The champion’s crowning day at the 2023 World’s Strongest Man (WSM) in Myrtle Beach, SC, is upon us. The opening event was the Max Dumbbell, tasking the 10 finalists to clean and press ascendingly heavy dumbbells weighing 115, 125, 132.5, 140, 145, 151, and 155 kilograms (254, 276, 292, 309, 320, 333, and 342 pounds) to establish their max lift.
The athletes lifted in rounds, meaning they all attempted the first weight, and only those who were successful advanced to the next weight. Athletes could choose to skip any weight to go heavier immediately. A world record 333-pound dumbbell was on the floor, as was a 342-pound dumbbell in the event that history’s strongest weren’t strong enough. Below are the results:
2023 World’s Strongest Man Max Dumbbell Results
- Mitchell Hooper — 309 pounds (T-first)
- Evan Singleton — 309 pounds (T-first)
- Oleksii Novikov — 292 pounds (T-third)
- Tom Stoltman — 292 pounds (T-third)
- Pavlo Kordiyaka — 292 pounds (T-third)
- Luke Stoltman — 292 pounds (T-third)
- Brian Shaw — 276 pounds (T-seventh)
- Trey Mitchell — 276 pounds (T-seventh)
- Mathew Ragg — 276 pounds (T-seventh)
- Jaco Schoonwinkel — no lift — withdrew from competition
[Related: 2023 World’s Strongest Man Results and Leaderboard]
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Round One — 254 Pounds
Schoonwinkel was first to the stage to attempt the 254-pound opening weight. He clasped his lifting belt and racked the dumbbell. A failed first attempt led to a second attempt that collapsed him to the floor. His yell of agony rushed medical to center stage. He was helped off the floor and later confirmed to have withdrawn from the competition.
Ragg was second to the stage. An awkward racking of the dumbbell didn’t matter as he cleared it overhead to advance to the next weight. Luke Stoltman entered third. An easy rack led to an easy lift and a fist pump to the crowd on the way off the stage.
Brian Shaw took the stage for his last day on the competition floor at WSM. He loaded the 254-pound dumbbell like an antique tchotchke and advanced. Hooper marked the midway point and was the first athlete to lift with his left hand. He made quick work of 254 pounds and rushed off the stage.
Singleton revved up the crowd on his way in. A big swing and a brush of the chalk off his shoulder to celebrate a successful lift of the opening weight. Kordiyaka chalked his hands on stage and ventured to the first dumbbell. A jerk under the weight leveraged a clean lockout.
Mitchell marched to take his opening attempt and kicked his feet like a bull ready to rage. He was the second athlete to lift left-handed and stiffed the dumbbell overhead. Oleksii Novikov cleared the opening weight while wearing a bucket hat. No one chose to skip the opening weight, despite having the option.
Tom Stoltman entered last. A big left-handed lift saw his elbow remain bent and a bail of the weight behind him. A second attempt was good but a struggle out of the gate for the defending champion. After round one was complete, an additional rubber mat was placed on the competition floor for additional safety purposes.
Round Two — 276 Pounds
Nine of 10 continued to attempt 276 pounds — only Schoonwinkel was out. Ragg racked the weight, braced, and advanced. Luke Stoltman clapped some chalk, then did the same as Ragg.
Shaw wiped the heads to the dumbbell with chalk, did the same to his hands, and failed his first attempt. A second attempt was good, and a mic-drop with the giant weight sent him off stage to prep for round three.
In unison, the crowd bellowed, “Moooooooose!” Hooper loaded the dumbbell to his shoulder and got the down signal with a stuttered balance. Singleton tightened his wrist wrap, cleaned the dumbbell with a clinking sound off his lifting belt, and ditched the weight behind him after a successful lift.
Kordiyaka had no issues with the clean and made the smoothest lift of the day. Mitchell wiped off the bottom of his shoes before entering the stage but failed his first attempt. Undeterred, a second attempt received the down signal.
Novikov appeared relaxed, as though it was a casual day at the office. Bopping to the dumbbell, a smooth rack and jerk overhead introed Tom Stoltman to close out the round.
Stoltman hit a comfortable rack and got the weight overhead but didn’t sustain it long enough to receive the down signal. He took it overhead a second time with a controlled lockout to move on.
Round Three — 292 Pounds
The 292-pound dumbbell was the challenge in round three. Ragg opened for the third time and made a smooth clean. The sizing of the dumbbell was finally too awkward, and the weight never left Ragg’s shoulder except to fall to the floor and eliminate the New Zealander.
Luke Stoltman failed his first attempt but got the down signal on a questionable second attempt to advance to round four. Shaw spent a lot of time on stage putting on wraps and chalking up. His first attempt failed. A second attempt went to the shoulder but not overhead. A third attempt repeated the second, and Shaw bowed out.
Hooper loaded the dumbbell to the shoulder and was stable all the way to the lockout. He was psyched while leaving the stage, suggesting he surpassed his expectations.
Singleton clasped in his belt with a deep breath and waited for the whistle. A big first attempt with an awkward drop was followed by a second attempt to get the down signal with the momentum of the weight pulling Singleton backward.
Kordiyaka attempted a jerk on the second attempt but couldn’t lock it out. His technique remained immaculate on his second attempt, and he advanced.
Mitchell retook the stage for his first attempt at 292 pounds. An easy clean led to a failed press that he caught on his shoulder. A second failed press was again caught on his shoulder. He dropped the weight before a third press attempt but had to wave off before a second clean.
Novikov appeared to move into second gear but failed his first attempt at 292 pounds. A huge press held the weight overhead for a trio of seconds to cement his spot in the next round.
Stoltman entered the arena and scored his best lift of the competition, and left fired up with the crowd roaring behind him. The next weight was 309 pounds.
Round Four — 309 Pounds
Luke Stoltman was charged to open the round with Ragg out. A near-fist attempt didn’t get the signal. A second attempt just barely failed the lockout. A missed third lift preceded a bow out from the Scotsman.
Hooper was next up, hoping to be the first to advance. A smooth clean but a missed press was caught on the shoulder. A second press was stiff-armed overhead, and a 309-pound lift was on the board.
Singleton’s coach gave him the signature slap to the traps, and the American made quick work of 309 pounds. Singleton’s intensity, hyping up the crowd, was tempered by Kordiyaka’s measured calm. A stiff arm didn’t stabilize the weight on the first attempt. A second attempt clipped his shoulder on the way back down, and the Ukrainian bowed out of the event.
Novikov sought to join Hooper and Singleton in the next round. An awkward first attempt fell back to the floor. His second attempt looked the same, and he had to bow out of the event — the favorite in the event was out.
Tom Stoltman hit the rack but not the press on his first attempt. His missed second attempt heard the judge scream, “35 seconds left, Tom!” The third lift was not to be, and that left only two athletes in the event.
Round Five — 320 Pounds
Hooper tightened the strap of his lifting belt for his 320-pound attempt. He pushed it overhead, but it didn’t stay there for very long. The crowd chanted Hooper’s name as he lifted the weight a second time, but it was too much for the Canadian.
Singleton has the chance to win the first WSM Final event of his career, but he would need to lift 320 pounds to do so. It was nearly good on the first attempt but not quite there. The second clean looked challenging, and an awkward ditch of the weight closed out the event.
Pull that Bus
The Vehicle Pull event is the next scheduled event on the final day of the 2023 WSM contest. The first athlete will pull at 12:20 p.m. EST. Hooper has 3.5 point lead over Novikov and a four-point lead over Tom Stoltman with two events to go. If the Canadian can play sufficient defense, he could take the WSM title to the north.
Featured image courtesy of World’s Strongest Man.
