The World’s Strongest Man competition began all the way back in 1977, and the men continue to impress us with their powerlifting skills even today. But there’s something strange going on in the world of weightlifting. Normally, there’s a consistent competitor that everyone’s trying to beat, but the past six years’ winners were all different! No one knows who’s going to be on top. Will last year’s winner break the streak and win again? We won’t know until May 29th, but let’s take a look at the last 30 year’s winners in the meantime.
1992- Ted van der Parre
The first of the World’s Strongest Men on our list is Ted van der Parre. He won the competition 30 years ago after placing fourth just a year before. He later competed in the 1994 World’s Strongest Man competition but dropped out after an unfortunate calf injury in the second event. Ted van der Parre hails from the Netherlands, and he’s the only winner from the country. He also broke the record for the tallest man to ever compete in a World’s Strongest Man competition! Van der Parre towered over his competition at 6’10”.
1993- Gary Taylor
Gary Taylor won the World’s Strongest Man in 1993. The British weightlifter also placed third in 1991, fifth in 1992, and sixth in 1995. Not only was he no stranger to the World’s Strongest Men arena, but he also took on the Olympics a time or two. Then, his career came to an abrupt end in 1997. During the 1997 Europe’s Strongest Man competition, Taylor suffered a catastrophic knee injury. His form was off during the tire flip event, and his weightlifting days came to an end.
1994- Magnús Ver Magnússon
Magnús Ver Magnússon is an Icelandic icon. The powerlifter began his journey towards the World’s Strongest Man back in 1984 and won a medal in the junior European and World Championships only a year later. He would later go on to win the 1994 World’s Strongest Man competition. It wasn’t his first, though. Magnússon actually won his first World’s Strongest Man competition in 1991. He then placed second in 1992 and 1993. Those second-place finishes motivated him to lift even heavier than ever before, and he tasted victory once again in ‘94- and he kept going.
1995- Magnús Ver Magnússon
Two first-place titles weren’t enough for Magnús Ver Magnússon! He needed another first-place title, and he got it. Magnússon won again in 1995! It was at this competition that he set his personal squat record. Magnússon squatted a whopping 964.5 pounds- although it wasn’t up to competition depth standards. It’s still a stellar personal record regardless of the rules. He was on an absolute roll this year, too. Magnússon placed first in the World Muscle Power Championships and won Iceland’s Strongest man title.
1996- Magnús Ver Magnússon
Did you think Magnússon quit after 1995? Nope! He won for the fourth time in 1996. Magnússon was more than a formidable opponent in his days of powerlifting. There really was no stopping the Icelandic lifter. So how strong was he exactly? Some of Magnússon’s records include an 882-pound raw squat, a 605-pound bench press, and an 827-pound raw deadlift. He also held the world record for the heaviest tire deadlift. He deadlifted 981-pounds! His performance over the years makes him one of the best powerlifters of all time.
1997- Jouko Ahola
Who was the man to break Magnússon’s winning streak? None other than Finnish strongman Jouko Ahola. He’s no stranger to the competition either. Ahola competed and placed fourth in the 1996 championship. He made quite the leap to first place!Some of his personal records include a 485-pound bench press, a 793-pound squat, and an 895-deadlift. On top of that, he took home first in the 1995 and 1996 European Hercules competitions. He also placed first in the 1998 and 1999 Europe’s Strongest Man competition. Ahola was certainly on a roll.
1998- Magnus Samuelsson
Swedish strongman Magnus Samuelsson is the 1998 winner of the World’s Strongest Man competition, and strength is in his blood. His father was a Swedish and European arm wrestling champion! It may sound silly, but it’s a serious competition. This family is beyond strong. Samuelsson has more talents than his strength too. He’s a great dancer and a talented actor! Samuelsson won the Swedish version of Dancing with the Stars in 2009 and currently stars in the BBC series The Last Kingdom.
1999- Jouko Ahola
Samuelsson may be strong, but he couldn’t keep his winning streak going like some of the other strongmen on our list. Jouko Ahola came back to the competition with a vengeance and won the 1999 World’s Strongest Man Competition. Believe it or not, Samuelsson and Ahola have more in common than their first-place wins. Ahola is an actor too! After retiring from the weightlifting world, Ahola took his talents to the silver screen. Some of his acting credits include Kingdom of Heaven, Bad Day to Go Fishing, War of the Dead, and Invincible.
2000- Janne Virtanen
Finnish strongman Janne Virtanen rang in the new millennium with a huge win in 2000. He placed second the year before, pushing him harder to get first. He couldn’t keep the streak up, though. Virtanen placed third in 2001. It’s still a very commendable feat, nonetheless! He continued to compete but joined a team instead of going solo. His team won the World’s Strongest team competition four years in a row (1999, 2000, 2001, 2002)! His first team win was alongside someone we’re already familiar with- Jouko Ahola. The two made an unstoppable pair!
2001- Svend Karlsen
With ease, Norwegian strongman Svend Karlsen took home the 2001 World’s Strongest Man title with ease. Karlsen knows the world of weightlifting very well! He began his journey towards the title in 1986. Karlsen set 30 Norwegian records, three European records, and one world record throughout his career. He lifted a giant 408-pound log! The world record did get broken the next year, but only by two more pounds. After his powerlifting days, Karlsen turned to bodybuilding. The strongman definitely knew a thing or two about competitions before he began competing in the World’s Strongest Man competitions!
2002- Mariusz Pudzianowski
There is one name in the world of weightlifting that still strikes fear in competitors’ hearts- Mariusz Pudzianowki. You may already know him as Pudzian or his more popular nickname, the Dominator. The Polish strongman still dominates competitions even today! His first World’s Strongest Man title came in 2002. He also comes from a super-strong family like Samuelsson. His father, Wojciech, was an Olympic weightlifter! Perhaps that’s where Pudzianowki got his inspiration at such a young age. He started strength training at 13! All that practice surely paid off.
2003- Mariusz Pudzianowski
Mariusz Pudzianowski’s second first-place title came the very next year. He took home first place again at the 2003 World’s Strongest Man competition. This year was especially impressive too. Pudzianowki won by the largest margin in competition history! He placed first in four of the seven strongman events, putting him a whole 20 points ahead of his competition. British strongman Laurence Shahlaei commended his performance and called it the most dominant victory ever seen at the World’s Strongest Man competition. Do you get why they call him the Dominator now?
2004- Vasyl Virastyuk
Mariusz Pudzianowki was the expected 2004 winner of the World’s Strongest Man competition, but he got disqualified after failing to adhere to the Strongman Health Policy. Pudzianowki got stripped of his prize money and points from the event and received a year-long ban. Vasyl Virastyuk took the title instead! Although he was an underdog, the Ukrainian strongman is still incredibly powerful. He took first place in Ukraine’s Strongest Man competition seven years in a row! From 2000 to 2007, no Ukrainian could beat Virastyuk. His current job might be even tougher than his competition days- he’s a Ukrainian politician!
2005- Mariusz Pudzianowski
After his year-long ban, Mariusz Pudzianowki returned to the World’s Strongest Man competition, ready for another win. And win, he did! Pudzianowki took home the 2005 first-place title. It wasn’t as easy as the last competition, though. Pudzianowski had a very slow start. He was actually seven points behind the leader! This put him in seventh place. Instead of accepting defeat, Pudzianowki pushed on. He managed to finish the remaining five rounds in first place! His comeback further solidified his status as the Dominator.
2006- Phil Pfister
The only man to break Pudzianowki’s winning streak organically was the American strongman Phil Pfister. He was also the first American to win the competition in over two decades! The last American to win was Bill Kazmaier in 1982. Pfister’s win wasn’t unexpected, though. He actually vowed to bring the title home in 2001. While he didn’t win that year, he never gave up. Plus, You could guess he was the World’s Strongest Man just by looking at him! Pfister is 6’6” and weighed in at 375-pounds at the time. Wow!
2007- Mariusz Pudzianowski
The taste of defeat wasn’t something Pudzianowki favored. He came back in 2007 even more determined to win. He couldn’t let anyone, let alone an American, take his title! He had a duty to reignite Europe’s reputation for producing the World’s Strongest Men. His 2007 win also put him amongst the greats. Before winning his fourth title, only two other men did the same- Jon Pall Sigmarsson and Magnus Ver Magnusson. However, being a part of the record holders still wasn’t good enough for him. He promised to come back the next year and win his fifth!
2008- Mariusz Pudzianowski
Mariusz Pudzianowki delivered and took home his fifth first-place title at the 2008 World’s Strongest Man competition! No one before him could say the same. This win was especially challenging. Pudzianowki injured his calf severely during the Polish Strongman Championship Cup, and it didn’t heal by the time he had to compete again. Despite this, Pudzianowki narrowly outpaced runner-up Derek Poundstone and beat him by a single point. After losing the next year, Pudzianowki switched gears to focus on his current Mixed Martial Arts career. He’s now the #3 KSW Heavyweight champion in the world.
2009- Žydrūnas Savickas
As Pudzianowki’s era came to an end, a new champion rose to the occasion- Žydrūnas Savickas. The Lithuanian strongman and powerlifter is considered one of the greatest strength athletes of all time. Many folks even consider him the absolute best! His legacy began long before Savickas took home his first World’s Strongest Man title in 2008. Before that, he won six Arnold Strongman Classics back to back (2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008)! He is definitely a fearsome competitor, but there was one man who always came for his title- American strongman Brian Shaw.
2010- Žydrūnas Savickas
Shaw couldn’t beat Savickas in 2010, although he tried his best. Savickas once again took home the first place title at the World’s Strongest Man competition. He also set a jaw-dropping record in the same year. On the Italian show Lo Show dei Record, Savickas shattered the record for the longest distance carrying a 300 kg rope. He carried it for 229-feet and seven inches! He also took first place in Europe’s Strongest Man competition. 2010 was a year of wins for Savickas.
2011- Brian Shaw
The American strongman Brian Shaw finally broke Savickas’ winning streak in 2011. He fought hard (and lifted even harder) to take home the 2011 World’s Strongest Man win. The win was very narrow too. As the strongmen reached their final round of the competition, Savickas and Shaw were neck-and-neck. Shaw scraped out a heavier lift during the Atlas Stones event, scooping the first place title from Savickas. This was just the first battle of many between the two. The rivals were now at war!
2012- Žydrūnas Savickas
Post-second place win, Savickas knew he had to step up his weightlifting game more than ever before. He started by winning his second first-place title at Europe’s Strongest Man and smashing the record for the heaviest log lift (476-pounds). He was undoubtedly ready for another first-place win at the World’s Strongest Man competition. And he got it! He also broke his own record for the heaviest log lift in the world at the SCL Holland event the same year. He added four more pounds to his record!
2013- Brian Shaw
Then Brian Shaw won again! He took home the first place title at the 2013 World’s Strongest Man competition. The battle was more than on between Shaw and Savickas. Ironically, the final showdown was also the same situation they were in just two years before. Shaw and Savickas entered the final round of the competition, nearly tied for first. Then, the Atlas Stones round came upon them once more. Shaw showed out and beat Savickas for the second time! To add insult to injury, Shaw also broke Savickas’ deadlift record. Shaw deadlifted 275.5 whole pounds.
2014- Žydrūnas Savickas
Shaw may have won the 2013 battle, but Savickas wanted to win the whole war! Savickas wasn’t going to let the American strongman beat him again. This time, he pushed Shaw all the way back to third place! In addition to his 2014 World’s Strongest Man win, Savickas broke a few records the same year. He set another log lifting world record, pulling off a 500-pound lift. Then he set the record for the heaviest giant barbell squat in the world! Savickas squatted 725-pounds for 15 reps. That’ll make you want to hit the gym.
2015- Brian Shaw
Sadly (or gladly, depending on who you root for), that was Savickas’ final World’s Strongest Man competition win. Shaw wasn’t going down without a fight! He once again won the competition in 2015. This was his third win overall. Can you guess who placed second? Savickas, of course! We can only imagine how much that stung. The competition was close, just like the last few years. Shaw squeezed out a win by a 3.5-point margin. He only placed first in two rounds, but he was able to out-rep his competitors and sinch the overall win.
2016- Brian Shaw
Brian Shaw got another first-place win the following year in 2015. He was once more named the World’s Strongest Man! This would be his fourth and final win. He couldn’t take Pudzianowki’s five-win crown despite breaking record after record. This first-place win was even tougher than the last too. Shaw squeaked out the title by only two points! Today, he hosts his own strongman competition called the Shaw Classic and has his own Youtube channel, SHAWSTRENGTH. We might not be the world’s strongest men, but we can surely train like one thanks to his helpful tips and tricks.
2017- Eddie Hall
The man who stopped Shaw from catching up with Pudzianowki is British strongman Eddie Hall. He took first place at the 2017 World’s Strongest Man competition! This also began the strange era of new winners every year. One win was enough for Hall, unlike his competitors. Soon after his victory, Hall announced he was taking a step back from heavy lifting due to health concerns. He then went back to competing in lower-weight challenges instead. He also dabbled in the entertainment world and has television credits, including A League of Their Own, The Chase, and The Strongest Man in History.
2018- Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson
2018 was a glorious year in the strongman arena. Since 2012, Swedish strongman Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson teetered between second and third place in the World’s Strongest Man competition. Finally, he won the first place title after six years of defeat! Björnsson did have some help along the way too. Magnusson actually spotted him in a gym way back in 2008 and knew the 6’9”, 400(ish)-pound man is built perfectly for winning. Magnusson was right! Before his World’s Strongest Man win, Björnsson was Iceland’s strongest man for seven years running and still holds the title. Persistence pays off!
2019- Martins Licis
Martins Licis felt the burn after losing to Björnsson at the Arnold Strongman Classic. The Latvian-American strongman prepared himself to beat Björnsson at their next face-off- the 2019 World’s Strongest Man competition. His win was well deserved too. Licis finished in the top three in every single competition round. Yes, all five rounds! He also placed first in two out of the five events. Despite losing the Arnold Strongman Classic, he did have a win of his own. Licis set a personal deadlift record by lifting 970-pounds at the competition!
2020- Oleksiy Novikov
26-year-old Oleksly Novikov took home the 2020 title for the World’s Strongest Man. He is the second man ever to win the competition at the young age of 24. Novikov also holds the record for the heaviest deadlift in the world at 1,185 pounds! The Ukrainian strongman continues to crush the competition too. Many people expect him to be the next repeat winner! He recently won the 2022 Europe’s Strongest Man competition, so their predictions just might come true. This is in addition to studying at college and being in the military. Talk about a Renaissance man.
2021- Tom Stoltman
The most recent winner of the World’s Strongest Man competition is the Scottish strongman, Tom Stoltman. He’s also only 26 years old, so Novikov is certainly stiff competition for the Scot. Not only does he have to beat Novikov, but he’s up against his kin too! His older brother Luke won the 2021 Europe’s Strongest Man competition and won Scotland’s Strongest Man five times. Both brothers are competing in the World’s Strongest Man competition this year. There’s nothing like a good sibling rivalry to motivate you. Tune into the competition to see which Stoltman brother ends up on top!