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Day One of the 2021 World’s Strongest Man (WSM) Finals saw two men pull away from the field. Tom Stoltman led the other nine finalists by 5.5 points after scoring back-to-back wins in the Giant’s Medley and the Titan’s Turntable events. He followed it up with a second-place finish in the Keg Toss, where four-time WSM champion Brian Shaw set a new world record of 7.75 meters to earn a second-place rank heading into the last day of competition.
The first event of the final day was the Log Lift. Each competitor was given the opportunity to lift the following weight in each round to advance to the next:
- Round One — 170 kilograms (375 pounds)
- Round Two — 185 kilograms (408 pounds)
- Round Three — 195 kilograms (430 pounds)
- Round Four — 205 kilograms (452 pounds)
- Round Five — 215 kilograms (474 pounds)
The world record log lift coming into the event was 228 kilograms (502.7 pounds) held by four-time WSM champion Zydrunas Savickas, who was present to spectate the contest. The crowd was eager to see Luke Stoltman’s and Bobby Thompson’s attempts, as they hold the British log lift record and American log lift records, respectively. The temperature at the start of the event was 66 degrees Fahrenheit.
Related: 2021 World’s Strongest Man Results and Leaderboard
2021 World’s Strongest Man Log Lift Results
215 Kilograms (474 Pounds)
- Luke Stoltman — 10 points
205 Kilograms (452 Pounds)
- Trey Mitchell — 8 points
- Bobby Thompson — 8 points
- Maxime Boudreault — 8 points
195 Kilograms (430 Pounds)
- JF Caron — 5 points
- Konstantine Janashia — 5 points
- Brian Shaw — 5 points
185 Kilograms (408 Pounds)
- Eythor Ingolfsson Melsted — 2-5 points
- Tom Stoltman — 2.5 points
170 Kilograms (375 Pounds)
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Round One — 375 Pounds
First to the log was American Trey Mitchell. He had an impressive Titan’s Turntable time but struggled in the keg toss to fall to the bottom of the standings. The first log went up smoothly and he moved on to round two.
Bobby Thompson was second to lift. This was his first appearance at the WSM Final and the log lift is his specialty. He pressed the first log without using leg drive.
2020 WSM bronze medalist JF Caron stepped up to the stage with his left thigh bandaged up. He seemed to tilt forward and lose his balance a bit during the lockout but Head Judge Magnus ver Magnusson gave the signal for a clean lift.
Adam Bishop was fourth to lift and had no difficulty. A clean lift to the “down” signal from Magnusson and Bishop advanced.
Luke Stoltman set up in front of the log, pressed it overhead with speed, and moved on. “Easiest rep so far!” shouted an excited spectator from the crowd.
Eythor Ingolfsson Melsted chalked up the front of his shirt, grabbed the log, and hoisted it overhead to a clean lift after a trio of deep breaths in the lap position.
Konstantine Janashia was aggressive with the log with a quick lift that looked easy. Maxime Boudreault swiftly chalked his hands, shook out his left shoulder, and pressed the log overhead with some difficulty.
The point leader coming into the event, Tom Stoltman, was second to last to lift and the log posed no problem. He had a slight backstep during the lockout, but Tom maintained control and earned the signal from Magnusson.
Brian Shaw was the final strongman in the turn order. He pressed it easily and advanced. It was apparent that this first lift was essentially a warm-up round as all 10 strongmen scored successful attempts.
Round Two — 408 Pounds
Mitchell stepped up and earned a clean lift. Thompson was right behind him and was unable to lockout his first lift. The log dropped back to his shoulders. He recovered with a successful second press to advance.
Caron undulated the log up to his shoulders and pressed it overhead. He gave a fist pump to the crowd before walking off the stage. Bishop was the first to actually drop the log from an unsuccessful attempt. He went for a second go but could not lock it out. He was the first man eliminated.
Luke Stoltman bolted the log overhead and advanced. Ingolfsson Melsted’s technique of three breaths with the log in his lap continued to pay off as he, too, shot the log overhead to advance.
Janashia had no issues in round two. His speedy lift propelled him into round three. Boudreault wasted no time and pressed the log overhead with good velocity. Tom Stoltman and Shaw both lifted the log with relative ease and advanced. That means Bishop was the only man left behind at the end of round two rounds.
Round Three — 430 Pounds
Mitchell was shakey at the top but got the call from Magnusson to advance. Thompson’s lift appeared much smoother in this round than round two — good lift.
Caron showed some difficulty with this weight but was successful. However, the Canadian told Magnusson right afterward that he would not make an attempt in the next round and withdrew from log lift event.
Luke Stoltman was clearly still comfortable in this weight range and made his lift look easy. Ingolfsson Melsted dropped the log on his first attempt. He got it up to his shoulders on his second attempt but could not press it.
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Janashia’s arms quaked at the top of his lift but Magnusson deemed it a clean lockout. Boudreault punched himself in the head twice to pump himself up prior to his attempt and it appeared to work. It was as though he did a pause press and left the crowd in limbo prior to securing the lockout.
Tom Stoltman had to drop the log on his first attempt when it hit his chin on the way back down. He got it back up to his shoulders and made three press attempts but could not lock out his elbows.
Shaw really fired up the crowd after a fast lift. He knew that with Tom Stoltman failing his previous attempt that the top of the podium was still up for grabs.
Round Four — 452 Pounds
Mitchell brought the magic with him for the final day of the competition. He locked his attempt out again to advance to round five (which a weight had not yet been determined for).
Thompson and Luke Stoltman both made quick work of round four to advance. Janashia had to drop the log just prior to lockout on his first attempt and decided against making a second one. He was the first man eliminated in round four.
Boudreault danced with the weight overhead prior to successfully locking out his attempt. He got lightheaded after dropping the log and needed medical attention. He was able to walk it off to the announcement that his lift was a new Canadian log lift record.
Shaw closed out the round and dropped the log on his first attempt. He got it to his shoulders on his second attempt but could not lock it out.
Round Five — 474 Pounds
Mitchell finally showed signs of fatigue. He missed his first attempt and dropped the log. He made a second attempt but couldn’t lap it and bowed out of the event. This weight was just two kilograms shy of Thompson’s American log lift record. He tightened his lifting belt, lapped the log, and sustained the log in the air for several seconds, unable to lock it out.
It turned into a scary scene as Thompson collapsed to the ground and the medical staff dashed onto the stage to supply him with an oxygen mask. Gabriel Peña and Evan Singleton were also close by to ensure Thompson was okay. After a very long minute, Thompson regained consciousness and was able to get back to his feet with some assistance.
Boudreault decided against making an attempt in this round and bowed out. Luke Stoltman was the last man left in the event. He stepped up to the log and got it overhead in the blink of an eye — a huge win for the older Stoltman brother.
He played to the crowd once the event came to a close, “Just warming up, guys!”
Two More Events to Go
The Finals are nearly wrapped, but the Log Lift event shook up the standings a bit. Tom Stoltman is still leading Shaw by three points. However, Luke Stoltman and Boudreault are just one and 1.5 points behind Shaw, respectively, for second place. The last two events set to take place are:
Featured Image Courtesy of World’s Strongest Man
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