The world’s elite strongmen have already known when they’d get to compete for the next World’s Strongest Man (WSM) title. The next edition of the contest will take place on Apr. 19-23, 2023, in Myrtle Beach, SC. They also understood the expected events, revealed in January 2023. Now, they know who they’ll have to overcome to reach the ultimate strongman glory.
On Feb. 9, 2023, the WSM organization revealed the official list of competitors set to participate in the latest iteration of the contest. Two-time reigning champion Tom Stoltman will be seeking to continue his reign. However, with an all-around stacked field featuring experienced titans as well as rising stars, from a glance, it’ll undoubtedly be a tall task to achieve a “three-peat.”
Here’s an overview of the 2023 WSM roster in the order in which they were publicly announced:
2023 World’s Strongest Man Roster
- Tom Stoltman (United Kingdom) — Defending two-time WSM champion
- Pavlo Kordiyaka (Ukraine)
- Evan Singleton (United States)
- Mitchell Hooper (Canada)
- Trey Mitchell (United States)
- Adam Bishop (United Kingdom)
- Aivars Šmaukstelis (Latvia)
- Kevin Faires (United States)
- Eythor Ingolfsson Melsted (Iceland)
- Paul Smith (United Kingdom)
- Rauno Heinla (Estonia)
- Bobby Thompson (United States)
- Mateusz Kieliszkowski (Poland)
- Gavin Bilton (United Kingdom)
- Spenser Remick (United States)
- Eddie Williams (Australia)
- Konstantine Janashia (Georgia)
- Graham Hicks (United Kingdom)
- Luke Stoltman (United Kingdom)
- Mathew Ragg (New Zealand)
- Gabriel Rhéaume (Canada)
- Brian Shaw (United States)
- Fadi El Masri (Lebanon)
- Jaco Schoonwinkel (South Africa)
- Oleksii Novikov (Ukraine)
- Jean-Stephen Coraboeuf (France)
- Mark Felix (United Kingdom)
- Pa O’Dwyer (Ireland)
- Cheick “Iron Biby” Sanou (Burkina Faso)
- Thomas Evans (United States)
- *Pavlo Nakonechnyy (Ukraine) — *Withdrawn
- *Maxime Boudreault (Canada) — *Withdrawn
The 2023 roster features 25 athletes for now, and three more will be revealed at the upcoming Europe’s Strongest Man (ESM) competition on Apr. 1, 2023. Notable strongmen not yet mentioned include 2020 WSM champion Oleksii Novikov and 2019 winner Martins Licis. Novikov has previously stated he was planning to train for the competition, and may presumably be announced as a later addition. Licis, on the other hand, will be taking a year off from competing and hasn’t disclosed when he plans to return.
Here’s an overview of the expected events at the 2023 WSM:
2023 World’s Strongest Man Events
The contest will take place across four days, with competitors challenged by multiple events each day, including two days of qualifying events and two days of Finals.
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
Mitchell Hooper, who placed 8th at his WSM debut in 2022, was one of the first athletes to post a video with his reaction and initial thoughts on the lineup. Hooper took to his YouTube channel to discuss his fellow competitors, revealing that the contest is expected to eventually have 30 competitors rostered, and speculating about who could fill the remaining spots.
The 2023 WSM is still months away and there’s a lot to sort through before then, especially with regard to any remaining competitors. At the very least, the final puzzle is starting to come together on the biggest event in strongman.
Featured image: @theworldsstrongestman on Instagram
