You don’t earn the nickname “King of the Stones” from shying away from previously unthinkable records. That’s why no one should be shocked that Scottish Strongman Tom Stoltman has his sights set on an insane 304kg/670.2lb Atlas Stone lift.
In a recent video posted to Instagram, the 26 year old Strongman can be seen hitting two Atlas Stone reps of 265kg/584.2lb along with the caption:
We getting serious. 265×2 after log and farmers! Every week we increase. Road to 304kg continues.
Stoltman has made a habit of beating the Atlas Stone world record of late. The Scotsman currently holds the Atlas Stone world record of 286kg/630lb, which he completed as part of World’s Ultimate Strongman’s (WUS) “Feats of Strength” series in May.
Just two months earlier he set the previous record of 273kg/602lb at the Rogue Record Breakers event at the 2020 Arnold Classic in Columbus, Ohio. This lift also earned him a $5,000 cash prize.
Stoltman has become a big name in Strongman, achieving his highest ever World’s Strongest Man (WSM) finish of fifth place in 2019, aided by his third place finish in the Atlas Stones event. 2017 World’s Strongest Man Eddie Hall recently predicted a 2020 WSM top four finish for Stoltman, along with Martins Licis, Brian Shaw, Mateusz Kieliszkowski.
Stoltman’s quest for a 304kg Atlas Stone lift can only help him continue his WSM success. The Atlas Stones event is not only one of the more technical events in strongman, it is also widely considered the signature event of the World’s Strongest Man contest. First introduced in 1986, it is now the final event of the competition and therefore often determines the winner of World’s Strongest Man.
The current event is a competition of time, not total weight lifted. Contestants must lift 5 stones ranging from 150kg–210kg in under 1 minute, with the fastest strongman earning the most points. In 2019 Stoltman placed third in the Atlas Stones event.
In 2017 an additional Atlas Stones event was introduced called ‘Last Man Standing,’ and it has quickly become a crowd favorite. The 2nd and 3rd place finishers of each heat stand face-to-face in an octagon, separated by a fifty-five inch metal bar. The contestants must lift a 200kg (441-pound) stone over the bar, passing it to their opponent, who then has 20 seconds to lift the stone himself. The contest continues until one contestant cannot complete the lift, with the last man standing moving onto the finals.
In the 2019 WSM event, both Tom Stoltman and his older brother Luke (five time winner of Scotland’s Strongest Man) won their Last Man Standing face offs.
Given Stolman’s Atlas Stone prowess and track record, a new 304kg/670.2lb Atlas Stone world record is well within his reach.
Feature image via Tom Stoltman’s Instagram page: @tomstoltmanofficial
