Day Three of the 2023 World’s Strongest Man (WSM) started with a twist. The Reign Shield Carry was moved to Event even instead of Event Nine after rainy conditions did not allow for the Fingal Fingers to occur in the morning.
Each strongman was tasked to carry a 432-pound shield in a bear hug position for the farthest distance possible up and down a 20-meter course. The event stressed the athletes’ conditioning in the ongoing rain and wind. The athletes raced in two-man heats. Below are the Reign Shield Carry results:
2023 World’s Strongest Man Reign Shield Carry Results
- Mitchell Hooper — 64.8 meters
- Tom Stoltman — 63.15 meters
- Oleksii Novikov — 55.87 meters
- Trey Mitchell — 50.83 meters
- Evan Singleton — 48.3 meters
- Pavlo Kordiyaka — 46.59 meters — issued a 19.8-meter penalty
- Luke Stoltman — 44.62 meters
- Brian Shaw — 39.1 meters
- Mathew Ragg — 37.65 meters
- Jaco Schoonwinkel — 15.92 meters
[Related: 2023 World’s Strongest Man Results and Leaderboard]
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Heat One — Mathew Ragg vs. Brian Shaw
With a 432-pound shield, every step down the course is effectively a leg curl. Grip is important, but hamstrings are arguably just as, if not even more, taxed. Shaw was seen heaving deep, deep breaths before taking the stage to kick off Day Three in front of a gigantic crowd at a quarter after 10:00 a.m. EST — just as the sun peaked through the clouds to get a glimpse of the action.
Shaw wore a lifting belt, but Ragg did not. They loaded their shields, and the race was on. Steadily they both turned through one length. Ragg dropped just before two lengths as Shaw’s shield landed over the starting line.
Heat Two — Luke Stoltman vs. Evan Singleton
Singleton hyped up the crowd as he and Stoltman crossed the stage to their respective shields. They both wore lifting belts, but only Singleton wore elbow sleeves.
Although the head-to-head structure made it feel like a race, the athletes fought for distance. They both cleared two full lengths, though Singleton was visibly cussing out the shield at the end of the first.
Heat Three — Mitchell Hooper vs. Tom Stoltman
Stoltman took a light jog to his shield to get light on his feet, while Hooper walked to his shield like a man on a mission. Hooper only wore a lifting belt. Stoltman wore a belt and knee sleeves.
The rain picked up right before they took off, but the two juggernauts continued undeterred. Stoltman was smooth through the first length as Hooper adjusted his grip early on.
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[Related: 2023 World’s Strongest Man Day One Results]
Stoltman cleared three lengths before dropping, which gave Hooper the information to know how far to go — an impressive tactical strategy by the Canadian to take the lead. In a post-event interview, Hooper told Eddie Hall that “having a mark to beat is invaluable.”
Heat Four — Pavlo Kordiyaka vs. Trey Mitchell
The shields were reset as the rain poured harder at the beachside in the otherwise comfortable 68-degree weather. Mitchell ventured to his shield in a poncho. Kordiyaka wore no gear, not even a lifting belt, which implicated his intent to move fast.
Both men clasped their hands around their shields and sped off. Kordiyaka sprinted through three lengths to take the lead as Mitchell failed to reach the third line.
After the heat, the judging team gathered to discuss if a penalty need be issued to Kordiyaka for not crossing the line during the turn upon completion of his second length. Kordiyaka was seen speaking with WSM Tournament Director Colin Bryce at center stage and pointing toward the area where the potential rules infraction might have occurred.
Kordiyaka shook his head in disgust as he walked off the stage. That body language proved his feelings true as Bryce finally took the mic to clear up the infraction: the line judge determined that Kordiyaka didn’t cross the line on his second length and, therefore, issued Kordiyaka a 19.8-meter penalty. Had the penalty not been issued, Kordiyaka would have been the event winner.
BarBend reached out to Bryce to ask about which rules were communicated to the athletes prior to the event and how the judging team determined the ensuing penalty to Kordiyaka.
Regarding the judging team’s decision, Bryce told BarBend:
“Strongman is bespoke in every event and under every condition it has to be changeable and fair. The rules state each athlete’s foot needs to touch the line and Kordiyaka’s foot did not. In every situation and scenario, we do our absolute best to uphold fairness.”
Heat Five — Jaco Schoonwinkel vs. Oleksii Novikov
Novikov and Schoonwinkel were last to the stage. Novikov did the same as Kordiyaka and eschewed all equipment. Schoonwinkel slipped and took a hard fall to the street on top of his shield, ending his run quickly.
Novikov struggled sooner than he expected and dropped before crossing the line of his third length. He punched his hand in disappointment following his run.
The Result of a Penalty
With the penalty issued to Kordiyaka in his best event effectively stripping him of five points and the leader’s advantage of going last in the turn order for the KNAACK Deadlift, the Ukrainian will have to make significant adjustments to his strategy going forward.
The KNAACK Deadlift is the next event scheduled for Day Three of competition, tentatively with a 12:45 p.m. EST start time. Fingal’s Fingers is scheduled to follow with a 3:45 p.m. EST start time.
Featured image courtesy of World’s Strongest Man.
