After two days of Qualifying Stage competition under the hot Myrtle Beach, SC, sun and a day of recovery, the top 10 strongmen gathered to determine who will be the 2024 World’s Strongest Man.
Thirty strongmen entered, and after six events, have been sifted down to 10 for the 2024 WSM Final. The Finalists are:
- Austin Andrade
- Wesley Derwinsky
- Tristain Hoath
- Mitchell Hooper — Defending Champion
- Pavlo Kordiyaka
- Matthew Ragg
- Evan Singleton
- Aivars Šmaukstelis
- Luke Stoltman
- Tom Stoltman
Defending champion Hooper stands to make history at Myrtle Beach as he is also the back-to-back defending Arnold Strongman Classic winner (2023-24). No strongman before “The Moose” has won the ASC and WSM in consecutive years simultaneously. Should Hooper defend the WSM crown, he would become a one-of-one in strongman lore.
[Stay Updated: 2024 World’s Strongest Man Results & Leaderboard]
[Catch Up: 2024 World’s Strongest Man Day 2 Results]
KNAACK Giants’ Medley Results
At the start of the Finals Stage, the Final competitors had six events between them and the crown; the first to take on was the KNAACK Giants’ Medley. The task: carry the 454-kilogram (1,000-pound) yoke down the 20-meter course, then frame carry 330 kilograms (728 pounds) back to the starting line in the fastest time possible.
Athletes had a time cap of 60 seconds and ran in two-person heats. The results were as follows:
- Evan Singleton — 30.21 seconds
- Austin Andrade — 40.61 seconds
- Tom Stoltman — 41.26 seconds
- Wesley Derwinsky — 59.2 seconds
- Tristain Hoath — 35.54 meters
- Mitchell Hooper — 34.59 meters
- Matthew Ragg — 28.9 meters
- Luke Stoltman — 27.43 meters
- Aivars Šmaukstelis — 21.96 meters
- Pavlo Kordiyaka — 20.99 meters
Wesley Derwinsky and Austin Andrade started us off in a battle between Canada and Mexico. Both strongmen darted from the gate quickly with the yoke. They each dropped the frame briefly through the first leg, but Andrade crossed the finish line first. Derwinsky finished within one second of the whistle, signaling the time cap.
The stage was reset for Luke Stoltman versus Pablo Kordiyaka — the most recent Europe’s Strongest Man (ESM) champions. Neither strongman finished the course, but Stoltman carried the frame farther to win the heat.
[Catch Up: 2024 World’s Strongest Man Day 1 Results]
Aivars Šmaukstelis clashed with Tristan Hoath in heat three. Again, both athletes failed to complete the course within the time cap. Hoath took down the heat, advancing about 14 meters farther than Šmaukstelis.
Heat four featured Evan Singleton against Matthew Ragg. Singleton’s fans were loud and proud as the “T-Rex” flew through the course in just over 30 seconds. Ragg could not carry the frame to the finish line. After crossing the finish line, Singleton needed medical attention due to an apparent foot injury but walked off the field of play unassisted. For now, Singleton carries on.
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The last two strongmen to take the stage was a clash of the most recent WSM champions — two-time WSM Tom Stoltman and reigning WSM Mitchell Hooper. Several of the other strongmen came out to watch the heat.
Hooper was on to the frame before Stoltman finished with the yoke, but Stoltman returned on the frame carry to score the heat win as Hooper could not finish.
All told, Singleton scored the event win, but the cost was a potential foot injury that might impact the rest of his weekend. Despite the unknowns, it’s not just the temperature heating up in Myrtle Beach.
Coming Up Next
The finalists don’t get much time to rest because the second event occurs shortly after lunchtime. The Max Axle Press is next. BarBend will be here for every rep, event, and moment until the winner takes the title in Myrtle Beach.
Here are the events still to come on the first day of the 2024 WSM Final. Times in EST:
- Finals Event 2: Max Axle Press — 1:00 PM
- Finals Event 3: Keg Toss — 4:00 PM
Featured Image: Rich Storry / World’s Strongest Man
