The second day of qualifying for the 2023 World’s Strongest Man competition is scheduled to take place today, April 20th, in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Having experienced some shocking results on day one, 30 athletes have gotten a good night’s sleep to prepare themselves for today’s challenges. They are now all ready to take part in two events today, Conan’s Wheel and Kettlebell Throw. However, the second and third place finishers in each group will also perform a third event, the Stone-Off duel, in order to find out who goes through to the finals.
2023 World’s Strongest Man Leaderboards & Point Standings [Live]
Group One
- Tom Stoltman — United Kingdom: 15.5 points
- Bobby Thompson — USA: 14 points
- Pavlo Kordiyaka — Ukraine: 13 points
- Konstantine Janashia — Georgia: 9.5 points
- Eddie Williams — Australia: 6 points
- Pa O’Dwyer — Ireland: 5 points
Group Two
- Oleksii Novikov — Ukraine: 22 points
- Luke Stoltman — United Kingdom : 16 points
- Thomas Evans — USA: 15 points
- Gavin Bilton — United Kingdom: 14 points
- Kristján Jón Haraldsson — Iceland: 11.5 points
- Fadi El Masri — Lebanon: 5.5 points
Group Three
- Mitchell Hooper — Canada: 18 points
- Mathew Ragg — Australia: 13.5 points
- Aivars Smaukstelis — Latvia: 10.5 points
- Graham Hicks — United Kingdom: 9.5 points
- Spenser Remick — USA: 6.5 points
- Mateusz Kieliszkowski — Poland: 5 points
Group Four
- Brian Shaw — USA: 15.5 points
- Rauno Heinla — Estonia: 14.5 points
- Jaco Schoonwinkel — South Africa: 14 points
- Adam Bishop — United Kingdom: 8 points
- Kevin Faires — USA: 5.5 points
- Gabriel Rhéaume — Canada: 5.5 points
Group Five
- Trey Mitchell — USA: 16 points
- Evan Singleton — USA: 15.5 points
- Eythor Ingolfsson Melsted — Iceland: 11.5 points
- Mark Felix — United Kingdom: 7.5 points
- Paul Smith — United Kingdom: 7 points
- Jean-Stephen Coraboeuf — France: 6.5 points
Related: Eddie Hall Reveals His Top 3 Predictions For The 2023 World’s Strongest Man
2023 World’s Strongest Man Day Two Event Recap
Conan’s Wheel
The Conan’s Wheel is despised by the majority of Strongman athletes due to the pain that it produces, but it is very effective in separating the best performers. In this event, the athletes have to pick up a 200-kilogram (440.9-pound) beam, which pivots around a fixed point in the center, and carry the weight for as long as possible. Having to perform the event for max distance, the athletes are not allowed to drop it at all since that would mark the end of their attempt. The beam is usually placed on the forearms of the athletes, meaning that the entire body has to be activated in order to perform well.
The result is measured in degrees, with 360° equaling one full circle.
Group One
Pavlo Kordiyaka is notoriously great at this event and he expectedly won the event by completing just over two full circles. He utilized a technique of controlled breathing and a steady pace to win, an event of this magnitude demonstrates the importance of planning in advance.
Pa O’Dwyer finished in second with 722 degrees and was the only man close to Pavlo. However, Pa almost fainted at the end of the event, having dropped his entire upper body over the beam in order to stay on his feet. Bobby Thompson covered 649 degrees for a third place finish.
The first surprise of the day was also seen in group one, as Tom Stoltman finished in last place. He started off well, but his forearms slipped down very quickly, making it harder for him to hold the beam.
- Pavlo Kordiyaka — 742 °
- Pa O’Dwyer — 722 °
- Bobby Thompson — 649 °
- Konstantine Janashia — 633 °
- Eddie Williams — 614 °
- Tom Stoltman — 598 °
Group Two
It was clear that Oleksii Novikov was determined to secure his place in the finals as early as possible and leave nothing to chance. By covering a distance of 897 degrees, Oleksii demolished everyone in his group and extended his overall lead to an uncatchable six points.
Gavin Bilton finished in second after a very elegant attempt. While many athletes were very unstable in this event, especially at the end, Bilton was upright and stable. He kept the same pace throughout and just suddenly dropped the beam. However, with 557 degrees, he still managed to outperform Luke Stoltman by 12 degrees.
- Oleksii Novikov — 897 °
- Gavin Bilton — 557 °
- Luke Stoltman — 545 °
- Kristján Jón Haraldsson — 524 °
- Fadi El Masri — 70 °
- Thomas Evans — 69 °
*Results for remaining groups are coming soon.
Kettlebell Toss
The next event at the 2023 World’s Strongest Man will be the Kettlebell Toss. It is arguably the most important event in the qualifying stage of the competition, since the first place overall will qualify for the finals. On the other hand, the fifth and sixth place overall will lose the chance to qualify at all. So, this event presents the final chance for everyone.
For the Kettlebell Toss, the athletes will be tasked with throwing seven kettlebells over a 4.57-meter tall beam. The seven implements will start at a weight of 20 kilograms (44 pounds) and progressively increase with each next one. The final kettlebell is set to weigh 31 kilograms (68.3 pounds). However, the participants only have 60 seconds to complete all implements.
*The Kettlebell Toss event is set to start at 1:20 p.m. EST. Results are coming soon.
Stone Off
The final event of the 2023 World’s Strongest Man qualifiers is the Stone Off. Only two athletes will take part in this event, and those are the second and third place finishers in each group.
The second-place finisher and third-place finisher from the same group will be stationed on two sides of one beam. The third-place winner will then lift and toss the Atlas Stone to the side of the second-place finisher, who will then do the same. This will go on until one of the men is unable to toss the Atlas Stone to the other man’s side. Consequently, the winner of this duel will secure his place in the finals, while the loser will go home.
*The Stone Off event is set to take place at 6:13 p.m. EST. Results are coming soon.
2023 World’s Strongest Man Remaining Schedule
Day Three, April 22nd — Finals
- Event One — Fingal’s Fingers – 8 a.m. EST
- Event Two — Knaack Deadlift – 10:41 a.m. EST
- Event Three — Reign Shield Carry – 2:18 p.m. EST
Day Four, April 23rd — Finals
- Event Four — Max Dumbbell – 8 a.m. EST
- Event Five — Vehicle Pull – 10:10 a.m. EST
- Event Six — Atlas Stones – 1:54 p.m. EST
Previous World’s Strongest Man Winners
- Bruce Wilhelm (1977-1978)
- Don Reinhoudt (1979)
- Bill Kazmaier (1980-1982)
- Geoff Capes (1983, 1985)
- Jón Páll Sigmarsson (1984, 1986, 1988, 1990)
- Jamie Reeves (1989)
- Magnús Ver Magnússon (1991, 1994-1996)
- Ted van der Parre (1992)
- Gary Taylor (1993)
- Jouko Ahola (1997, 1999)
- Magnus Samuelson (1998)
- Janne Virtanen (2000)
- Svend Karlsen (2001)
- Mariusz Pudzianowski (2002, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2008)
- Vasyl Virastyuk (2004)
- Phil Pfister (2006)
- Žydrūnas Savickas (2009, 2010, 2012, 2014)
- Brian Shaw (2011, 2013, 2015, 2016)
- Eddie Hall (2017)
- Hafthór Júlíus Björnsson (2018)
- Martins Licis (2019)
- Oleksii Novikov (2020)
- Tom Stoltman (2021, 2022)
Read More: Every Winner of The World’s Strongest Man Competition Since 1977
How To Watch
You can’t watch the 2023 World’s Strongest Man competition live online unless you’re in Myrtle Beach, SC. But, we’ll provide a detailed summary of the event for you to stay informed.
FAQs
How Does The Scoring System Work?
The resulting system is based on the number of competitors. Seeing that there are six athletes in each group, the winner of the event gets six points, with every following position receiving one point less.
Who Won Last Year’s World’s Strongest Man Title?
Tom Stoltman from Scotland is the reigning 2x World’s Strongest Man champion. He won two consecutive titles in 2021 and 2022.
Which World’s Strongest Man Is Inducted Into Hall Of Fame?
The WSM Hall of Fame is a club of the most impressive Strongman athletes in history. It was established in 2008, but still features only a small number of athletes. The Hall of Fame has six members as of 2022: Bill Kazmaier, Mariusz Pudzianowski, Svend Karlsen, Magnús Ver Magnússon, Jón Páll Sigmarsson, and Magnus Samuelsson.
2023 World’s Strongest Man Content
Find complete coverage of the 2023 World’s Strongest Man, including exclusive interviews, event recaps, analysis, and results at our WSM coverage hub: FitnessVolt.com/wsm