In what many strongman fans might consider a shocking upset, British athlete Eddie Hall has beaten his fiercest rivals to claim the 2017 World’s Strongest Man title. Hall’s win marks the first time since 2009 that someone other than Brian Shaw or Zydrunas Savickas has claimed the title.
Gary Taylor was the last British strongman to win the competition, which he claimed in 1993.
The World’s Strongest Man Finals standings are below:
- Eddie Hall – 51 points
- Hafthor Bjornsson – 50 points
- Brian Shaw – 49 points
- Martins Licis
- Jean-Francois Caron
- Mateusz Kieliszkowski
- Laurence Shahlaei
- Konstantine Janashia
- Zydrunas Savickas
- Nick Best
2017 marks Bjornsson’s sixth straight WSM podium finish. Shaw came into the competition a favorite as the two-time defending champion, with four titles overall. The legendary Zydrunas Savickas — another 4-time winner, competing this season at 41 years old — made a valiant run to the finals but looked somewhat hobbled in the finals, though he performed well in the squat event.
Known for his immense static strength, Hall set a world deadlift (equipped + straps) last year at 500kg, though his performance on the more mobile strongman events left some wondering if he could ever catch up to the taller (and presumably faster) Shaw and Bjornsson.
Even though our experts predicted 2017 could be a lifetime-best competition for Eddie Hall, a victory seemed just out of grasp with other historically great strongmen vying for the titles.
But Hall came through and capitalized on his strengths in the Finals, winning the squat, Viking Press, and deadlift on his way to a win that saw him finish just one point ahead of Bjornsson (50) and two ahead of Shaw (49).
The trio of Hall, Bjornsson, and Shaw absolutely dominated the standings, as evidenced by the point spread; fourth place finisher Jean-Francois Caron totaled just 23.5 points. These three athletes could have several more years of great battles ahead of them.
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Editor’s note: This article has been updated to reflect the official 2017 WSM standings after several placements were different than originally reported.
Featured image: @theworldsstrongestman on Instagram
