Scotland’s Own Tom Stoltman Takes Home Title at 2023 Giants Live World Tour Finals With Dominant Performance 

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.

1. Tom Stoltman — 463 pounds (210 kilograms)
2. Mitchell Hooper — 440.9 pounds (200 kilograms)
3. Pavlo Kordiyaka — 440.9 pounds (200 kilograms)
4. Luke Stoltman — 440.9 pounds (200 kilograms)
5. Tyler Cotton — 440.9 pounds (200 kilograms)
6. Mathew Ragg — 410.1 pounds (186 kilograms)
7. Ondřej Fojtů — 410.1 pounds (186 kilograms)
8. Gavin Bilton — 374.8 pounds (170 kilograms)
9. Eddie Williams — 374.8 pounds (170 kilograms)
10. Evans Aryee — 374.8 pounds (170 kilograms)
11. Pa O’Dwyer — No Lift
12. 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.

1. Tom Stoltman — 29.92 seconds
2. Pavlo Kordiyaka — 30.48 seconds
3. Mathew Ragg — 31.41 seconds
4. Luke Stoltman — 33.62 seconds
5. Ondřej Fojtů — 34.44 seconds
6. Mitchell Hooper — 34.63 seconds
7. Conor Curran — 35.30 seconds
8. Gavin Bilton — 36.81 seconds
9. Pa O’Dwyer — 36.84 seconds
10. Tyler Cotton — 37.76 seconds
11. Evans Aryee — 38.22 seconds
12. 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.

1. Mathew Ragg — Eight reps
2. Tom Stoltman — Seven reps
3. Mitchell Hooper — Seven reps
4. Gavin Bilton — Five reps
5. Pavlo Kordiyaka — Four reps
6. Luke Stoltman — Four reps
7. Ondřej Fojtů — Four reps
8. Pa O’Dwyer — Four reps
9. Eddie Williams — Four reps
10. Tyler Cotton — Three reps
11. Conor Curran — Three reps
12. Evans Aryee — Withdrew