Pro strongman and rising star Thomas Evans has nothing holding him back from future greatness.
If you don’t yet know pro strongman Thomas Evans, you soon will. Over the course of the past four years, he’s risen in the ranks considerably and caught the attention of strongmen the world over. Now qualified and preparing for the Arnold Strongman Classic – Evans has a foundation set to make a massive impression in 2023. In the latest episode of the Legends Of Iron podcast, Jon Anderson and Nick Best interview Thomas Evans about his recent Shaw Classic performance, his strongman origins, and his future plans to shake up the sport.
Before 2018, Thomas Evans had dreams of being a professional football player. And these weren’t just pipe dreams either. Evans got damn close to being an active player on the NFL field. But life throws curveballs and not everything goes as planned. Luckily for Evans, his love of weightlifting found a new home in the discovery of strongman. Within just four years, Evans has made a massive impression rising in the ranks and earning his pro status in the sport.
In August 2022, Thomas Evans competed in the Shaw Classic Open, where he placed first in a clinch moment during the final event. Just a few short months earlier, Evans also earned first place at the Arnold Strongman Classic Amateurs. He is now qualified to compete as a pro in both the Arnold Strongman Classic and the Shaw Classic in 2023. This is the year he hopes to take things to the next level. His goal is to be World’s Strongest Man in another four years.
Thomas Evans sat down with Jon Anderson and Nick Best just shortly after his big win at the Shaw Classic Open. Nick Best was handling commentary at the event – and breaks down a play-by-play with Evans about his performance.
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Thomas Evans Wins The 2022 Shaw Classic Open In A Nail Biter
Thomas Evans’ biggest strength is his consistency. Over the course of the five Shaw Classic Open events, Evans knew which would be his strengths and his weaknesses. His goal was to do better than expected on his weaker events – and ensure he earns first place during the events he most excels at.
By the final event, Thomas Evans was behind first place by 5.5 points. This placed all of his hopes to win on the final event – the atlas stones. The only way Evans could win was for him to bring his best at the stones while the first place competitor also slipped up. Even if Evans did his absolute best and crushed all five stones – he couldn’t win without the first place competitor making a mistake.
Ultimately, Evans did not perform as best as he thought he could during the stones. A slip up on the fourth stone dashed his hopes of a victory.
“I thought it cost me everything.”
– Thomas Evans
He was so upset with himself, in fact, that he went immediately back stage to sulk without noticing the score board. In reality, despite his own slip up – the first place competitor also did less than perfect. It was enough for Evans to earn the top spot and a qualification into the Brian Shaw Classic next year.
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Thomas Evans’ Football Origins & Foundation For Strongman Success
Both John Anderson and Nick Best know a thing or two about professional strongman. So their advice and conversation with Thomas Evans was an insightful one indeed. During the conversation, Jon Anderson notes that Evans has a stable platform for success, despite his relatively short time competing in strongman. This comes from a life of pro-level football in Evans’ earlier years.
Anderson mentions that for many rising strongmen, it’s three steps forward, two steps back as they learn the limitations of their body lifting such heavy weight. It takes time to truly nail strongman competition prep. But after talking with Thomas Evans, he’s confident that Evans has the foundation already figured out.
Thomas Evans talks about how he considers himself lucky to have such a comprehensive lifting and football background. In fact, he didn’t even have a strongman coach until after he won the Arnold Strongman Classic Amateur earlier this year. The reason for this is because he had the knowledge already.
Evans goes on to say that the biggest mistake young athletes make is over-training. If he could give advice to young aspiring strongmen, it would be to train smart rather than hard.
“If a person can know and understand their body – everything changes. No more three steps forward, three steps back. It’s all steps forward.”
– John Anderson
It’s due to this solid foundation that both Jon Anderson and Nick Best are confident Thomas Evans has nothing holding him back from true greatness. They’re confident that he will make an impressive showing in 2023 – and that he will one day soon be a true threat at the World’s Strongest Man.
Wrap Up
You can watch the full hour interview with Jon Anderson, Nick Best, and Thomas Evans in the latest Legends Of Iron episode above. Make sure to check back every other Thursday for new episodes only on Generation Iron and where ever podcasts are downloaded!
