Mitchell Hooper wins second WSM

Mitchell Hooper won the 2026 World’s Strongest Man on Sunday in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, taking his second career title by two points. (usatoday.com) (fitnessvolt.com) The Canadian finished with 54 points across five finals events, ahead of defending champion Rayno Nel on 52. American Trey Mitchell took third with 36. (fitnessvolt.com) (sports.yahoo.com) The title turned on the last event, Atlas Stones, after Hooper and Nel started Sunday separated by one point. Nel slipped on the fourth stone, and neither man secured the fifth stone, listed at 210 kilograms. (sports.yahoo.com) Hooper’s win came without an event victory in the finals or qualifiers, according to USA Today’s recap of the weekend. The outlet said no previous World’s Strongest Man champion had won that way in the event’s prior 48 editions. (usatoday.com) That consistency mattered in a final built around five disciplines: Flip and Carry, Deadlift, Titan’s Toss, Max Log Press and Atlas Stones. Hooper scored 10, 9, 9, 8.5 and 9 points across those events. (fitnessvolt.com) The podium also shifted late. Trey Mitchell was one of only two men to score 10 points in Atlas Stones, and Yahoo’s recap said he was the only athlete in the field to settle all five stones. (sports.yahoo.com) (fitnessvolt.com) The Myrtle Beach final did not include several expected names. Fitness Volt reported that Tom Stoltman, the 2025 champion and four-time World’s Strongest Man winner, did not advance from his qualifying group. (fitnessvolt.com) Strongman Archives lists Hooper as the 2023 and 2026 champion, with Nel winning in 2025 and Tom Stoltman in 2024. Sunday’s result put Hooper back on top of the sport’s biggest title after a one-year interruption. (strongmanarchives.com) The final margin was two points, but the weekend was decided by Hooper doing almost everything well and nothing badly. In Myrtle Beach, that was enough to win the world title again. (usatoday.com) (fitnessvolt.com)