Power Classic championship in 1987, and was ascribed two World Muscle Power championships by the creator of the event, David Webster, although other sources suggest

3534-490: The World's Strongest Man, and became one of 7 men to hold the title at least 3 times. Previous champion Mitchell Hooper came 2nd and Evan Singleton finished 3rd. For a complete timeline, see the official WSM site: Initially, eight men representing various sports and strength disciplines were invited to compete against each other in unique events designed to test each individual to the fullest extent. The earliest events were relatively crude, but new ideas were introduced over

3627-422: The World's Strongest Man. In one of the closest contests in the competition's history, just 1 point separated Ted in 1st from Magnús and Jamie Reeves , who tied for 2nd. Conversely, in 1993, Welshman Gary Taylor became the shortest man to ever win the contest at just 6 feet tall, defeating Magnús and Riku Kiri of Finland. Magnús would finally get his second title in 1994, defeating Austrian Manfred Hoeberl in

3720-487: The advert for the Great British Food Fight , which appeared on Channel 4 , as well as being in an advert for Churchill insurance. Aside from sport and television appearances, Capes was famed for breeding budgerigars and had success (a former world champion ) on the show bench with his Recessive Pieds . He participated in budgerigar shows across Europe and won a world championship in 1995. In 2008, he

3813-479: The beginning of a great rivalry. The following year in Mora, Sweden , Sigmarsson, eleven years Capes' junior, took the title proclaiming "The King has lost his crown!". Capes retorted "I'll be back" with a third place finish. He won the sled push and came second in caber toss, rock press and floor press that year. Capes came to 1985 World's Strongest Man determined to regain his title from Sigmarsson. The competition

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3906-511: The champions, Bill Kazmaier , Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson and Brian Shaw have been inducted into the International Sports Hall of Fame . The competition also has several rival and parallel competitions with which it is sometimes confused, including the Arnold Strongman Classic , Rogue Invitational and Strongest Man on Earth . There are now several documentaries available that chart the history of WSM. The first major one

3999-561: The chronological order of their podium appearance. 24 of them have won the World's Strongest Man (WSM), 11 have won the World Muscle Power Classic (WMPC) and 9 have won the Arnold Strongman Classic (ASC). 7 men have won both WSM & WMPC (Kazmaier, Capes, Sigmarsson, Reeves, Magnússon, Ahola, Karlsen). 5 men have won both WSM & ASC (Savickas, Shaw, Björnsson, Licis, Hooper). Additionally,

4092-407: The closely fought contest, with Kiri finishing 3rd for the second year running. He retained his title the following year, with South African Gerrit Badenhorst and Finland's Marko Varalahti completing the podium. In 1996, Magnús made it to three titles in a row, with his closest competitor Kiri pulling out of the final event due to injury, but still finishing in second. Badenhorst made the podium for

4185-495: The closest finish in WSM history. Top IFSA competitor and fan favorite Mikhail Koklyaev finished third in his WSM debut. Savickas set a new world record in the Giant Wooden Log Lift with a lift of 210 kg (460 lb). In 2011 , Brian Shaw and two-time defending champion Žydrūnas Savickas were tied on points going into the final event. Shaw defeated Savickas in the Atlas Stones, winning his first title. Over

4278-838: The community. He went on to run a sportswear retail shop in Holbeach , before moving to Spalding where in 1998 he became a Justice of the Peace . At the height of his fame in 1985, the game Geoff Capes Strongman was released on the Amstrad CPC , the ZX Spectrum , the BBC Micro , the Acorn Electron and the Commodore 64 , featuring a truck pulling and tug-of-war, allowing control of each muscle group. He also appeared in

4371-461: The competition from its inception. Douglas Edmunds , seven-time Scottish shot and discus champion and twice world caber champion, worked with Webster and when Webster retired, Edmunds took over. These two men were responsible for inviting the competitors and choosing the events. In the meantime, in 1982, CBS sold the rights to the BBC , who in turn sold the rights to TWI . In 1987, the WSM was not held for

4464-514: The competition has been broadcast on ESPN , ESPN2 , TSN , Televisa Deportes and Five , and currently CBS Sports Network in the US. The longevity of the contest in strength athletics and its high levels of TV exposure over the years has led to it being described as "the granddaddy of all strongman contests" . In recent years, to curb injuries, the contest events have included a certain amount of athleticism rather than being about raw strength. This has led some critics to say that contests such as

4557-414: The competition since 1982, and the first American ever to win the competition outside the United States. Pudzianowski regained his crown in 2007 , winning the contest with an event to spare. Fellow Pole Sebastian Wenta claimed 2nd place, with Britain's Terry Hollands rounding out the podium. In 2008 , Derek Poundstone had a large lead over Mariusz Pudzianowski after 3 events but Pudzianowski tied

4650-445: The competition. He dominated the sport to such an extent from 1980 to 1982, winning by a record 28 points in 1980. He reportedly was excluded from the competition for five years, after becoming the first man to win three consecutive WSM titles. He set prodigious marks with a 478.5 kg (1055 lb) silver dollar coin deadlift, 439.5 kg (969 lb) squat (smith machine), and a then-record 165.6 kg (365 lb) log lift with

4743-837: The competitors including Jamie Reeves , Ilkka Kinnunen and Marcel Mostert formed a governing body called the International Federation of Strength Athletes ("IFSA"). The IFSA began organizing bespoke events, such as the IFSA European Championships and also took the lead in working with the BBC and with TWI to organize the World's Strongest Man competition. For almost a decade, the IFSA and WSM were inextricably mixed, but this changed in 2004. The InvestGroup Ventures' sports rights management arm, InvestGroup Sports Management, invested heavily into IFSA and this led to

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4836-504: The contest was held at Myrtle Beach , South Carolina for the first time. Mitchell Hooper continued his rapid rise after his debut the previous year and secured 1st Place with 4 events wins in the Final. 2 time Champion Tom Stoltman finished 2nd and 2020 Champion Oleksii Novikov came 3rd. The 2024 contest was once again held at Myrtle Beach, South Carolina . After finishing 1st in 3 finals events, Tom Stoltman reclaimed his title as

4929-399: The creation of IFSA Strongman. The strategy was to acquire most of the international assets and properties relating to the strongman sport. In essence, this was a new organisation with some, such as Magnus Samuelsson , describing it as "a new company ... with the same name as our old federation". The attempt at dominance was not well received by TWI and disagreement ensued leading to a split in

5022-439: The crowd during intermission and perform strength feats like card tearing, nail bending, etc. to demonstrate strength as well as symmetry and size. Geoff Capes Geoffrey Lewis Capes JP (23 August 1949 – 23 October 2024) was an English shot putter , strongman , and Highland Games competitor. He was famous in the UK in the 1980s for his sporting prowess and appearances on television in shows such as Superstars and

5115-496: The elder two were Braithwaites and the middle four Cannons. Capes told The Daily Telegraph , "The family wasn't just working class, but was on the lowest rung of that very long ladder that is the English class system." He grew up in the town and went to the local secondary school, George Farmer . During his time at school, his behaviour and academic performance were reportedly poor, resulting in frequent caning . On one occasion,

5208-536: The final. The 2019 competition saw the return of Last Man Standing, but instead of featuring the remaining four competitors, only the second and third place competitors square off to determine the second finalist. Australia , Bulgaria , Estonia , the Faroe Islands , Fiji , France , Georgia , Germany , Grenada , Hungary , Iran , Israel , Italy , Kenya , Namibia , New Zealand , Nigeria , Samoa , Serbia , and Slovenia as of 2019 have all placed in

5301-431: The finals of the 1964 All England Schools Athletics Championships. Capes was a gifted sportsman, and represented Lincolnshire at basketball, football and cross-country . In addition he was a decent sprinter, running 23.7 s for the 200 m. Growing up on the Lincolnshire fens he had an early fascination with the natural world and cared for injured birds and animals from when he was a young boy. After school he worked as

5394-494: The finals. Tom Stoltman came in 2nd place winning 3 of 6 events, while Jean-François Caron came in 3rd. The 2021 edition of the contest took place in Sacramento , California from 15 to 20 June. Defending champion Novikov failed to advance from his qualifying heat, after finishing 4th in a tightly fought group which saw just one point separating 1st and 4th position. Tom Stoltman would improve on his second place finish

5487-578: The first non-Europeans to reach the podium of WSM since O.D. Wilson in 1990. The 2006 competition ended in dramatic fashion: in the final, Mariusz Pudzianowski started well by coming tied-1st in the Deadlift and winning the Power Stairs easily; but by then winning the last 5 events in a row, Phil Pfister edged out the Pole in the final event, the Atlas stones. Pfister became the first American to win

5580-446: The first time in WSM history, none of the podium finishers from the previous year (Mariusz Pudzianowski was originally a podium finisher in 2004 before failing a drugs test) would compete in the contest. (Both Licis and Kieliszkowski were injured, whereas Björnsson had retired to focus on his boxing match with Eddie Hall). The contest was won by Oleksii Novikov , who set a new partial deadlift record of 537.5 kg (1,185 lbs) during

5673-469: The following 50 strongmen have reached either 4th or 5th places of World's Strongest Man and/or World Muscle Power Classic and/or Arnold Strongman Classic :    Active    Retired - As of 24 November 2024 Strongman is often incorrectly used to describe a person who does powerlifting , weightlifting or bodybuilding . Due to the circus and entertainment background, nineteenth-century bodybuilders were expected to mingle with

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5766-413: The fourth and fifth place competitors, until only one remains; that competitor is declared the winner of the event and secures the second place in the final for the qualifying group. The 2018 competition used the Atlas Stones event to determine the second finalist. The three lowest scorers were eliminated from the competition, and the second and third place finishers squared off with the winner advancing to

5859-454: The gold medal. He came second in his qualifying group but sixth overall in the final, the winner being Udo Beyer of East Germany . 1980 was the year Capes threw the longest distance of his career, 21.68 metres (71 ft 2 in) in Cwmbran on 18 May 1980 being a new Commonwealth and British record. He went into the Olympics as the athlete with the best distance that year and once again

5952-503: The gym and training with competition implements to gain familiarity. In the gym, it is necessary to train the entire body for strength, especially with variants of the squat , deadlift , and overhead press . Explosive power is also important, which is developed by weightlifting style lifts and cardiovascular conditioning. Additionally, grip strength must be developed and it is also imperative to improve mental toughness and pain tolerance. Although you can do general strength training, at

6045-931: The late 20th century, the term strongman evolved to describe one who competes in strength athletics  – a more modern eclectic strength competition in which competitors display their raw functional strength through exercises such as deadlifts, squats, overhead log lifts, lifting stones, toting refrigerators, pulling heavy vehicles and tossing or loading weights. Some of the most famous competitions of this type are World's Strongest Man , Arnold Strongman Classic , Europe's Strongest Man , Strongman Champions League , World's Ultimate Strongman , World's Strongest Viking , World Muscle Power Classic , Fortissimus , Pure Strength , Rogue Invitational , Shaw Classic , Giants Live , IFSA World Championships , Strongman Super Series and World Strongman Challenge . More than 30 countries also hold national-level strongman competitions. Training for strongman involves building overall strength in

6138-487: The long-running IFSA/WSM split had ended resulting in finally having all of the top strongmen from around the world all in the same contest. Two-time IFSA World Champion Žydrūnas Savickas would return to the contest after 5 years, and claimed his first WSM title, with defending champion Mariusz coming in second in his final ever WSM contest. Another up and comer Brian Shaw placed third. Žydrūnas Savickas repeated his victory in 2010, winning by countback against Brian Shaw in

6231-659: The next four consecutive titles, making him the most successful competitor ever in terms of titles. He set world records in many disciplines, including the 56 lb Weight over bar and brick lifting. As a Highland competitor he was dubbed Geoff Dubh Laidir, translated as Black Strong Geoff. He held the record for shot put at Cowal Highland Gathering − Scotland's only international heavy athletics competition − since 1980 at 18.50 metres (60 ft 8 in). During competitions and also according to Capes himself Capes went on to coach many rising stars in both athletics and strength athletics. Adrian Smith later took fifth spot at

6324-402: The next four years, the pair would trade the title back and forth. Going into the 2012 contest, Shaw suffered from nerve damage in his hands and slipped down to fourth place. This opened the door for Savickas to capture his third WSM title, with fellow Lithuanian Vytautas Lalas coming in second and the Icelandic giant Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson finishing third. Savickas set a new world record in

6417-419: The nickname: "The Dominator". Looking muscular and defined, he temporarily redefined what a strongman was in the world's eyes. At about 142 kg (313 lb) at max weight, he routinely beat men much bigger than he was. He combined speed and massive strength in one package. Indeed, he was so dominant, that three of his five championships ( 2003 , 2005 and 2007 ) were won with an event to spare. His final win

6510-424: The oldest athlete to ever win the title at the age of 38 years and 8 months. Shaw would defeat Savickas once again in 2015 , with the title coming down to the two of them in the final event for the 4th time. Björnsson finished on the podium yet again, with Britain's Eddie Hall coming in 4th. Savickas didn't compete in 2016 , as Shaw successfully defended his title and joined Savickas on four titles. Björnsson made

6603-402: The only time since its inception. In that year, the first and only non-team Pure Strength competition was held, but it was not part of the WSM franchise. For the first several contests, American color commentators and analysts were used on the network broadcast. These included Brent Musburger , Tom Brookshier , and acknowledged strength authority, journalist and author Terry Todd . Todd was

6696-492: The pages of Cage & Aviary Birds . He took up the hobby when a policeman, having chatted for an hour to a man he had to arrest for non-payment of a fine. Capes lived in Stoke Rochford , near Grantham . He married Gillian Fox in 1971. The marriage ended in divorce in 1982. His daughter Emma was English Schools' shot put champion and Youth Olympics bronze medallist. His son Lewis played American football for

6789-465: The second finalist of the group, a new event called Last Man Standing was added. An Atlas Stone is placed at the center of an octagon and, one at a time, the competitors must lift the stone and drop it over a 55-inch metal bar. They each have twenty seconds to do this, and once one cannot complete the drop, he is eliminated and the next highest scoring competitor entering the event takes his turn. The competition continues in stepladder fashion, beginning with

6882-507: The second year in a row. Remarkably, none of these three men would make the final the following year. The late 1990s saw Scandinavian countries taking control of the title, and this lasted until 2002. The relatively small 125 kg (275 lb) but dynamic Jouko Ahola from Finland won two titles in three years during this period. He later became a referee in WSM/strongman events and an actor. Sweden's Magnus Samuelsson would claim

6975-539: The sport. Previously, in 2001, the IFSA in its former guise had entered an agreement with World Class Events (WCE), headed by Ulf Bengtsson, to run the Super Series. This Super Series was designed to award the World Championship title, but also acted as a qualifying vehicle for the WSM. When strongman split in 2004, the Super Series sided with TWI forming a rival federation to the IFSA. With the WSM being

7068-430: The title four times (1991, 1994–1996) and became the second and only man along with the legendary Bill Kazmaier to win three consecutive titles. He came into the 1991 contest as the reserve and ended up winning the show, and is the only man to do so. Magnús would also finish 2nd in both 1992 and 1993. The 1992 contest was won by Dutchman Ted van der Parre , who at 7 feet tall, is the tallest man ever to win or compete at

7161-480: The title in this era was Jamie Reeves , which he did in 1989. Reeves was injured in 1990, as Sigmarsson narrowly claimed his 4th title ahead of O.D. Wilson , who was leading by 5.5 points going into the final event, a controversial 200m race with 100 kg on the back. Sigmarsson won the event, and the much larger Wilson finished way down the field, meaning Jon Pall became the first man to claim four titles. In 1995, Edmunds and Webster, along with representatives from

7254-689: The usual 5+. The final was reduced to 5 events and took only one day. The new format was designed to streamline the editing for a quicker television turnaround. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic , the 2020 contest, initially planned to be held in May at Bradenton, was postponed to November instead. In place from May through July was a special series called "World's Strongest Man: Home Edition" on Snapchat Discover, where participating strongman athletes filmed themselves at home recreating strongman events in creative ways, and fans could vote for their favourites. The series

7347-405: The year before to claim his first title after defeating four-time champion Brian Shaw head-to-head in the Atlas Stones, and became the first Scotsman to win the title. Shaw would finish second, his best placing since his 4th title in 2016, and his first podium finish since 2018, while Canada's Maxime Boudreault would place third in his first WSM final. The 2022 contest held in Sacramento again

7440-411: The years. Some events had a basis in both powerlifting and Highland Games heavy events, and others were created based on mythological feats of strength. There are a number of events that make up each competition. Beginning in 2017, the qualifying format was changed. After five events, the leader clinches a spot in the final while the last place competitor is eliminated from the competition. To determine

7533-482: Was a favorite of Queen Elizabeth II , who "howled in laughter" when her glove stuck to his sweaty hands after he won the Braemar Games in 1982. Former strongman and commentator Colin Bryce remarked compared Cape's unparalleled fame in Britain to that of an NFL star in the United States, describing him as "a true household name.” Capes' daily diet reportedly included seven pints of milk, two loaves of bread,

7626-430: Was able to complete the competition and finish 3rd on the podium, with Mateusz Kieliszkowski finishing as the runner up for the second consecutive year. This year also saw brothers Tom and Luke Stoltman both qualify for the final, becoming the first brothers to both reach the final in history. A new format which included only 25 instead of 30 competitors was used and the entire competition only ran for 4 days instead of

7719-551: Was appointed president of the Budgerigar Society and often served as a judge in competitions. "There’s something about their colour and beauty that fascinates me", Capes told the Sunday People . "They bring out my gentler side." At the peak of his breeding career, he owned over 300 budgies. He constructed a small wooden aviary behind his house and prepared meals for them each morning. Capes frequently appeared in

7812-408: Was born on 23 August 1949 in Holbeach , Lincolnshire, the seventh of nine children. He weighed 12.4 pounds (5.6 kg) at birth. He was the seventh child of Eileen (Alcock) Capes, though the eldest of her three children by her third husband Bill Capes. His father was a land worker, while his mother, who stood six feet tall and weighed 250 pounds, was a matron at a care home. Of his older siblings,

7905-466: Was held at Huntly Castle in Aberdeenshire , Scotland. Capes entered despite having been in hospital the previous weekend with strained trapeziums. Strong performances in the first few rounds belied his condition but he eventually pulled out during the log-lift and ended the contest in third place. Capes, the oldest of the three, was close to strongman retirement at this stage and the next year, at

7998-593: Was held in Cascais , Portugal and Capes managed to win the truck pull, medley, arm over arm pull and swingletree. Despite a horrible last place finish in the crucifix hold, Capes managed to collect enough points to secure his second World's Strongest Man title, holding off Sigmarsson and Cees de Vreugd . Capes' did not forget to celebrate after the end of the final event, the loading race saying "The King has not lost his crown!". Their rivalry thrived and Sigmarsson won once again in 1986 with Capes coming second. Aside from

8091-419: Was hosted by Eddie Hall . Rongo Keene was declared the winner, earning him a $ 10,000 prize. The 2020 contest was to be held on Anna Maria Island from 11 to 15 November, with no physical spectators allowed due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Because of bad weather conditions brought about by Hurricane Eta , the first two days were instead pushed back a day, removing the rest day planned on 13 November. For

8184-418: Was in 2008 as bigger and taller men came into the sport. Pudzianowski's first title was in 2002, as the era of Scandinavian dominance came to end, with Lithuanian Žydrūnas Savickas and Latvian Raimonds Bergmanis completing the podium. He would defend his title in 2003 in spectacular fashion. He won 4 of the 7 events, and claiming two 2nd places and a 3rd place in the remaining events to finish with 66 out of

8277-420: Was later disqualified after failing a drugs test, meaning Magnus Samuelsson would once again finish on the podium. Following the split of IFSA and WSM, most of the athletes would stick with IFSA. Pudzianowski was, in fact, the only athlete from the 2004 contest to compete at WSM in 2005. He would win the contest with an event to spare ahead of runner up Jesse Marunde , who with 3rd place Dominic Filiou became

8370-400: Was moved to Christchurch, New Zealand, in 1983. Two-time winner Bruce Wilhelm (USA) retired and was succeeded by Don Reinhoudt in 1979, a 162 kg (357 lb) heavyweight powerlifter of the US. Reinhoudt still holds several unequipped world records in powerlifting. In 1979, newcomer and legendary powerlifter Bill Kazmaier (USA) made his appearance, coming in 3rd after leading much of

8463-414: Was quite quiet but there was an inner aggression." Despite his natural inclination towards physical activities, Capes initially struggled to find success in sports. He faced a one-year ban from a local football team after striking a referee during a match. He left school at 14 to work as a labourer, carrying sacks of potatoes and taking on various odd jobs. At the age of 15, he loaded 20 tons of potatoes onto

8556-428: Was shaping up to be one of the best contests yet, with 2019 champion Martins Licis returning, and 4 former champions in the competition. Unfortunately, Mateusz Kieliszkowski was once again forced to withdraw due to injury. Tom Stoltman successfully defended his title, winning by 10.5 points over Licis (in 2nd) and Oleksii Novikov , who placed 3rd despite winning 3 of the 6 events in the final. The 2023 edition of

8649-600: Was the first held outside the United States and in Christchurch , New Zealand he held off the challenge of a world class field including the young Jón Páll Sigmarsson , Canadian world powerlifting champion , Tom Magee , and the European powerlifting champion, Siem Wulfse to take his first World's Strongest Man title. Capes won the truck pull and weight over bar and came second in farmer's walk, bale hoist and sack load events. The duel between Sigmarsson and Capes heralded

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