Here’s what’s on tap for South Carolina.
The 2023 World’s Strongest Man (WSM) will take place on Apr. 19-23, 2023, in Myrtle Beach, SC. Less than 12 weeks before the competition actually gets up and rolling, the official slate of strength obstacles has been revealed. On Jan. 26, 2023, the WSM organization revealed the 12 events that will comprise the latest iteration of the premier event in strongman. There will be six events during the Qualifying Round and six during the Final. The 2023 WSM announcement also clarified that this year’s competition would now start a day later on Apr. 19, 2023, after initially announcing an April 18 start date.
Here are the events scheduled for the 2023 WSM in mid-April. Notably, even with a change to a tightened schedule, there will potentially be a built-in rest day between the Qualifying Stages and the Final, as has been the norm in recent editions of the WSM. That said, with a relatively shortened schedule, fatigue could play a role in the latter stages of the competition, potentially even deciding the champion.
2023 World’s Strongest Man Event Schedule
Qualifying Round
- Event One: Loading Race — Day One
- Event Two: Deadlift Machine — Day One
- Event Three: Log Ladder — Day One
- Event Four: Conan’s Wheel — Day Two
- Event Five: Kettlebell Toss — Day Two
- Event Six: Stone Off — Day Two
Final
- Event One | Fingal’s Fingers — Day Three
- Event Two | Deadlift — Day Three
- Event Three | Shield Carry — Day Three
- Event Four | Max Dumbbell — Day Four
- Event Five | Vehicle Pull — Day Four
- Event Six | Atlas Stones — Day Four
At the time of this writing, the precise structure of each of the 2023 WSM’s events is unclear.
A safe assumption would be to expect the Stone Off, the concluding event of the Qualifying Round, to be head-to-head. In the past, each group’s second and third-place finishers would square off to determine who would move on to the Final. Such a consistent setup would once again favor the respective group winners.
At the time of this article’s publication, the complete final roster for the 2023 WSM has not been revealed, nor has the makeup of each respective group. Presumably, reigning two-time WSM champion Tom Stoltman will return to defend his title. In January 2023, former WSM champ (2020) Oleksii Novikov revealed he would again be vying for the biggest prize in strongman. Four-time WSM champion (2011, 2013, 2015-2016) Brian Shaw previously announced the 2023 WSM would be his final appearance at the contest.
By the time the 2023 WSM is underway in Myrtle Beach, some of the strongest people in the world will have already been well-prepared for the gauntlet ahead. Regardless of who is on the roster and how the events are precisely structured, a fascinating battle likely lies ahead in the spring.
Featured image: @theworldsstrongestman on Instagram
