2021 Worlds Strongest Man Results: Tom Stoltman Wins, Canadas Maxime Boudreault Places 3rd
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By Roger Lockridge
For the second straight year, a Canadian reaches the podium.
Sacramento, California was the place to be for fans and athletes in the sport of strongman. The 2021 World’s Strongest Man competition was held June 14th through the 20th in order to determine which of the 25 athletes invited would get to hoist the Barry Frank trophy, representing the strongest man on the planet.
After the dust settled, smoke cleared, and thousands of pounds were lifted, Scotland’s Tom Stoltman would emerge victorious after a close battle with the USA’s Brian Shaw, a four-time past champion. The contest actually came down to the final event, the Atlas Stones. Stoltman was able to lift all five stones (ranging from 310 to 465 pounds in weight) in 20 seconds. Shaw was able to finish 11 seconds later to clinch the silver position. This was the 26 year old’s first World’s Strongest Man title.
Joining Stoltman and Shaw was an up and coming Canadian strongman, Maxime Boudreault. This made the second straight year that a man from Canada reached the podium of the biggest contest in the sport. J.F. Caron finished in the same position one year ago.
Boudreault’s Performance
In the qualifying rounds, Boudreault started off his week by winning the opening event, the Loading Medley. The task was to carry two wine barrels weighing 225 pounds each, a 275 pound anvil, and an 825 pound frame down a course in the fastest time possible. Boudreault was able to do so in one minute.
By the end of the qualifying rounds, Boudreault was sitting in third place in his group. He had to face Aivars Smaukstelis in the final qualifying event, the Atlas Stone off, to determine who would move on to the final. The last man standing would move on. Boudreault outlasted Smaukstelis to move on to the Finals.
In the Finals, Boudreault started with the Log Press for Max Weight. The victory in this event went to Luke Stoltman (older brother of Tom), but Boudreault was able to press 205 kilograms (452 pounds) to a full lockout. This mark actually set the Canadian record for the long standing strongman lift.
was able to take a tie for second place in the Keg Toss for Height. At one point, he had actually broken Brian Shaw’s world record by tossing the 33 pound keg 7.5 meters in the air, which took the record by .25 meters. In the end, Shaw reclaimed it thanks to a toss of 7.75 meters.
Boudreault was able to finish the contest on a high note. He actually scored the second fastest time (28.63 seconds) in the Atlas Stones to clinch his bronze spot on the podium.
As a bonus of his efforts in California, World’s Ultimate Strongman has formally invited Boudreault to compete on their international circuits of competitions for the 2022 season. So this will not be the last we see of him on international stages.
Caron’s Performance
Caron is a strongman legend that is admired throughout the world. He had hoped to improve on his third place finish last year, but unfortunately was dealing with a hamstring injury. Nonetheless, he was able to win the Squat for Reps event (700 pounds for 11 reps) and the Overhead Press Medley in the qualifying rounds to clinch his position in the Finals.
While he was able to take a first place tie in the Deadlift for Reps event in the Finals, the hamstring injury was too much for him to overcome in the end. Caron finished the competition in fifth place overall.
Historical Significance
Boudreault’s and Caron’s performances proved to be significant for the sport of strongman in Canada. They were the first two Canadians to finish in the Top 5 of the World’s Strongest Man in the same year since the contest started in 1977. Prior to Caron, the only Canadian to make the podium was Dominic Filiou in 2005. Clearly the sport is growing in Canada and it may only be a matter of time before the country sees a World’s Strongest Man champion crowned for the first time.
*© Images courtesy of Instagram