Tom Stoltman

Scotland’s Own Tom Stoltman Takes Home Title at 2023 Giants Live World Tour Finals With Dominant Performance  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) View this post on Instagram A post shared by GIANTS LIVE: WSM Arena Tour (@giantslivestrongman) More from Breaking Muscle: How to Eat More for Muscle and Strength Gains After Torn Biceps Tendon Forced Him to Miss 2022, Evan Singleton Has Big Plans for 2023 Rogue Invitational 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 View this post on Instagram A post shared by GIANTS LIVE: WSM Arena Tour (@giantslivestrongman) More from Breaking Muscle: Powerbuilding: The Training Method for Size and Strength Hafthor Björnsson Announces Three-Part Return to Strongman Beginning with 2024 Arnold Strongman Classic 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.