The 2022 WSM contest ends after three more events in the second, and last, day of the Finals. Classic strongman events, raw strength, and deep willpower were the highlights of the exciting day.
Oleksii Novikov came into the day with a narrow two-point lead over last year’s champion Tom Stoltman, putting them in the most likely contention for the top spot. Licis, Mitchell, and Hooper were close behind in a tough battle to make the podium. Shaw, Luke Stoltman, Boudreault, Rheaume, and Melsted continued to battle for points despite not having any clear path to victory.
2022 WSM Finals Leaderboard
| Rank | Name | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tom Stoltman – United Kingdom | 53.5 |
| 2 | Martins Licis – USA | 43 |
| 3 | Oleksii Novikov – Ukraine | 43 |
| 4 | Brian Shaw – USA | 37.5 |
| 5 | Maxime Boudreault – Canada | 34.5 |
| 6 | Trey Mitchell – USA | 34 |
| 7 | Luke Stoltman – United Kingdom | 30.5 |
| 8 | Mitchell Hooper – Canada | 30 |
| 9 | Eythor Ingolfsson Melsted – Iceland | 13 |
| 10 | Gabriel Rheaume – Canada | 11 |
2022 WSM Day Five Results
The Bus Pull, Reign Total Body Fuel Power Stairs, and Atlas Stones were the contestants final chances to rise through the ranks and work towards victory. The results would shake up the finalists to determine the eventual winner.
Bus Pull Results
The bus pull is one of the more visually impressive events in any WSM contest. This year, competitors were harnessed to a Sacramento transit bus, weighing 40,000 pounds, and pulled the vehicle down the length of the 30-meter (98-foot) course as quickly as possible.
Mitchell Hooper put up a respectable time, considering it was his first-ever vehicle pulling event, but Novikov turned in yet another dominant performance to secure a win for the round. Four-time WSM champion Brian Shaw’s fourth place finish in this crucial event all-but-ensured he wouldn’t see his fifth title this year, as the overall points gap became too large.
- Oleksii Novikov – 0: 41.51s
- Martins Licis – 0: 42.18s
- Tom Stoltman – 0: 44.50s
- Brian Shaw – 0: 44.69s
- Trey Mitchell – 0: 45.72s
- Luke Stoltman – 0: 47.00s
- Maxime Boudreault – 0: 47.20s
- Mitchell Hooper – 0: 49.24s
- Eythor Ingolfsson Melsted – 0: 51.32s
- Gabriel Rheaume – 0: 53.22s
Reign Total Body Fuel Power Stairs
In this grip and lower-body intensive event, competitors needed to lift three 226-kilogram (500-pound) blocks up three large steps in the shortest time. One block on one step counted as a single rep, for a total of nine potential reps.
Maxime Boudreault won the event with maximum reps in the shortest time, but despite the strong effort remained in the lower half of the leaderboard. 2021 WSM champion Tom Stoltman came in second, tackling all nine steps just seconds shy of Boudreault, and topped the leaderboard.
Stoltman’s closest contender, Novikov, placed a surprising seventh in the stairs by only completing six reps, which put his ultimate victory in question.
- Maxime Boudreault – 9 reps in 0: 39.07s
- Tom Stoltman – 9 reps in 0: 41.04s
- Martins Licis – 9 reps in 0: 44.50s
- Brian Shaw – 8 reps in 1: 09.03s
- Mitchell Hooper – 7 reps in 0: 32.36s
- Luke Stoltman – 7 reps in 0: 59.47s
- Eythor Ingolfsson Melsted – 6 reps in 0: 35.78s
- Oleksii Novikov – 6 reps in 0: 34.20s
- Trey Mitchell – 6 reps in 1: 10.22s
- Gabriel Rheaume – 5 reps in 0: 35.78s
Atlas Stones
In one of the quintessential strongman events, contestants loaded increasingly heavier stones onto a platform. Defending champ Tom Stoltman must’ve felt the pressure to perform as he turned in a dominating performance, loading all five stones in just over 25 seconds.
With an apparent upset, Novikov came in last in this final event, surrendering precious points and deflating any chance at winning the competition.
- Tom Stoltman – 5 reps in 0: 25.76s
- Maxime Boudreault – 5 reps in 0: 28.04s
- Trey Mitchell – 5 reps in 0: 33.06s
- Brian Shaw – 5 reps in 0: 39.29s
- Martins Licis – 5 reps in 0: 45.74s
- Luke Stoltman – 4 reps in 0: 25.78s
- Eythor Ingolfsson Melsted – 4 reps in 0: 28.87s
- Gabriel Rheaume – 4 reps in 0: 33.55s
- Mitchell Hooper – 4 reps in 0: 33.78s
- Oleksii Novikov – 4 reps in 0: 36.70s
The 2022 World’s Strongest Man Is…
After the final three events, Tom Stoltman is the 2022 World’s Strongest Man winner, taking his second consecutive title. Oleksii Novikov began the strong day and seemed to have a victorious clinch by mid-day, but the defending champion Stoltman capitalized on his final effort to secure the title.
Featured image: Joe Martinez / World’s Strongest Man