The 2025 World’s Strongest Man (WSM) Finals closed the third day of competition with the Hercules Hold, with each athlete tasked with holding 350 kilograms in each hand (700 kilograms total) for as long as possible. The spirit of Mark Felix loomed.
During the KNAACK 18′ Max Deadlift event, Rayno Nel bludgeoned the narrative that persisted throughout the Qualifying Stage that the battle for the top of the overall podium was a head-to-head between the defending WSM champion Tom Stoltman and 2023 WSM champion Mitchell Hooper. Nel entered the Hercules Hold with a massive three-point lead and only three events remaining.
Nel exited the arena with seven- and eight-point leads over Hooper and Stoltman, respectively — a staggering lead for the WSM debutant over the only two WSM champions in the field.
The event’s other major story was Eddie Williams shattering a WSM record to win the first Finals event of his WSM career.
[Stay Tuned: 2025 World’s Strongest Man Live Results & Leaderboard]
2025 World’s Strongest Man Hercules Hold Results
- Eddie Williams (AUS) — 82.14 seconds
- Rayno Nel (RSA) — 75.63 seconds
- Paddy Haynes (UK) — 59.64 seconds
- Ondrej Fojtů (CZE) — 55.41 seconds
- Shane Flowers (UK) — 40.26 seconds
- Mitchell Hooper (CAN) — 40.09 seconds
- Luke Stoltman (UK) — 32.3 seconds
- Tom Stoltman (UK) — 31.82 seconds
- Pavlo Kordiyaka (UKR) — 29.1 seconds
- Trey Mitchell (USA) — 22.29 seconds
2025 World’s Strongest Man Hercules Hold Recap
Athletes were seeded by their finish in the previous event; the lowest-ranked athlete attempted first. Therefore, Luke Stoltman was first to the arena to endure the demigod’s namesake challenge.
Stoltman’s attempt at 32.3 seconds was nothing unusual, and it was unlikely to withstand the rest of the field to advance up the leaderboard.
Williams was second onstage. He was considered a favorite as the Nicol Stone record holder — grip strength he has in spades. He held comfortably for a while, nodding multiple times to the judge of his confidence. The crowd’s roar swelled to a chant of his name as he eclipsed the minute mark to set a WSM record by over 20 seconds.
Kordiyaka bestowed the stage in third position. He sat much lower in his stance than Williams, with a significant shift to his right; essentially a lateral lunge. He was clearly uncomfortable and dropped faster than he likely expected to.
Flowers entered with hands chalked so green, he might have slapped Slimer from Ghostbusters in the locker room. Flowers was defiant through his attempt, yelling “C’mon!” either to the crowd, himself, or both while shaking before his left hand released.
Fojtů entered with a calm demeanor before settling into his grip. He immediately adjusted his footing upon taking the full brunt of the pillars. He held static until puffing his chest into a more upright stance upon surpassing Flowers’ time.
Haynes approached the pillars, bucket-hatted and mustachioed. He suffered a slight jolt forward when taking control of the full 700 kilograms. The crowd chanted his name before he reached the 30-second mark, and the noise only swelled from there. He released with a satisfied smirk upon passing Fojtů’s time.
Hooper was in a position he’d not been accustomed to for the past two years—lifting without knowing the definitive winning time he needed. He was shaking early from a low squat stance, pain strewn across his face. His expression was one of disappointment after he released the pillars, as his chances for the overall gold slipped further away with only two events remaining.
Tom Stoltman could distance himself from Hooper with a top time. Attempting before Nel meant Stoltman needed to overtake Williams’ time to post a dent in Nel’s three-point lead. Stoltman’s height was presumably advantageous, though he gave some of it back with a mid-low squat position. Surprisingly, fatigue onset quickly, and Stoltman dropped just over the 30-second mark.
Nel gulped upon taking command of the weight, but was a rock thereafter. He knew a second-or-better finish could build a lead wide enough to be virtually insurmountable with only two events remaining. The crowd stood on their feet as Nel looked like he was casually chewing bubble gum while endeavoring to bear the weight of the gods.
Mitchell locked in with high, packed shoulders, but the pillars almost fell without much drama.
[Related: Luke Richardson and Evan Singleton Withdraw from 2025 World’s Strongest Man]
2025 World’s Strongest Man Finals
The final day in Sacramento features two events before a champion is crowned: the Flintstone Press Max at 10 a.m. PST and the Atlas Stones at 2:30 p.m. PST.
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Featured image courtesy of World’s Strongest Man/Rich Storry
