The 2022 WSM contest ends after three more events in the second, and last, day of Finals. Classic strongman events, raw strength, and deep willpower were the highlights of the exciting day.

Oleksii Novikov came into the day with a narrow two-point lead over last year’s champion Tom Stoltman, putting them in the most likely contention for the top spot. Licis, Mitchell, and Hooper were close behind in a tough battle to make the podium. Shaw, Luke Stoltman, Boudreault, Rheaume, and Melsted continued to battle for points despite not having any clear path to victory.

2022 WSM Finals Leaderboard

Rank
Name
Points

1
Tom Stoltman — United Kingdom
53.5

2
Martins Licis — USA
43

3
Oleksii Novikov — Ukraine
43

4
Brian Shaw — USA
37.5

5
Maxime Boudreault — Canada
34.5

6
Trey Mitchell — USA
34

7
Luke Stoltman — United Kingdom
30.5

8
Mitchell Hooper — Canada
30

9
Eythor Ingolfsson Melsted — Iceland
13

10
Gabriel Rheaume — Canada
11

2022 WSM Day Five Results

The Bus Pull, Reign Total Body Fuel Power Stairs, and Atlas Stones were the contestants final chances to rise through the ranks and work toward victory. The results would shake up the finalists to determine the eventual winner.

Bus Pull Results

The bus pull is one of the more visually impressive events in any WSM contest. This year, competitors were harnessed to a Sacramento transit bus, weighing 40,000 pounds, and pulled the vehicle down the length of the 30-meter (98-foot) course as quickly as possible.

Mitchell Hooper put up a respectable time, considering it was his first-ever vehicle pulling event, but Novikov turned in yet another dominant performance to secure a win for the round. Four-time WSM champion Brian Shaw’s fourth place finish in this crucial event all-but-ensured he wouldn’t see his fifth title this year, as the overall points gap became too large.

Oleksii Novikov — 0:41.51s
Martins Licis — 0:42.18s
Tom Stoltman — 0:44.50s
Brian Shaw — 0:44.69s
Trey Mitchell — 0:45.72s
Luke Stoltman — 0:47.00s
Maxime Boudreault — 0:47.20s
Mitchell Hooper — 0:49.24s
Eythor Ingolfsson Melsted — 0:51.32s
Gabriel Rheaume — 0:53.22s 

Reign Total Body Fuel Power Stairs

In this grip and lower-body intensive event, competitors needed to lift three 226-kilogram (500-pound) blocks up three large steps in the shortest time. One block on one step counted as a single rep, for a total of nine potential reps.

Maxime Boudreault won the event with maximum reps in the shortest time, but despite the strong effort remained in the lower half of the leaderboard. 2021 WSM champion Tom Stoltman came in second, tackling all nine steps just seconds shy of Boudreault, and topped the leaderboard.

Stoltman’s closest contender, Novikov, placed a surprising seventh in the stairs by only completing six reps, which put his ultimate victory in question. 

Maxime Boudreault — 9 reps in 0:39.07s 
Tom Stoltman — 9 reps in 0:41.04s 
Martins Licis — 9 reps in 0:44.50s 
Brian Shaw — 8 reps in 1:09.03s 
Mitchell Hooper — 7 reps in 0:32.36s 
Luke Stoltman — 7 reps in 0:59.47s 
Eythor Ingolfsson Melsted — 6 reps in 0:35.78s 
Oleksii Novikov — 6 reps in 0:34.20s 
Trey Mitchell — 6 reps in 1:10.22s 
Gabriel Rheaume — 5 reps in 0:35.78s

Atlas Stones

In one of the quintessential strongman events, contestants loaded increasingly heavier stones onto a platform. Defending champ Tom Stoltman must’ve felt the pressure to perform as he turned in a dominating performance, loading all five stones in just over 25 seconds.

With an apparent upset, Novikov came in last in this final event, surrendering precious points and deflating any chance at winning the competition.

Tom Stoltman — 5 reps in 0:25.76s
Maxime Boudreault — 5 reps in 0:28.04s
Trey Mitchell — 5 reps in 0:33.06s
Brian Shaw — 5 reps in 0:39.29s
Martins Licis — 5 reps in 0:45.74s
Luke Stoltman — 4 reps in 0:25.78s
Eythor Ingolfsson Melsted — 4 reps in 0:28.87s
Gabriel Rheaume — 4 reps in 0:33.55s
Mitchell Hooper — 4 reps in 0:33.78s
Oleksii Novikov — 4 reps in 0:36.70s

The 2022 World’s Strongest Man Is…

After the final three events, Tom Stoltman is the 2022 World’s Strongest Man winner, taking his second consecutive title. Oleksii Novikov began the day strong and seemed to have a victorious clinch by mid-day, but the defending champion Stoltman capitalized on his final effort to secure the title.

Featured image: Joe Martinez/World’s Strongest Man