Hooper rises to the top of strongman in one of the more meteoric rises in the sport’s history.
Mitchell Hooper is the champion of the 2023 World’s Strongest Man (WSM). The athlete is the first Canadian victor in the contest’s illustrious 46-year history. After an all-around dominant performance from start to finish, it’s abundantly clear that Hooper came, saw, and conquered over the rest of strongman’s elite performers in Myrtle Beach, SC.
Rounding out the 2023 WSM podium were Tom Stoltman (second place) and Oleksii Novikov (third place). A runner-up finish is admirable and a quality result for Stoltman, but it was also assuredly not what the former two-time champion (2021-2022) hoped for. Meanwhile, Novikov takes home his second consecutive podium finish after capturing the 2020 WSM title.
Here are the standings from the Finals of the 2023 WSM:
2023 World’s Strongest Man Finals Standings
Mitchell Hooper (Canada) | 2023 WSM champion
Tom Stoltman (United Kingdom)
Oleksii Novikov (Ukraine)
Trey Mitchell (United States)
Evan Singleton (United States)
Pavlo Kordiyaka (Ukraine)
Brian Shaw (United States)
Luke Stoltman (United Kingdom)
Matthew Ragg (New Zealand)
*Jaco Schoonwinkel (South Africa) | *Withdrew on contest’s last day
To notch his first career WSM title, Hooper mostly cleared through the competition’s events schedule.
In the Qualifying Round, Hooper won four of the five events where he participated in Group 3, ensuring he would not have to compete in the climactic Stone Off for a berth in the Finals. Once the weekend’s Finals came around, Hooper won four of five events before the famous Atlas Stones even occurred, virtually guaranteeing himself the title on a mathematical basis barring outright disaster. He would then come in second to cement the victory. Hooper finished his 2023 WSM championship performance with a resounding 53.5 points, lapping the rest of his powerful peers by 4.5 points.
Mitchell Hooper 2023 World’s Strongest Man Event Results
Here’s an overview of how Hooper fared event by event during the 2023 WSM:
Qualifying Round (Group 3)
Loading Race — First place | Five implements, 52.14 seconds
Deadlift Machine — First place | Eight reps
Log Ladder — First place | Five reps, 39.51 seconds
Conan’s Wheel — First place | 636 degrees
Kettlebell Toss — Second place | Six reps, 17.18 seconds
Finals
Reign Total Body Fuel Shield (Heat 3) — First place | 64.8 meters
KNAACK Deadlift — First place | Eight reps
Fingal’s Fingers — Sixth place | Five reps, 49.89 seconds
Max Dumbbell — First place | Four lifts
Bus Pull — First place | 30.24 seconds
Atlas Stones — Second place | Five stones, 36.96 seconds
Hooper’s first WSM title caps what might be one of the more jarring rises that strongman has ever seen. The athlete’s first-ever professional show was as a rookie in the 2022 WSM, where he initially entered as a reserve before qualifying for the Finals. He eventually scored an eighth-place result in what now seems like a harbinger of the dominance to come.
That’s because it’s been full steam ahead for the Canadian athlete ever since.
After his 2022 WSM blitz, Hooper qualified for the podium in nine of nine contests, including the 2023 WSM. With his WSM victory in the account, Hooper has now won five of his last six competitions. His WSM triumph aside, the other four contest wins are the 2022 Arnold Strongman Classic UK (ASCUK), the 2022 Giants Live World Tour Finals (GLWTF), the 2023 Australia’s Strongest International (ASI), and the 2023 Arnold Strongman Classic (ASC).
It’s impossible to precisely predict what lies in store for Hooper’s competitive future. However, he just completed one of the more remarkable one-year runs ever in strongman with a WSM championship and is still just 27 years old.
It’s not hard to envision the new king of the sport holding onto his throne for a long time.
Featured image: Todd Burandt / Courtesy of World’s Strongest Man