The 2021 World’s Ultimate Strongman (WUS) contest is scheduled for Sept. 17-18 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE), and will feature 13 strongmen and eight strongwomen competing in five events. The original location of the competition was Las Vegas, NV. It was changed to Jacksonville, FL on July 1, 2021, and then changed again to Dubai amid rising COVID-19 concerns in the USA’s most southeastern state.
2021 WUS Roster
Below are the full rosters for both the men’s and women’s divisions for the 2021 WUS contest. Highlights include four-time World’s Strongest Man (WSM) champion Žydrūnas Savickas, the return of Mateusz Kieliszkowski — who has been absent from elite strongman competition since 2019 (triceps injury) — and 2020 WSM champion Oleksii Novikov, who won WUS “Strength Island” contest earlier in 2021.
On the woman’s side, three-time World’s Strongest Woman (WSW) Donna Moore and 2018 WSW Andrea Thompson will compete in UAE. Annabelle Chapman, who recently set the women’s axle press world record, is also on the roster.
Men’s Division
- Žydrūnas Savickas, Lithuania
- Mateusz Kieliszkowski, Poland
- Aivars Smaukstelis, Latvia
- Bobby Thompson, USA
- Oleksii Novikov, Ukraine
- JF Caron, Canada
- Rauno Heinla, Estonia
- Ervin Toots, Estonia
- Eythor Ingolfsson, Iceland
- Konstantine Janashia, Georgia
- Mikhail Shivlyakov, Russia
- Ramin Farajnezhad, Iran
- Mohamad Ezatpor, Iran
Although the format is head-to-head, as there is an odd number of competitors, one athlete will have to run each event solo.
Women’s Division
- Jessica Fithen, USA
- Melissa Peacock, Canada
- Nadia Stowers, USA
- Annabelle Chapman, UK
- Andrea Thompson, UK
- Cori Butler, USA
- Donna Moore, UK
- Sandra Bradley, Germany
All athletes will compete on Sept. 17 as the WUS contest is a one-day event. The women’s division will compete in all five events first, starting at 7 a.m. EST (3 p.m. GST). There will be a 30-minute intermission, then the men’s division will compete.
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All five events for both divisions will feature a head-to-head format.
2021 WUS Event List
- Log Press — For reps
- Men: 180 kilograms | Women: 100 kilograms
- Yoke Walk — Distance in 60 Seconds
- Men: 450 kilograms | Women: 300 kilograms
- Farmer’s Walk — 30 meters
- Men: 180 kilograms | Women 110 kilograms
- Mystery Event*
- Atlas Stones — 10 stones
- Men: 110 kilograms – 200 kilograms | Women: 60 kilograms – 150 kilograms
*The details for the mystery event have not been released. For the 2020 WUS contest, the mystery event was a flag hoist — athletes used a pulley system to raise a weight until a flag touched the top of the pulley.
Watch the Show
The 2021 WUS contest will be live-streamed for free on CoreSports.world. We will see if Oleksii Novikov can continue his winning streak and go back-to-back atop the podium in the WUS contest.
On Sept. 18, 2021, the day after the WUS contest, 2018 WSM champion Hafthor Björnsson is scheduled to fight Arm Wrestler Devon “No Limits” Larratt in a heavyweight boxing match. The undercard features CrossFit Games veterans Josh Bridges vs. Jacob Heppner and powerlifter Stefi Cohen vs. Avril Mathie. The bouts are available via pay-per-view for $9.99 on CoreSports.world.
Feature image: @worldsultimatestrongman on Instagram, photo by Ben Looi.