The 2021 Africa’s Strongest Man (ASM) contest took place in Mossel Bay, South Africa, on Nov. 27-28, 2021. It featured six events over those two days, with 10 of the continent’s strongest men vying for the ASM title. Ultimately, 2019 Arnold Africa champion Thobelani Mabaso claimed the overall title through a consistent performance that included two event wins. Here are the full results:
2021 Africa’s Strongest Man Results
- Thobelani Mabaso (South Africa) — 49.5 points
- Jaco Schoonwinkel (South Africa) — 49 points
- Ben Bucarizza (South Africa) — 41.5 points
- Chris Van der Linde (South Africa) — 39 points
- Dean Shelley (South Africa) — 35 points
- Terence Bosman (South Africa) — 31.5 points
- Greg Poolman (South Africa) — 30 points
- Victor Ampofo (Ghana) — 25 points
- Tewie Labuschagne (South Africa) — 16.5 points
- Richard Banda (Zambia) — three points
The six events were a max log lift, max deadlift, dumbbell press, Conan’s Wheel, yoke/farmer’s walk/sled pull medley, and Atlas Stones.
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Africa’s Strongest Man Events Recap
Below are point breakdowns for each of the six events at the 2021 ASM.
Max Log Lift
Mabaso made his presence felt in the opening event as the lone athlete able to overhead press a 201-kilogram (443.1-pound) log. It was good enough for 10 points and an early lead over 2021 WSM competitor Van der Linde, who finished second as the only other athlete to lockout 190 kilograms (418.9 pounds).
- Thobelani Mabaso — 201 kilograms (443.1 pounds)
- Chris Van der Linde — 190 kilograms (418.9 pounds)
- Dean Shelley — 175 kilograms (385.8 pounds)
Three men — Schoonwinkel, Bucarizza, and Poolman — each claimed six points with 170-kilogram (374.8-pound) lifts. Three more men — Bosman, Ampofo, and Labuschagne — scored three points with 160-kilogram (352.7-pound) presses. Banda was unsuccessful beyond 145 kilograms (319.7 pounds) and earned a single point.
Max Deadlift
The max deadlift event belonged to Van der Linde, who advanced the African deadlift record by a whopping 20 kilograms.
- Chris Van der Linde —440 kilograms (970 pounds) — Africa Deadlift Record
- Thobelani Mabaso — 385 kilograms (848.4 pounds)
- Jaco Schoonwinkel — 385 kilograms (848.4 pounds)
Van der Linde’s event-winning 440-kilogram (970-pound) pull surpassed Australia’s Eben Le Roux’s 420-kilogram (925.4-pound) from the 2016 Arnold Africa.
Heavy Dumbbell Press
The heavy dumbbell press event challenged each strongman to lift a 100-kilogram (220.5-pound) dumbbell for as many reps as possible in 60 seconds. The current heavy dumbbell for reps world record at that weight belongs to 2020 WSM champion Oleksii Novikov who scored 11 reps within 60 seconds, though he was allotted 75 seconds during his attempt.
- Jaco Schoonwinkel — three reps
- Thobelani Mabaso — two reps
- Ben Bucarizza — two reps
Schoonwinkel was the only athlete to score a hat trick in the minute time cap. Shelley, Ampofo, Bosman, and Poolman each managed a single rep. Van der Linde, Labushchagne, and Banda could not get on the scoreboard.
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Conan’s Wheel
The goal of this event was to move the 270-kilogram (595.3-pound) wheel as far as possible. Schoonwinkel won his second event here, traveling the wheel 39.6 meters.
- Jaco Schoonwinkel — 39.6 meters
- Terence Bosman — 34.8 meters
- Ben Bucarizza — 31.2 meters
This was Mabaso’s weakest event of the competition. He finished in the sixth position with a result of 17.6 meters.
Yoke/Farmer’s Carry/Sled Pull Medley
The medley event tasked the strongmen to move the following implements 10 meters each — a 450-kilogram (992.1-pound) yoke, 160-kilogram (352.7-pound) farmer’s carry, 300-kilogram (661.4-pound) sled. Mabaso bounced back from his lackluster Conan’s Wheel performance with a big win that edged out Van der Linde by just under three-tenths of a second.
- Thobelani Mabaso — 47.34 seconds
- Chris Van der Linde — 47.57 seconds
- Dean Shelley — 10 meters (T-third)
- Greg Poolman — 10 meters (T-third)
Schoonwinkel struggled in this event, finishing sixth after moving the yoke 8.2 meters.
Atlas Stones
Schoonwinkel redeemed himself in the competition’s final event, loading all four Atlas Stones in an event-winning time of 32.38 seconds. The stones ranged from 130 kilograms (286.6 pounds) to 205 kilograms (452 pounds). Mabaso’s fourth-place score of three stones loaded in 18.1 seconds was enough to secure the overall contest win by half a point.
- Jaco Schoonwinkel — four stones, 32.38 seconds
- Ben Bucarizza — four stones, 42.06 seconds
- Terence Bosman — four stones, 47 seconds
Van der Linde’s sixth-place finish, loading three stones in 26.94 seconds, ultimately kept him one spot off the final podium.
Featured image: @tubs3_strongman on Instagram
