Squaring off against a stacked lineup of strongman competitors that included Mitchell Hooper, current World’s Strongest man and winner of the 2022 Giants Live World Tour, Tom “The Albatross” Stoltman cemented his case as the best of the bunch by winning the 2023 Giants Live World Tour Finals.
Showcasing his range of skills across five grueling events, the two-time World’s Strongest Man captured the coveted title on Oct. 21, 2023, in front of a gregarious Glasgow crowd that proudly cheered on both Tom and his older brother, Luke Stoltman, who were born and raised roughly 200 miles north in Invergordon, Scotland. Although New Zealand’s Mathew Ragg came agonizingly close to besting the younger Stoltman brother, Ragg ultimately finished three points behind the champion for a hard-fought second-place finish.
Here are the final standings from the 2023 Giants Live World Tour Finals:
2023 Giants Live World Tour Finals Standings
Tom Stoltman (UK) — 54.5 points
Mathew Ragg (New Zealand) — 51.5 points
Mitchell Hooper (Canada) — 46 points
Pavlo Kordiyaka (Ukraine) — 42.5 points
Luke Stoltman (UK) — 40.5 points
Gavin Bilton (UK) — 34 points
Ondřej Fojtů (Czech Republic) — 27.5 points
Tyler Cotton (USA) — 22 points
Pa O’Dwyer (Ireland) — 22 points
Eddie Williams (Australia) — 21 points
Conor Curran (UK) — 16.5 points
Evans Aryee (Ghana) — 6 points (Withdrew after second event)
Event Breakdown
Tom Stoltman undoubtedly stole the show with a dominant all-around outing that saw him secure victories in three of the five events. However, he certainly wasn’t the only strongman who shined.
Here’s a detailed event-by-event breakdown of the 2023 Giants Live World Tour Finals.
Event One: Max Log Lift
The competition kicked off with a classic strongman event that tested the athletes’ upper-body strength and power. To little surprise, Tom Stoltman took home top honors in the Max Log Lift, becoming the only man to successfully overhead press a 463-pound (210-kilogram) log. Meanwhile, Mitchell Hooper, Pavlo Kordiyaka, Luke Stoltman, and Tyler Cotton each earned 9.5 points by locking out 440.9 pounds (200 kilograms).
Although he did not participate in the overall competition, Cheick “Iron Biby” Sanou delivered the most impressive rep of them all by pressing 507.1 pounds (230 kilograms) to set the Log Lift World Record. Sanou also held the previous record, 504.8 pounds (229 kilograms), which he set at the 2021 edition of the contest.
Tom Stoltman — 463 pounds (210 kilograms)
Mitchell Hooper — 440.9 pounds (200 kilograms)
Pavlo Kordiyaka — 440.9 pounds (200 kilograms)
Luke Stoltman — 440.9 pounds (200 kilograms)
Tyler Cotton — 440.9 pounds (200 kilograms)
Mathew Ragg — 410.1 pounds (186 kilograms)
Ondřej Fojtů — 410.1 pounds (186 kilograms)
Gavin Bilton — 374.8 pounds (170 kilograms)
Eddie Williams — 374.8 pounds (170 kilograms)
Evans Aryee — 374.8 pounds (170 kilograms)
Pa O’Dwyer — No Lift
Conor Curran — No Lift
Event Two: Sandbag Steeplechase
A staple in Giants Live competitions, the second event required the athletes to pick up, carry, and throw two 330.7-pound (150-kilogram) sandbags over a waist-high pole. As if that wasn’t challenging enough, they then had to go around to the other side of the pole, lift the sandbags again, and load them onto a platform.
Proving he had the right combination of brute strength and fleet feet, Tom Stoltman took home his second straight victory by completing the course in just under 30 seconds. He narrowly edged out 2023 Europe’s Strongest Man Pavlo Kordiyaka, who finished in second place by just over half a second.
Tom Stoltman — 29.92 seconds
Pavlo Kordiyaka — 30.48 seconds
Mathew Ragg — 31.41 seconds
Luke Stoltman — 33.62 seconds
Ondřej Fojtů — 34.44 seconds
Mitchell Hooper — 34.63 seconds
Conor Curran — 35.30 seconds
Gavin Bilton — 36.81 seconds
Pa O’Dwyer — 36.84 seconds
Tyler Cotton — 37.76 seconds
Evans Aryee — 38.22 seconds
Eddie Williams — 42.16 seconds
Event Three: Axle Deadlift
The third event revolved around the good ol’ deadlift. Only in this case, the weight was loaded onto an axle — a thicker, stiffer, and more difficult implement to utilize compared to a standard barbell. Competitors had to perform as many repetitions as possible with 771.6 pounds (350 kilograms), and for the first time on the day, Tom Stoltman didn’t finish ahead of the pack.
Six-time New Zealand’s Strongest Man Mathew Ragg starred in this deadlift challenge, pulling off eight reps and securing the maximum amount of points. Overall, only four of the 12 competitors completed at least five reps.
Mathew Ragg — Eight reps
Tom Stoltman — Seven reps
Mitchell Hooper — Seven reps
Gavin Bilton — Five reps
Pavlo Kordiyaka — Four reps
Luke Stoltman — Four reps
Ondřej Fojtů — Four reps
Pa O’Dwyer — Four reps
Eddie Williams — Four reps
Tyler Cotton — Three reps
Conor Curran — Three reps
Evans Aryee — Withdrew
Event Four: Conan’s Wheel
The penultimate event proved to be the most challenging for the eventual champion. Conan’s Wheel required the strongmen to pick up a metal beam fixed to a center point and spin it around as far as possible without letting it hit the floor. After finishing in first in two of the first three events, Tom Stoltman slipped to fifth.
On the other hand, Mathew Ragg continued to build momentum from the Axle Deadlift, completing almost two and a half revolutions (845 degrees) before bowing out. The New Zealand native needed every step to secure a narrow victory, as Mitchell Hooper came within four degrees of a first-place tie, settling for second with 841 degrees. Pavlo Kordiyaka (820 degrees) and Ireland’s Pa O’Dwyer (756 degrees) were the only other competitors who surpassed two full revolutions.
Mathew Ragg — 845 degrees
Mitchell Hooper — 841 degrees
Pavlo Kordiyaka — 820 degrees
Pa O’Dwyer — 756 degrees
Tom Stoltman — 618 degrees
Gavin Bilton — 608 degrees
Luke Stoltman — 562 degrees
Ondřej Fojtů — 553 degrees
Conor Curran — 506 degrees
Eddie Williams — 471 degrees
Tyler Cotton — 425 degrees
Event Five: Castle Stones
The final event featured five gargantuan stones ranging from 264.6 pounds (120 kilograms) to 440.9 pounds (200 kilograms). In a test of both strength and coordination, the athletes had to pick each one up and load it onto a platform in the fastest time possible. Four of the five strongmen completed the circuit, but Tom Stoltman shockingly needed less than 20 seconds to secure his spot atop the podium.
While Mathew Ragg did well to load all five Atlas stones in 28.81 seconds, he finished nearly 10 seconds behind. Luke Stoltman and Gavin Bilton also succeeded in getting that 440.9-pound stone onto the platform. However, the former took nearly double the time as his brother to accomplish that feat.
Tom Stoltman — Five in 19.23 seconds
Mathew Ragg — Five in 28.81 seconds
Luke Stoltman — Five in 37.56 seconds
Gavin Bilton — Five in 41.64 seconds
Mitchell Hooper — Four in 19.32 seconds
Eddie Williams — Four in 23.71 seconds
Pavlo Kordiyaka — Four in 25.94 seconds
Tyler Cotton — Four in 29.13 seconds
Pa O’Dwyer — Four in 50.11 seconds
Ondřej Fojtů — Three in 42.16 seconds
By winning three of the five events — including one in exceedingly dominant fashion — Tom Stoltman left no doubt about who deserved to stand atop the podium at the 2023 Giants Live World Tour Finals. Still, it’s safe to say that Mathew Ragg raised some eyebrows by pushing the champion to the brink in what essentially amounted to a two-man race for the title. With the 2023 Rogue Strongman Invitational right around the corner on Oct. 27-28, let’s see if Stoltman keeps the train rolling.
Featured Image: @giantslivestrongman / Instagram
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