Thanks to a titanic effort from Evan “T-Rex” Singleton, Team USA took down Team UK in a tightly contested battle for the title of 2023 World’s Strongest Nation.
The showdown between an American squad led by 2019 World’s Strongest Man Martins Licis and a British side headlined by legendary English strongman Eddie Hall featured seven events during a single-day competition that took place on Nov. 18, 2023, at the M&S Bank Arena in Liverpool, England. After watching their home team claim the crown in 2022, UK fans witnessed Team USA put together a winning effort that included a record-setting performance by Kevin Faires in the latest show from the Giants Live World’s Strongest Man Arena Tour.
Both teams had a mix of female and male athletes squaring off in a series of challenges that tested their strength, power, and conditioning. Teams earned three points for an event win, with a bonus point given to the team that had the top overall performer in each of the first six events. Despite a furious comeback attempt by Hall’s squad, Singleton — winner of both the 2023 Giants Live Strongman Classic and the 2023 Giants Live World Open — sealed the victory for the Americans by hoisting a 551-pound (250-kilogram) weight onto the final step of the “Power Stairs.”
Here are the full results from the seven events, along with an overview of what each entailed.
Event 1: Sandbag Steeplechase
Each competitor had to pick up a sandbag and move quickly to drop it over a hurdle set at the 10-meter point. After retrieving it from the other side, the athlete had to go another 10 meters before heaving it onto a table placed at the 20-meter mark. Men worked with 330.7 pounds (150 kilograms), with women using 220.5-pound (100-kilogram) sandbags.
Team USA won the Sandbag Steeplechase by a sizable margin of nearly 35 seconds for a total of four points.
Team USA (Total Time — 2:39.39 seconds)
- Inez Carrasquillo — 18.20 seconds
- Rob Kearney — 21.39 seconds
- Nadia Stowers — 22.69 seconds
- Kevin Faires — 20.44 seconds
- Erin Murray — 19.59 seconds
- Spenser Remick — 21.39 seconds
- Inez Carrasquillo — 18.19 seconds
- Evan Singleton — 17.56 seconds (bonus point)
Team UK (Total Time — 3:13.87 seconds)
- Andrea Thompson — 33.57 seconds
- Gavin Bilton — 17.66 seconds
- Lucy Underdown — 32.47 seconds
- Mark Felix — 29.63 seconds
- Donna Moore — 24.43 seconds
- Luke Stoltman — 18.00 seconds
- Rebecca Roberts — 19.99 seconds
- Tom Stoltman — 18.12 seconds
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Event 2: Farmer’s Walk
A classic strongman event, the Farmer’s Walk featured 40 meters of a grueling test of grip strength and endurance. The female athletes worked with 198.4 pounds (90 kilograms) in each hand, with the males carrying 308.6 pounds (140 kilograms) on each side.
Team USA defeated Team UK in the second event thanks to another top performance by Singleton that gave his squad a second bonus point.
Team USA (Total Time — 3:04.90 seconds)
- Inez Carrasquillo — 21.68 seconds
- Spenser Remick — 23.26 seconds
- Nadia Stowers — 34.25 seconds
- Martins Licis — 21.12 seconds
- Erin Murray — 24.65 seconds
- Kevin Faires — 20.36 seconds
- Gabi Dixson — 21.48 seconds
- Evan Singleton — 18.10 seconds (bonus point)
Team UK (Total Time — 3:13.65 seconds)
- Andrea Thompson — 21.87 seconds
- Gavin Bilton — 25.17 seconds
- Lucy Underdown — 26.55 seconds
- Luke Stoltman — 20.11 seconds
- Donna Moore — 32.53 seconds
- Tom Stoltman — 19.94 seconds
- Rebecca Roberts — 20.87 seconds
- Mark Felix — 26.61 seconds
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Event 3: Axle Deadlift
A test of deadlift proficiency had the men use 793.7-pound (360-kilogram) axles — a weight that proved incredibly challenging. Meanwhile, the women put together some impressive totals utilizing 485-pound (220-kilogram) axles.
Team UK secured the win over Team USA by five total reps on the back of a bonus point-earning showing by Lucy Underdown.
Team USA (Total Reps — 23 reps)
- Gabi Dixson — 10 reps
- Nadia Stowers — Six reps
- Rob Kearney — Four reps
- Evan Singleton — Three reps
Team UK (Total Reps — 28 reps)
- Lucy Underdown — 13 reps (bonus point)
- Andrea Thompson — Eight reps
- Gavin Bilton — Four reps
- Tom Stoltman — Three reps
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Event 4: Circus Dumbbell
Arguably the most technically difficult event on the schedule, the Circus Dumbbell tested the athletes’ explosive power and coordination with an overhead press. Licis smartly used his joker card to maximize the potential point haul for his squad — and the move paid off.
Team USA won by three total reps, with Singleton earning his third bonus point by topping all competitors with seven reps. The joker card allowed the Americans to earn double the points.
Team USA (Total Reps — 22 reps)
- Nadia Stowers — Four reps
- Inez Carrasquillo — Five reps
- Rob Kearney — Six reps
- Evan Singleton — Seven reps (bonus point)
Team UK (Total Reps — 19 reps)
- Donna Moore — Four reps
- Andrea Thompson — Six reps
- Luke Stoltman — Six reps
- Gavin Bilton — Three reps
[Related: 8 Overhead Press Variations for Stronger Shoulders]
Event 5: Wrecking Ball Hold
First held at the Giants Live Strongman Open earlier this year, this event tested the athletes’ grip power and willpower. Kevin Faires, who placed ninth at the 2023 Giants Live Strongman Classic, cemented his place in strongman history books by setting a World Record by keeping the wrecking ball in place for nearly two minutes.
However, Team UK still emerged victorious thanks to 18-time WSM competitor Mark Felix recording a highly impressive time of his own that gave his squad the decisive edge.
Team USA (Total Time — 4:01.84 seconds)
- Gabi Dixson — 6.84 seconds
- Nadia Stowers — 46.01 seconds
- Kevin Faires — 1:53.00 seconds (World Record)
- Evan Singleton — 1:15.99 seconds
Team UK (Total Time — 4:23.30 seconds)
- Lucy Underdown — 46.43 seconds
- Rebecca Roberts — 57.47 seconds
- Gavin Bilton — 1:02.02 seconds
- Mark Felix — 1:37.38 seconds
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Event 6: Tug of War
Eddie Hall confidently used his joker card in an old-fashioned tug-of-war contest. The three-part battle started with separate showdowns between four-person male and female teams and concluded with an eight-a-side mixed-gender dual.
Unfortunately for Team USA, all three rounds went to Team UK, who closed the gap to just three points heading into the last event.
Pull 1: Women
Team UK (Moore, Roberts, Thompson, and Underdown) defeats Team USA (Carrasquillo, Dixson, Murray, and Stowers)
Pull 2: Men
Team UK (Bilton, Felix, L. Stoltman, and T. Stoltman) defeats Team USA (Kearney, Licis, Remick, Singleton)
Pull 3: Mixed
Team UK (Moore, Roberts, Thompson, Underdown, Bilton, Hall, L. Stoltman, and T. Stoltman) defeats Team USA (Carrasquillo, Dixson, Murray, Stowers, Faires, Kearney, Licis, and Remick)
[Related: Australian Strongman Smashes World Record by Pulling 44,753-Pound Crane]
Event 7: Power Stairs
The last event had three men and two women alternate carrying a weight each to the top of a set of stairs. While the men worked with 496-pound (225-kilogram) and 551.2-pound (250-kilogram) weights, the women used 275.6-pound (125-kilogram) and 286.6-pound (130-kilogram) weights.
Between having a 1.5-second head start due to their three-point lead and executing the challenge with excellent technique, Team USA stormed to the top of the stairs and secured the World’s Strongest Nation title.
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Ultimately, all the athletes showcased tremendous class and respect for one another while putting their bodies on the line for the sake of national pride. With the teams splitting the first two matchups, the third iteration of the World’s Strongest Nation should be even more competitive. Only time will tell whether Team USA can become the first back-to-back winners in the contest’s brief history.
Featured Image: Giants Live Strongman / Instagram