On Feb. 17, 2021, World’s Strongest Man (WSM) announced that the 2021 WSM contest will occur in Sacramento, CA, from June 15 through 20. The new location comes as part of a multi-year deal with the Visit Sacramento Sports Commission (VSSC). The 2022 WSM contest and a third-year to be announced at a later date will also take place in Sacramento.
The 2021 WSM contest will be broadcast on the CBS Sports Network and CBS Television Network at a later date following the competition’s completion, similar to what was done for the 2020 contest. For clarity, the televised broadcast will be a recording of the event rather than a live broadcast. Per WSM, The 2020 contest was broadcast worldwide on CBS “to more than 70 different countries and territories, totaling close to 500 million households, with CBS’ U.S. broadcast achieving the competition’s highest ratings in four years.”
View this post on Instagram
[Related: World’s Strongest Man Athletes Reveal Their Strongman GOAT Picks]
Cross Country
For the past two years, the WSM contest took place in Bradenton, FL. 2019 saw America’s Martins Licis claim the WSM title, a leap from his fourth-place finish in 2018. 2020 saw Ukraine’s Oleksii Novikov tie the record for the youngest WSM champion ever at 24. (Jón Páll Sigmarsson of Iceland won the 1984 WSM contest at 24 years old). Novikov never placed worse than fifth in any event in the Finals portion of the 2020 WSM competition and set a WSM partial deadlift record of 537.5 kilograms (1,185 pounds) en route to his victory. (The deadlift was done on a standard barbell, elevated 18-inches off the ground.)
The last time the WSM contest took place in California was in Los Angeles in 2014. Four-time WSM champion Zydrunas Savickas — know for his incredible overhead pressing strength — secured his fourth title at that event, 2018 WSM champion Hafthor Björnsson finished second, and four-time WSM champion Brian Shaw came in third. Before 2014, the WSM contest took place in California in seven other years, including the inaugural event in 1977:
- WSM 1977 — Hollywood, CA at Universal Studios — won by Bruce Wilhelm
- WSM 1978 — Hollywood, CA at Universal Studios — won by Bruce Wilhelm
- WSM 1979 — Hollywood, CA at Universal Studios — won by Don Reinhoudt
- WSM 1981 — Valencia, CA at Magic Mountain — won by Bill Kazmaier
- WSM 1982 — Valencia, CA at Magic Mountain — won by Bill Kazmaier
- WSM 2007 — Anaheim, CA — won by Mariusz Pudzianowski
- WSM 2012 — Los Angeles, CA — won by Zydrunas Savickas
In the announcement, VSSC President Mike Testa said, “The Visit Sacramento Sports Commission is thrilled to welcome World’s Strongest Man to our city. In a moment when so many of us are looking for fun and entertainment, the WSM competition is an ideal event…for visitors, locals, and viewers everywhere.”
[Related: What You Need to Know About How to Increase Strength]
On To Sacramento
The roster for the 2021 WSM contest will be announced as the event gets closer. For the 2020 WSM contest, many of the top strongmen currently in the sport, such as Licis and two-time WSM runner-up Mateusz Kieliszkowski, could not compete due to injury. It will be interesting to see if Novikov will go back-to-back or if a new WSM will be crowned.
Featured image: @theworldsstrongestman on Instagram