Here’s what to expect for a gauntlet of events in South Carolina.
Written by Robert Zeglinski
The 2023 World’s Strongest Man (WSM) contest is a little over one month away. This year’s premier showcase in strongman will take place on Apr. 19-23, 2023, in Myrtle Beach, SC. On Mar. 9, 2023, the WSM organization confirmed the expected events for the competition for both the Qualifying Stage and the Final.
Here’s an overview of the expected events at the 2023 WSM contest, in order:
2023 World’s Strongest Man Events
Qualifying Stage
- Event One — Loading Race
- Event Two — Deadlift Machine
- Event Three — Log Ladder
- Event Four — Conan’s Wheel
- Event Five — Kettlebell Toss
- Event Six — Stone Off
Final
- Event One — Fingal’s Fingers
- Event Two — KNAACK Deadlift
- Event Three — Reign Shield Carry
- Event Four — Max Dumbbell
- Event Five — Vehicle Pull
- Event Six — Atlas Stones
Note: The WSM organization has not released specifics for the weight of implements or exact format of each event. Though, while unconfirmed, fans can likely expect familiar events like the Stone Off to stay the same as previous years. In the past, this decisive event has featured second and third-place finishers from each Qualifying Round group squaring off in an Atlas Stones battle to vie for a spot in the Final.
Here is the complete roster for the 2023 WSM at the time of this writing:
2023 World’s Strongest Man Roster
- Tom Stoltman (United Kingdom) — Defending two-time WSM champion
- Pavlo Kordiyaka (Ukraine)
- Evan Singleton (United States)
- Mitchell Hooper (Canada)
- Trey Mitchell (United States)
- Adam Bishop (United Kingdom)
- Aivars Šmaukstelis (Latvia)
- Kevin Faires (United States)
- Eythor Ingolfsson Melsted (Iceland)
- Paul Smith (United Kingdom)
- Rauno Heinla (Estonia)
- Bobby Thompson (United States)
- Mateusz Kieliszkowski (Poland)
- Gavin Bilton (United Kingdom)
- Spenser Remick (United States)
- Eddie Williams (Australia)
- Pavlo Nakonechnyy (Ukraine)
- Konstantine Janashia (Georgia)
- Graham Hicks (United Kingdom)
- Luke Stoltman (United Kingdom)
- Mathew Ragg (New Zealand)
- Gabriel Rhéaume (Canada)
- Brian Shaw (United States)
- Jaco Schoonwinkel (South Africa)
- Mark Felix (Grenada)
- *Maxime Boudreault (Canada) (qualified but withdrew due to shin injury)
The 2023 WSM will be the final WSM contest for four-time WSM champion (2011, 2013, 2015-2016) Brian Shaw and longtime competitor Mark Felix. Tom Stoltman is the two-time reigning champion (2021-2022). At the time of this article’s publication, Shaw and Stoltman are the only current or former WSM champions on the roster. Past winners like Oleksii Novikov (2020) have not yet been confirmed. Nonetheless, such a slate potentially paints the picture of a new era for the sport of strongman.
The 2023 WSM competition should act as another terrific showcase of strength and power on an international stage. With the roster and events now confirmed, it seems apparent another dynamite contest is in store.
Featured image: @theworldsstrongestman on Instagram
About Robert Zeglinski
Robert is a seasoned and adept editor and writer with a keen, passionate penchant for the writing craft. He’s been a leader in newsrooms such as SB Nation, USA TODAY, and WBBM Newsradio, with various other content and art production teams, and first made a name for himself in his hometown of Chicago. When not knee-deep in research or lost in a stream of consciousness for a thorough piece, you can find Robert inhaling yet another novel, journaling his heart out, or playing with his Shiba Inu, Maximus (Max, for short).