Now 6 men have qualified and only 4 spots remain!
Maxime Boudreault – Canada – 3rd at World’s Strongest Man 2021
Ondrej Fojtu – Czech Republic – 4th at Europe’s Strongest Man 2025
Tristain Hoath – Canada – 5th at World’s Strongest Man 2024
Trey Mitchell – USA – 2x Shaw Classic winner
Luke Richardson – Europe’s Strongest Man 2020 & 2025
This on paper looks to perhaps be the toughest group as not one of them can be considered a dark horse, but rather all 5 can be called favourites to make the final. If I had to pick 1 man to take the overall win though I think it would have to be Luke Richardson who has been fantastic since his return!
Event 1 – Loading Medley
4 130kg sandbags are placed along a 20m course, with each needing to be carried and loaded into the back of a truck in the quickest time possible! A good every for everyone, with Trey Mitchell potentially being last just due to his sheer size slowing him down more than the others. First up to load, we have Richardson going head to head with Mitchell! Things are going well and on the 3rd bag… Luke holds out his arm, and he seems to think he has gotten injured yet again. Absolutely heartbreaking. Trey with all 4 bags in just under 50 seconds. Fojtu against Hoath next. Fojtu is looking very good, and is doing it all much faster than Hoath. Hoath really slowed down on the 3rd bag, while Fojtu finishes in about 42 seconds. Hoath is behind even Trey, which is good news for the big American in an event I figured he’d finish last in. Bourdreault is last out and he has to go it alone. He A fumble in the first bag costs him a second or two, and despite being really quick the rest of the event heis less than a second slower than Fojtu. Update on Luke, back in 2021 in this exact same location, in the first event which was also a loading event, he tore his left biceps. Back in 2025 and he does the same thing on the other arm, but at least it seems to only be a partial tear, AND we know he would come back later in the year and win a major Giants Live show so hopefully he can make things up in 2026!
Event 2 – Deadlift for Reps
350kg deadlift for reps! Trey might be the best deadlifter in this group, so he should pull out a good number. He goes head to head first with Hoath. Can either of them match 8 reps, the best number we’ve seen across all heats so far? Trey gets 9 with plenty of time to spare, but instead of resting he goes to TEN, which is incredible. Meanwhile Hoath gets 8, which had been the best number until Trey came along! Excellent result for the Texan, and excellent from the Canadian as well. Now then, can Boudreault or Fojtu do just as well? Boudreault is not a good deadlifter sadly, and manages just 1 so he gets at least a point in the event. Fojtu isn’t as good as others either, but does get to 5.
Event 3 – Overhead Medley
Time to lift heavy things overhead! Start with a 90kg dumbbell that has to be lifted with one arm over your head TWICE, then onto a 145kg log for 2 reps, and then a 154kg circus barbell for 2 reps, and lastly a 168kg axle! This should be another good event for Trey, with Fojtu also being a great presser. Boudreault was a very good presser before his injuries so has he recovered enough to do well? Hoath I don’t believe is very good at pressing though. Boudreault is up first against Fojtu, and while the Canadian is going well, its Fojtu who looks the stronger of the two. Fojtu manages all 7 reps in a pretty quick time too, I think he might be third fastest across all heats so far! 6 reps for Boudreault in around 58 seconds. Trey and Hoath out last, and the question is pretty much how quickly can Trey go? Trey doesn’t look to be going that fast, but he is looking very strong, and I think in the end he does go ahead of Fojtu! Hoath does way better than I expected from him given his results in some recent shows, with 6 reps, but sadly its the slowest time. We get the official time for Trey and he is just slightly slower than Fojtu, by less than a second!
3 events down and 2 more to go, so lets check on the overall scores!
Its looking very good for Fojtu and Mitchell so far, but both Canadians are still very much capable of making the final if things go well for them.
Event 4 – Titan’s Toss
A whole new event for WSM, and one that looks to be extremely difficult. 10 14kg sacks to be thrown over a 12f bar in the quickest time… only the sacks are all at different distances away from the bar! The first one will be 7m away, and the last will be 12m away. So they will have to figure out how to get both the distance and the height when throwing, and it’ll change with every sack! The favourite for this event on paper is probably Boudreault as he is an incredible thrower, especially for height. Trey certainly has the POWER for it but will he have the technique down? Boudreault is out first with Hoath. Both are going very well, and in the end Hoath only manages 7, while Boudreault gets all 10, the only man to do so since Heat 1 with Tom Stoltman! His time is just under 47 seconds, so he doesn’t come close to the time of Tom, but he has been the 2nd best at this event across every heat! Time for Mitchell and Fojtu, and honestly I don’t see either getting 10, but maybe they can go for 8. Both are not doing that well, with Fojtu only getting 3, and Mitchell only getting 6. The Canadians are trying to make their comeback for the final!
One event left, so lets see the scores!!!
Fojtu and Mitchell are neck and neck going into the final event, but its still all to play for with both Canadians as well. We’ve seen it numerous times now, but the final event just can’t seem to be predicted as athletes who should be good just can’t seem to wrap their head around the stones, and athletes who are considered out of it can make their final comeback right here!!!
Event 5 – Natural Stone Medley
No perfectly shaped stones here! Firstly they’ll have to press a 123kg stone overhead, then lift a stone to their shoulder weighing 158kg. A 176kg stone needs to be carried, and lastly they need to load a 181.5kg stone. No predictions, lets just get into it! Hoath is out first, and manages what so many have not; lifting the first stone! Up goes the second one to his shoulder, and his performance here is really going to make Fojtu and Mitchell nervous! The third stone is carried and completed, with just 1 stone left to be loaded into a platform, but its just too much. 3 stones for Hoath which is very impressive! Not many athletes have done that. Boudreault goes next, and he knows what he has to try and match if he wants to get to another final. An easy first stone for him, but he seems to have put so much effort into it he is almost passing out. Not good when trying to lift the massive stone to his shoulder, and with a minute gone, it seems like it might be too much for him. I think his potential place in the final is over. Fojtu looking to ensure his place in the final, and just doing the stone faster than Boudreault will be enough to stay ahead of 1 Canadian at least. He gets the second stone to his shoulder easily enough, and then finishes up the third stone too, and I think that means he WILL make the final no matter what now. He’s exhausted and doesn’t attempt the final stone. All that is left is for Trey Mitchell to have his turn, and as long as he can do 2 stones he will guarantee his spot in the final. He takes his time on the stone and presses it, albeit a little slow. Second stone to his shoulder looks good too and that should be his place in the final confirmed. He keeps going though, completing stone 3, and even makes an attempt at the final stone! Not the fastest time for all 4, but he does it!
Trey making the final makes him the first American do qualify this year, while Fojtu going to the final makes him the first man EVER from the Czech Republic to get to the WSM final!!!
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