Home Athlete Profiles Strongman Mitchell Hooper Wins World’s Strongest Man 2023

Mitchell Hooper Wins World’s Strongest Man 2023

April 23, 2023

Mitchell Hooper is the new 2023 World’s Strongest Man Champion

On Sunday April 23, Mitchell Hooper officially won the 2023 World’s Strongest Man competition in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, dethroning the reigning champ, Tom Stoltman. This victory confirmed what many speculated last year, and that is that Mitchell Hooper was the next big thing in strongman.

Mitchell Hooper becomes the first Canadian to win the coveted World’s Strongest Man championship at the 46th edition of the World’s Strongest Man. Hooper is a Physical Therapist with a Masters in Clinical Exercise Physiology from the University of Sydney, and a Bachelors in Human Kinetics from the University of Guelph. Hooper is also a certified strength and conditioning specialist, and now he is the strongest man in the world.

Mitch went from being a last minute replacement pick in 2022 where he finished eighth, to being named the strongest man alive. The 2023 World’s Strongest man was only his second appearance on the stage! The 27-year old Canadian was up against 30 competitors, which dwindled down to just 10 after two qualifying days earlier in the week.

By the second day of the competition, it was fairly obvious that Mitch was in the zone. Being newer to the sport, he made it clear with each performance that he could keep up with and even surpass some of the veterans of the sport. Over the four intense days, Mitch made his presence known.

Here are the results for the 2023 World’s Strongest Man:

No.	Name	Points
1	Mitchell Hooper — Canada	53.5
2	Tom Stoltman — UK	49
3	Oleksii Novikov – Ukraine	41
4	Trey Mitchell — US	39.5
5	Evan Singleton — US	39.5
6	Pavlo Kordiyaka — Ukraine	31.5
7	Brian Shaw — US	27.5
8	Luke Stoltman — UK	21.5
9	Mathew Ragg — New Zealand	18.5
10	Jaco Schoonwinkel — South Africa (Withdrawn)	5.5

World’s Strongest Man 2023 Stage Day 1

The first qualifying day of the World’s Strongest Man competition had three events: Loading Race, Deadlift Machine, and Log Ladder.

Loading Race

The loading race kicked off the 2023 World’s Strongest Man, making it the first event to see who has what it takes to make it to the finals. Competitors loaded five objects of different weights onto a platform. Mitchell Hooper loaded 5 objects in 42.05 seconds, earning him 6 points and 1st place for the event in his group.

Deadlift Machine

The deadlift machine was the second qualifying event. This is where the athletes deadlifted five barbells with weight incrementally increasing from 660 lbs to 840 lbs. Mitchell again earned 6 points and 1st place in his group, as he got 8 reps.

Log Ladder

The competitors race to clean and press 5 logs weighing 275, 310, 375, and 400 lbs as fast as possible, all within 75 seconds. Mitch again earned first place in his group, with five logs pressed in 39.51 seconds.

World’s Strongest Man 2023 Day 2

Day two of the World’s Strongest Man consisted of Conan’s wheel, and the Kettlebell Toss. Then there is the Stone-Off, which is just for the second and third place finishers of each group.

Conan’s Wheel

The athletes are tasked with holding up a 440 lb bar in the Zercher position, while walking around in a fixed circle as fast as possible. A full loop is equal to 360 degrees, which is what they are scored in. Mitch won in his group again, with 636 degrees.

Kettlebell Toss

The athletes are given 7 kettlebells weighing 45 lbs, 50 lbs, 53 lbs, 58 lbs, and 68 lbs, and presented with the task of launching as many as they could over a 15 foot overhead bar. Mitchell Hooper took 2nd in his group here, getting 6 reps in 17.18 seconds.

Stone-Off

The athletes are tasked with lifting gradually heavier Atlas Stones over a bar separating them from their opponents. The weights of the stones range from 308 lbs, to 440 lbs, and the last Stone’s weight would be lifted for reps until one of the strongmen could not go anymore. Being that Mitch had secured his position as a finalist, he did not have to participate in this.

World’s Strongest Man 2023 Day 3 (Finals)

Day 3 of World’s Strongest Man consisted of three events: the Reign Total Body Fuel Shield Carry, KNAACK Deadlift, and Fingal’s Finger.

Reign Shield Carry

Each strongman is to carry a 432 lb shield in bear hug position as far as they can up and down a 20-meter course. Mitchell Hooper took the throne here, carrying the shield 64.8 meters.

KNAACK Deadlift

The strongmen are tasked with deadlifting 782.6 lbs for as many reps as possible within a 75 second time limit. Mitch again took the win here, with 8 reps.

Fingal’s Finger

This is where the strongmen have to lift and topple five pillars in the fastest time possible. The pillars weigh 320, 340, 350, and 380 lbs. Mitch got knocked down to 6th place in this category, with 5 pillars in 48.89 seconds.

World’s Strongest Man 2023 Day 4 (Finals)

The fourth and final day of the competition consisted of the Max Dumbbell, Bus Pull, and Atlas Stones.

Max Dumbbell

The Max Dumbbell has the athletes complete a single-ar, overhead press of an oversized dumbbell. The athletes lift in rounds of gradually increasing weight until they can’t lift the next dumbbell. They weigh: 275 lbs, 291 lbs, 308 lbs, 319 lbs, 333 lbs, and 342 lbs. Mitch took first here, with four lifts where he tied with Evan Singleton.

Bus Pull

This event has competitors pulling a 51,000 lb bus as far as they can down an 82 foot path with a one minute time limit – talk about superhuman strength. This event was Mitch Hooper’s eighth event victory, where he did it in 30.24 seconds. However, despite leading in many events, Mitch said in an interview with Generation Iron that “anything can happen during these events”, and the outcomes can be unpredictable.

Atlas Stones

The Atlas Stones are where competitors had to lift 5 progressively heavier stones onto their platforms within one minute. The stones weigh in at 330, 350, 395, 440, and 460 lbs. Mitch took second here, with 5 stones in 36.96 seconds.

Here are Mitch Hooper’s overall results in each category for the 2023 World’s Strongest Man:

- Loading Race: 5 objects in 0:42.05, 6pts, 1st place
- Deadlift Machine: 8 reps, 6pts, 1st place
- Log Ladder: 5 reps in 0:39.51, 6pts | 1st place
- Conan’s Wheel: 636 degrees, 6pts, 1st place
- Kettlebell Toss: 6 reps in 0:17.18, 6pts, 2nd place
- Reign Total Body Fuel Shield Carry: 64.80 meters, 10pts, 1st place
- KNAACK Deadlift: 8 reps, 10pts, 1st place
- Fingal’s Fingers: 5 reps in 0:49:89s, 5pts, 6th place
- Max Dumbbell: 4 reps, 9.5 pts, t-1st with Evan Singleton
- Bus Pull: 0:30:24s, 10pts, 1st place
- Atlas Stones: 0:36.96s, 8.5pts, 2nd place

Mitchell Hooper Interview

Generation Iron was fortunate enough to interview Mitchell Hooper regarding the 2023 World’s Strongest Man victory. He said during the interview with Generation Iron that he was over the moon to earn the title, but also said that despite beating out the reigning champ Tom Stoltman, it is more about the win for himself and seeing what he was able to accomplish, rather than seeing who he could beat.

Mitch stated that the training leading up to this was nothing out of the ordinary for him, and that one of the beauties of the sport is the diet is not restrictive like it is with bodybuilding, where meals need to be measured and macros monitored.

He said he is hoping to celebrate his WSM victory a little bit tonight – maybe with some pizza, ice cream, and beer – then return to the gym this week for some higher volume workouts.