The 2026 World’s Strongest Man is the premier Strongman event of the year, and it commenced with day one of qualifiers on April 23rd in sunny Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. It turned out to be a day filled with action, featuring 25 well-rested and motivated athletes along with three extremely demanding events.
Ondrej Fojtu is the only athlete across all five groups who has achieved a significant lead, as he is four points ahead of his nearest rival. On the other hand, the remaining four groups are far from decided, with many competitors being separated by just one or two points. So, the second day of the 2026 World’s Strongest Man is set to be the decider.
2026 World’s Strongest Man Results — Day One Point Standings [Live Updates]
Group One
Group Two
Group Three
Group Four
Group Five
Trey Mitchell — 11 points
Evan Singleton — 10 points
Pavlo Kordiyaka — 9 points
Andrew Flynn — 8.5 points
Evans Nana — 6.5 points
Related: Laurence ‘Big Loz’ Shahlaei Breaks Down Predictions for the 2026 World’s Strongest Man Qualifiers
Event Recap — Day One Qualifiers
Event One — Carry & Climb
The first event of the 2026 World’s Strongest Man immediately put the men through an intense challenge, as they had to complete two exercises in succession. Firstly, they had to carry two 140-kilogram (308.6-pound) Farmer’s Walk implements for a distance of 33 meters. Then, the men took on the Power Stairs, where they had to carry 225 kilograms (496 pounds) up a flight of nine steps. The time limit for the event was set to 75 seconds.
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Group One
Rayno Nel came back determined to defend his title and made it clear in the very first event of the competition. He is known for his speed but still shocked everyone with an incredibly quick time of 37.06 seconds. With that, Nel earned his first event win of the competition, boosting his confidence and taking a big step toward the final.
Nick Guardione has been improving consistently in recent years and showed signs of greatness once again in the Carry & Climb event. He scored a valuable second-place finish, narrowly beating Tristain Hoath with a time of 43.91 seconds. Luke Richardson has not been in top form in recent months, as he has been dealing with the passing of Pa O’Dwyer, who was a very close friend of his. Consequently, he placed fourth in the opening event, which is a bit lower than some might have expected.
Rayno Nel — 37.06 seconds
Nick Guardione — 43.91 seconds
Tristain Hoath — 46.78 seconds
Luke Richardson — 60.34 seconds
Ben Glasscock — 65.68 seconds
Group Two
The first event produced some very surprising results in the second group since the 3x World’s Strongest Man champion, Tom Stoltman, finished in last place. He got stuck while trying to reach the final step on the power stairs, which put him in a very difficult position at the start of the competition. His performance in the early stages of the event was great, but fatigue seemed to be his biggest limiting factor.
On the other hand, Mathew Ragg finished the event in just 38.29 seconds, proving that he is in top form and claiming max points. This was just enough to beat Jaco Schoonwinkel, who ended up being just 0.51 seconds slower than Ragg. Third place went to Levi Strong with a time of 51.84 seconds.
Mathew Ragg — 38.29 seconds
Jaco Schoonwinkel — 38.80 seconds
Levi Strong — 51.84 seconds
Austin Andrade — 53.85 seconds
Tom Stoltman — 70.21 seconds
Group Three
Eddie Williams topped the leaderboards in Group Three on the first event, having put up a time of 37.88 seconds. Coming into the competition, Williams was one of the main contenders for the top two spots in the group and his win in event one definitely put him on track to qualify for the finals.
Mitchell Hooper was blisteringly fast throughout the entire event. However, once he reached the top of the power stairs, his implement fell over and the time kept running until he lifted it upright. Hooper put in an appeal, but the judges stood by their initial decision. In turn, the mishap cost Hooper first place, as he finished two seconds slower than Williams. Paddy Haynes finished in third place with a time of 46.21 seconds after Matyáš Funiok received a two-second penalty.
Eddie Williams — 37.88 seconds
Mitchell Hooper — 39.64 seconds
Paddy Haynes — 46.21 seconds
Matyáš Funiok — 47.58 seconds
Lucas Hatton — 50.16 seconds
Group Four
The reigning Europe’s Strongest Man, Ondrej Fojtu, continued his run of success and secured a win in the first event of the 2026 World’s Strongest Man competition. He finished in 38.22 seconds, which is similar to the winning times from other groups as well. Despite being just 24 years old, Ondrej proved that he is definitely a candidate for the most coveted title in the sport.
The battle for second place came down to less than three seconds, with Bryce Johnson and James Jeffers moving at a similar pace. Johnson’s time of 41.53 seconds, however, was enough to get him in second place behind Fojtu. In turn, James had to settle for third, finishing with a time of 43.91 seconds.
Adam Bishop was forced to withdraw from the competition. However, he was replaced by Kevin Hazeleger, who ended up placing fourth ahead of Martins Licis.
Ondrej Fojtu — 38.22 seconds
Bryce Johnson — 41.53 seconds
James Jeffers — 43.91 seconds
Kevin Hazeleger — 45.78 seconds
Martins Licis — 46.08 seconds
Adam Bishop — Withdrew
Group Five
The 2025 Strongest Man on Earth, Evan Singleton, came back from a pec injury and managed to win the event. Many wondered how well his recovery went, but the ‘T-Rex’ proved that he is in great shape once again. His time came out to 38.58 seconds.
Andrew Flynn secured second place with a time of 51.95 seconds, while Evans Nana rounded out the top three, just less than three seconds behind. Pavlo Kordiyaka was unable to reach the top of the Power Stairs, while Trey Mitchell’s nerve injury hampered his grip strength and prevented him from completing the Farmer’s Walk.
Evan Singleton — 38.58 seconds
Andrew Flynn — 51.95 seconds
Evans Nana — 54.62 seconds
Pavlo Kordiyaka — 6 in 74.05 seconds
Trey Mitchell — 22 meters
Event Two — Circus Press Medley
Moving on to the second event of the 2026 World’s Strongest Man competition, the competitors were met with another medley. For starters, they had to lift an 80-kilogram (176.4-pound) dumbbell, after which they took on another slightly heavier dumbbell of 90 kilograms (198.4 pounds). It did not end there, as those who were successful then tried to overhead press a 100-kilogram (220.5-pound) dumbbell. While that was the end of the dumbbell, the final hurdle was a 159-kilogram (350.5-pound) barbell, which had to be lifted for as many reps as possible within the given time limit of 75 seconds.
Group One
Ben Glasscock received one of the final few invites for the 2026 World’s Strongest Man, but it did not take him long to show that he deserved it. He stormed to a win on the second event in group one, locking out six reps in just over one minute.
Nick Guardione and Luke Richardson both achieved five repetitions. So, to separate them, the organizers looked at the time needed to reach the mark. Guardione proved to be nine seconds quicker and thus placed second, while Richardson had to settle for third.
Rayno Nel achieved four reps in total but kept trying to get another successful lift with the barbell. He seemed to be in pain, especially when it came to his lower back.
Ben Glasscock — 6 in 62.78 s
Nick Guardione — 5 in 44.50 s
Luke Richardson — 5 in 53.29 s
Rayno Nel — 4 in 26.11 s
Tristain Hoath — 2 in 16.84 s
Group Two
Austin Andrade won the overhead medley with six reps to his name. He was very close to getting another rep but did not even end up needing it. He was followed by Tom Stoltman, who finished in second place by completing five reps in 50.76 seconds. Seeing that both men placed at the bottom of the leaderboard in the first event, the overhead event allowed them to gain some much-needed points.
Mathew Ragg placed third, having locked out his fifth rep ten seconds after Tom Stoltman. He still remained in the top spot overall but allowed Andrade and Stoltman to get into a more threatening position.
Austin Andrade — 6 in 59.33 s
Tom Stoltman — 5 in 50.76 s
Mathew Ragg — 5 in 61.15 s
Levi Strong — 4 in 70.35 s
Jaco Schoonwinkel — 3 in 42.16 s
Group Three
As many expected, Lucas Hatton came out on top in the overhead pressing event, lifting all three dumbbells and then completing five repetitions with the barbell. This was absolutely crucial for him, as it allowed him to get back into the battle for the finals.
Mitchell Hooper’s consistency was showcased yet again, as he placed second in both the Carry & Climb and the Circus Press Medley. Hooper locked out seven reps, which seemed to be his absolute limit at the time. The overhead press is not Eddie Williams’ greatest skill, but he still managed to achieve five impressive reps. Haynes and Funiok also locked out five, but Eddie was the fastest among them to do so.
Lucas Hatton — 8 in 74.60 s
Mitchell Hooper — 7 in 58.47 s
Eddie Williams — 5 in 55.47 s
Matyáš Funiok — 5 in 61.38 s
Paddy Haynes — 5 in 70.15 s
Group Four
The 24-year-old Ondrej Fojtu continued dominating the fourth group, having secured a win in both the first and second events. He was not only the best in his group but also achieved the best score across all 25 athletes. Fojtu locked out eight reps, similar to Lucas Hatton and Trey Mitchell, but did so faster than both of them.
Despite an underwhelming result in the first event, the former WSM champion Martins Licis proved that he can never be ruled out. He locked out six reps and placed second in the event, which moved him up the overall group leaderboard as well. Bryce Johnson and James Jeffers ended up on four reps each, with Johnson being the faster of the two.
Ondrej Fojtu — 8 in 64.87 s
Martins Licis — 6 in 63.21 s
Bryce Johnson — 4 in 40.97 s
James Jeffers — 4 in 44.52 s
Kevin Hazeleger — 3 in 29.97 s
Group Five
Following a last-place finish in the first event, Trey Mitchell knew that he had to make up a lot of points. Driven by this, he moved as quickly as possible, lifting the implements with ease and ending up with eight reps in total. This proved to be more than enough to win the event, which definitely helped him get back into the battle for the top two spots that lead to the finals.
Evan Singleton continued to prove that he has fully recovered from the pec injury, as his overhead pressing is arguably better than ever before. He beat everyone except Trey and locked out a total of seven reps within the given time limit. Pavlo Kordiyaka claimed third with six reps, as he was quicker than Andrew Flynn, who achieved the same number of reps.
Trey Mitchell — 8 in 71.72 s
Evan Singleton — 7 in 73.61 s
Pavlo Kordiyaka — 6 in 59.85 s
Andrew Flynn — 6 in 63.56 s
Evans Nana — 4 in 69.36 s
Event Three — Squat Lift
The first qualifying day of the 2026 World’s Strongest Man concluded with the Squat Lift. The squat is an exercise that is rarely seen in modern Strongman, but it returned to the biggest stage once again. It was one of the most unpredictable challenges of the entire competition, since the athletes did not share much from their preparation process. The weight of the squat was set to 320 kilograms (705.5 pounds), setting the task of achieving as many reps as possible within one minute.
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Group One
Luke Richardson has pulled himself back into contention for the 2026 World’s Strongest Man finals, marking a huge turnaround in his performance on day one. Despite placing seventh at Europe’s Strongest Man and getting off to a less-than-ideal start at the WSM, Luke locked out 16 reps on the squat and added five points to his tally.
Rayno Nel placed second behind Luke with 13 reps to his name. This was an unpredictable event for the defending champion, but he proved that his strength and technique on the squat are on a world-class level. Ben Glasscock placed third with ten reps in total.
Luke Richardson — 16 reps
Rayno Nel — 13 reps
Ben Glasscock — 10 reps
Tristain Hoath — 7 reps
Nick Guardione — 6 reps
Group Two
The Squat Lift saw Austin Andrade and Mathew Ragg claim the top two spots, which allowed them to extend their overall lead over Tom Stoltman. Austin took the win with 16 incredible repetitions but was closely followed by Ragg, who locked out just one rep less.
Tom Stoltman rounded out the top three with 12 repetitions. This was an incredible result but just could not match the efforts of Andrade and Ragg. Consequently, Tom found himself four points behind the lead duo on the overall rankings going into day two of the 2026 World’s Strongest Man.
Austin Andrade — 16 reps
Mathew Ragg — 15 reps
Tom Stoltman — 12 reps
Jaco Schoonwinkel — 10 reps
Levi Strong — 5 reps
Group Three
Lucas Hatton continued his comeback story with another event win. He achieved the top spot in his group with 17 reps on the squat, which proved to be far more than he needed. However, his effort allowed him to go into day two of the qualifiers tied on overall points with Eddie Williams for second place.
Mitchell Hooper is someone who could have potentially challenged the mark set by Hatton. However, he did just enough to secure second place in the event and thus conserved energy for the later stages of the competition. Eddie Williams rounded out the top three with 11 reps on the squat.
Lucas Hatton — 17 reps
Mitchell Hooper — 12 reps
Eddie Williams — 11 reps
Matyáš Funiok — 7 reps
Paddy Haynes — 6 reps
Group Four
Martins Licis, also known as ‘The Dragon’, kept a steady pace on the squat and ended up locking out 14 repetitions. It marked his first event win of the 2026 World’s Strongest Man, and it couldn’t have come at a better moment, since it helped build confidence going into day two.
Ondrej Fojtu was a man on a mission, as he clearly set a goal to achieve ten reps. Consequently, as soon as he locked out his tenth rep to place second in the event, Ondrej returned the barbell to the rack and concluded his performance. Meanwhile, Bryce Johnson quite literally pushed himself to the limit, having locked out nine repetitions before passing out on the competition floor.
Martins Licis — 14 reps
Ondrej Fojtu — 10 reps
Bryce Johnson — 9 reps
James Jeffers — 8 reps
Kevin Hazeleger — 2 reps
Group Five
Trey Mitchell achieved back-to-back event wins, which put him in the lead going into the second day. This was a massive accomplishment considering that he started the day with a last-place finish in the opening event of the 2026 World’s Strongest Man. Trey won the event by completing 15 incredible reps on the squat.
Pavlo Kordiyaka showcased impressive power and endurance with 14 reps within 75 seconds. He was followed by Evans Nana and Andrew Flynn, who had to share third place with 12 reps each.
Trey Mitchell — 15 reps
Pavlo Kordiyaka — 14 reps
Evans Nana — 12 reps
Andrew Flynn — 12 reps
Evan Singleton — 8 reps
Related: Luke Stoltman Withdraws From 2026 World’s and Europe’s Strongest Man After Breaking His Leg
World’s Strongest Man Remaining Schedule
Day Two — Friday, April 24th
10:00 AM — Truck Pull
3:30 PM — Natural Stone Medley
Day Three — Saturday, April 25th
10:00 AM — Knaack® Monster Box® Flip & Carry
1:00 PM — Deadlift
3:00 PM — Titan’s Toss
Day Four — Sunday, April 26th
10:00 AM — Max Log
1:30 PM — Atlas Stones
2:45 PM — WSM Trophy Ceremony
Previous World’s Strongest Man Winners
Bruce Wilhelm — 1977
Bruce Wilhelm — 1978
Don Reinhoudt — 1979
Bill Kazmaier — 1980
Bill Kazmaier — 1981
Bill Kazmaier — 1982
Geoff Capes — 1983
Jon Pall Sigmarsson — 1984
Geoff Capes — 1985
Jon Pall Sigmarsson — 1986
Not Held — 1987
Jon Pall Sigmarsson — 1988
Jamie Reeves — 1989
Jon Pall Sigmarsson — 1990
Magnus Ver Magnusson — 1991
Ted van der Parre — 1992
Gary Taylor — 1993
Magnus Ver Magnusson — 1994
Magnus Ver Magnusson — 1995
Magnus Ver Magnusson — 1996
Jouko Ahola — 1997
Magnus Samuelsson — 1998
Jouko Ahola — 1999
Janne Virtanen — 2000
Svend Karlsen — 2001
Mariusz Pudzianowski — 2002
Mariusz Pudzianowski — 2003
Vasyl Virastyuk — 2004
Mariusz Pudzianowski — 2005
Phil Pfister — 2006
Mariusz Pudzianowski — 2007
Mariusz Pudzianowski — 2008
Zydrunas Savickas — 2009
Zydrunas Savickas — 2010
Brian Shaw — 2011
Zydrunas Savickas — 2012
Brian Shaw — 2013
Zydrunas Savickas — 2014
Brian Shaw — 2015
Brian Shaw — 2016
Eddie Hall — 2017
Hafthor Julius Bjornsson — 2018
Martins Licis — 2019
Oleksii Novikov — 2020
Tom Stoltman — 2021
Tom Stoltman — 2022
Mitchell Hooper — 2023
Tom Stoltman — 2024
Rayno Nel — 2025
2026 WSM Related Content
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