World's Ultimate Strongman is an annual
strength athletics competition which began on October 26, 2018. The event has a number of rival and parallel competitions, including the
World's Strongest Man, the
Arnold Strongman Classic and the
Giants Live Tour.
History
The inaugural edition of the competition was held in
Dubai,
United Arab Emirates with the winner being
Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson. The
2019
File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...
edition was also held in Dubai and was won by
Mateusz Kieliszkowski. Defending champion
Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson and recently crowned
World's Strongest Man Martins Licis
Martins Licis ( lv, Mārtiņš Līcis, ; born September 28, 1990) is a Latvian-American professional strongman, notable for winning 2019 World's Strongest Man, 2022 Arnold Strongman Classic, and 2021 Rogue Invitational strongman championships. He' ...
did not take part.
On February 22, 2020, it was announced the competition would be expanding and would hold an event in
Bahrain at the
Bahrain International Circuit with a purse of $350,000 which is the largest for any strongman competition.
Effects of the 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic
On March 13, 2020, World's Ultimate Strongman released a statement entailing that the recently announced event due to take place on April 11, 2020, in
Bahrain was postponed due to concerns over the
COVID-19 pandemic, to which they said that a new date would be found and announced when it is logistically and feasibly possible. The 2020 competition was finally held in March 2021 under the name '2021 WUS Strength Island' and in September they hosted the 2021 competition.
Championships
2018 World's Ultimate Strongman
Events:
Truck pull, Arm over arm pull, Silver Dollar
Deadlift, Overhead Medley, Super Yoke,
Atlas stones
2019 World's Ultimate Strongman
Events:
Deadlift,
Truck pull, Log lift, Medley,
Atlas stones
2020 World's Ultimate Strongman (a.k.a. 2021 WUS Strength Island)
Events: Axel
Deadlift, Flag Hoist, Circus Dumbbell press,
Loading race,
Atlas stones
2021 World's Ultimate Strongman
Events: Log lift, Super yoke, Farmer's walk, Chain Railway carriage,
Atlas stones
Championship breakdown
Championships by country
Feats of Strength series
Due to the postponement of worldwide sporting events and travel restrictions being in place for many countries due to the
COVID-19 pandemic, World's Ultimate Strongman announced an at home/private gym Feats of Strength series with differing strongman record attempts to be live streamed for free. Below are the record attempts (Men's World Record unless otherwise stated):
Season 1
1 It was found during the event that Maddox's bar had been misloaded with one side being 25kg heavier than the other.
2 It was found during the event that Bishop had 402.5kg on the barbell, rather than 400kg, causing an unofficial world record of 402.5kg for 4 repetitions.
Season 2
Commonly contested events
*
Deadlift – Lifting weights or vehicles straight off the ground until knees lock in a standing position. The 2018 edition consisted of a max Silver Dollar Deadlift, a variation in which the weight is lifted from . Straps are allowed for this variation. The 2019 edition used the conventional strongman version of the deadlift, using a standard deadlift bar with straps and a deadlift suit.
* Super Yoke – Apparatus composed of a crossbar and two uprights. The uprights each have a heavy weight attached to them, such as a
refrigerator
A refrigerator, colloquially fridge, is a commercial and home appliance consisting of a thermally insulated compartment and a heat pump (mechanical, electronic or chemical) that transfers heat from its inside to its external environment so th ...
or diesel engine, and the competitors must carry the yoke on their shoulders for a short distance.
*Shield Carry – Athletes compete in carrying a 'shield' usually weighing between for distance or a set distance for the fastest time. The Shield Carry can be its own event or be used alongside the super yoke.
* Press Medley – Athletes must press various equipment overhead such as a log, axle, circus barbell, and giant dumbbell. The event is scored based on the number of implements completed, then the fastest time.
*
Vehicle pull – Vehicles such as transport trucks, trams, boxcars, buses, or planes are pulled across a course as fast as possible. One variation sees the competitors pull the object with a rope toward them. Another has them attached to a rope which is attached to a vehicle, while they use another rope to pull themselves down the course.
*
McGlashen Stones /
Atlas Stones – Five heavy round stones increasing in weight from are lifted and set on platforms. When the stones were first introduced to the competition, it was an individual event and the platforms were all of equal height. The modern Atlas Stones event takes place on a long course and the competitors participate two at a time. In the 2019 edition, a 10 stone event was introduced with stones ranging from , a first of its kind.
References
{{Reflist
Strongmen competitions