The 2025 World’s Strongest Firefighter competition will occur on the weekend of Feb. 28 – Mar. 1, 2025, as part of the 2025 Arnold Sports Festival in Columbus, OH. This is the sixth edition of this contest, which includes active-duty firefighters from different countries around the world.
Men and women of different weight classes will compete for top honors within their categories. The top two finishers from the Lightweight Men, Middleweight Men, Lightweight Women, and Open Women divisions and the top eight finishers from Open Men will advance to the finals.
The athletes who advance to the finals will compete against each other. The weights for the finals will be adjusted based on a Wilks-like calculation so that each athlete uses a challenging weight based on their division. The athlete who earns the best score across the final events will be the overall champion.
Importance of the Event
Promoter and bodybuilding legend Arnold Schwarzenegger has hosted this event since 2019. He feels it is a special part of the annual weekend in Columbus. He told BarBend why this event was so special to him:
“This is one of my favorite events every year, and I love watching it grow,” the seven-time Mr. Olympia said. “These men and women are real-life action heroes, and I love to give them a stage to show the world how strong they are.”
According to Schwarzenegger, fans who watch the firefighters compete feel the same way, and he does not take their support for granted.
“What I love the most is how the Arnold Sports Festival crowd loves them. You’ll hear some of the loudest cheers of the weekend when these heroes lift on the main stage at the Expo. They deserve all the applause.”
Competition for a Cause
The competition doubles as a fundraiser to support firefighters. Contributions go to the CAL FIRE Benevolent Foundation, Santa Monica Firefighters Relief Fund, and the Columbus Firefighters Foundation. WSF organizer Noah Justin noted that the event has extra special meaning this year due to the wildfires that wreaked havoc on southern California in early 2025.
“This isn’t just Hollywood; there are regular people and families that lost their entire lives in a few hours. It’s more important than ever that we all come together this year and support the men and women who supported us when we needed it most.”
Fans and athletes supporting these causes can purchase the competition shirt on the ASF website.
How to Watch
The competition will be held in the Greater Columbus Convention Center’s same room as the Arnold Expo. The finals will be held on the Arnold Expo stage on Saturday, March 1.
Fans who are not in Columbus can catch all the action live through the WSF pay-per-view livestream, which will be available through Strongman Corporation. The proceeds from the livestream will also support charities. Justin shared that they are doing even more to help.
“We will have live donation links open and merchandise for sale that goes directly to our benevolent foundations. I urge everyone that can do so to open their hearts and wallets for these great heroes.”
2025 World’s Strongest Firefighter Rosters
Five countries will be represented in this competition. The following athletes will be facing off in the Greater Columbus Convention Center for the title of 2025 champion, including the 2024 champion, Marcus Waugh.
Men’s Open
- Zackary Hash
- Mark Meyer
- George Lusito
- Jordan Barr
- Charles Moran
- Paul Emmick
- Jay Mullens
- Alexander Arenas
- Christopher Wallace
- Casey Shoe
- Brandon Stone
- Marc Hernandez
- Cornelius Henderson
- Joseph Voiles
- Alek Escobedo
- Brady Sterchi
- Didier Vaudeville
- Justin Zuniga
- Louis Sciaqua
- Charles Woodford
- Caleb Woodall
- Corey Makowski
- Mike McGowan
- Andrew Morales
- Michael George Ebanks Jr.
- Scotty Keyser
- Timmy Tesch
- Sawyer Kemp
- Alex Meehan
- Marcus Waugh*
*2024 World’s Strongest Firefighter Champion.
Men’s Under 105KG
- Chase Voorhees
- Eliezio Marchezi
- Seth Bowen
- Tyler Stierhoff
- Harry Walker
- Guerrero Lopez
- Nate Millsaps
- Ryan Fincham
- Steven Dent
- Martin Horký
- Brian Weber
- Corbin Bracken
- Bronson Taylor
- Andrew Young
- Joe McGhee
- Frank Boniello
- Kevin Matthews
- Aaron Rich
- Kayden Locklear
- Colin Fay
- Ben Brandon
- Blake Bowen
- Micah Joannes
- Nolan Kuehnl
- Justin Edling
- Dylan West
- Cody Monger
- Justin Robinson
- Kendall Leland
- Keith Hamilton Foxborough
- John Lloyd
Men Under 90KG
- Alfred Munoz
- Thomas Bradley
- Anthony Muzquiz
- Christopher Northern
- Noah Van Schaick
- Shawn Smith
- Dave Dunn Jr.
- Mark Lane
- Nicholas Izzi
- Josh Alonzo
- Chase Crews
- Edward Mussi
- Ben Forrest
- Junyang Chen
- Kuanyi Lin
- Joshua Jacobchick
- Mike Anderson
- Tony Mast
- Alexander Galarza
- Brian Dotson
- Greg Wilkinson
- Anthony Esteves
- Kevin Wallace
- Brock Shoemaker
- Mike Allen
- Gilbert Tucker
- Codey Kimble
- Zach Wills
- Liam Shiels
- Ben Lewis
- Doug Hardtke
- Hailey Sikman
- Anna Silbaugh
- Sarah St. John
- Natalie Cooper
- Wendi Wentzell
- Monika Podgorski
- Kelly Lamb
- Laura Moran
- Olivia Nester
- Samantha Hamilton
Women Under 73KG
- Taylor Connelie
- Stephanie Waugh
- Anne Butters
- Jenny Alexander
- Erika Brinkman
- Parker Ashworth
- Brittany Davis
World’s Strongest Firefighter Events
All competitors will compete on the opening day of the contest in four separate events.
Event 1 — Log Clean and Press for Reps
Athletes can lift a light or heavy log for the log press. One rep with the heavy log beats any number with the lighter log.
Event 2 — Shield Carry for Max Distance
Maximum distance wins the event. One drop within the first five feet is allowed. Any drop after that ends their runs.
Event 3 — Kabuki Trap Bar Deadlift for Reps
Straps will be permitted for this trap bar deadlift event; deadlift suits or briefs will not be.
Event 4 — Sandbag Steeplechase
The finalists who advance past day one will face off in four more events in hopes of being the last competitor standing. Those events are below.
Event 5 — Ambulance Tire Axle Press
Max reps in 60 seconds wins. Cleans do not have to be performed for each rep.
Event 6 — Silver Dollar Deadlift | Ascending Weight
Weight increases for each rep. Once the athlete reaches the heaviest weight, the most reps wins.
Event 7 — Hoist Lift
Competitors will pull a rope attached to a high pulley to raise an object as high as possible in 60 seconds.
Event 8 — Fire Hydrant Load Series
This event is similar to Atlas Stones in traditional strongman events. Hydrants must stand vertically to count.
BarBend will share the full results of the competition once it has concluded.
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Featured Image: @asfworldsstrongestfirefighter on Instagram
