On Aug. 18-19, 2023, in Loveland, CO, the winner of the Shaw Classic will officially be “The Strongest Man on Earth. The promoter, four-time World’s Strongest Man (WSM) champion Brian Shaw, has officially acquired the trademark of “The Strongest Man on Earth” from Paul Ohl, the organizer of Fortissimus, a strongman contest held in 2008 and 2009.
Shaw interviewed Ohl on his YouTube channel to discuss Fortissimus and the title turnover to Shaw for the future of the Shaw Classic on July 17, 2023. Check it out below:
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Fortissimus
Fortissimus was a strongman contest that premiered in 2008 and ran until 2009. It was indefinitely suspended following the 2009 competition after a lack of sponsorships prevented the contest from holding another edition. It ultimately never returned, though “The Strongest Man on Earth” remained trademarked.
The Fortissimus competition featured many of the strongman events expected in elite contests to this day, including Super Yoke, Log Lift, Deadlift, Husafell Stone Carry, and Atlas Stones. Derek Poundstone won the debut contest in 2008; four-time WSM champion Žydrūnas Savickas finished as the runner-up. One year later, Poundstone and Savickas traded places on the podium — the Lithuanian is technically the reigning and final Fortissimus champion.
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2023 Shaw Classic Roster
- Trey Mitchell — Two-Time Defending Champion
- Mitchell Hooper
- Oleksii Novikov
- Maxime Boudreault
- Kevin Faires
- Aivars Šmaukstelis
- Evan Singleton
- Bobby Thompson
- Luke Stoltman
- Tom Stoltman
- Adam Bishop
- Pavlo Nakonechnyy
- Thomas Evans
- Pavlo Kordiyaka
- Mateusz Kieliszkowski
- Brian Shaw
- Gavin Bilton — alternate
2023 Shaw Classic Events
- Log Medley
- Max Hummer Tire Deadlift
- Wheelbarrow and Arm-Over-Arm Medley
- Bag Toss
- Car Leg Press
- Atlas Stones
- Bench Press
- Fingal’s Fingers and Power Stairs Medley
