Mitchell Hooper wins 2026 WSM

Mitchell Hooper won the 2026 World’s Strongest Man on Sunday, April 26, in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, reclaiming the title he last held in 2023. (fitnessvolt.com) (usatoday.com) The Canadian finished with 54 points, two ahead of South Africa’s Rayno Nel on 52, with Trey Mitchell third on 36. (fitnessvolt.com) (sports.yahoo.com) Hooper’s margin came from consistency more than event wins: he scored 10, 9, 9, 8.5 and 9 across the five finals events. Nel opened the finals with three event wins, then slipped to seven points on the max log press and six on Atlas Stones. (fitnessvolt.com) (generationiron.com) The 2026 contest ran April 23-26 and brought 25 athletes from 11 countries to Myrtle Beach for two days of qualifying and two days of finals. The finals field was cut to 10 men. (theworldsstrongestman.com) (fitnessvolt.com) This year’s result flipped last season’s order at the top. Nel arrived as the reigning 2025 champion, while Hooper left with his second World’s Strongest Man crown. (fitnessvolt.com) (theworldsstrongestman.com) The leaderboard also broke from some recent expectations before the final even started. Fitness Volt reported that four-time champion Tom Stoltman did not advance from the qualifying groups, and rookie Austin Andrade reached the final before withdrawing during Titan’s Toss. (fitnessvolt.com) Hooper’s path was built early. Fitness Volt’s event-by-event recap shows he won the truck pull and natural stone medley in qualifying, then never finished lower than tied for second in any finals event. (fitnessvolt.com) That left the title to be decided by the last day’s overhead log and Atlas Stones, where Hooper narrowed Nel’s lead and then closed the meet in front. USA Today reported he won the overall title despite not taking a single event across the weekend. (fitnessvolt.com) (usatoday.com) By Sunday afternoon in Myrtle Beach, the closest race in the field had ended with Hooper back on top and the trophy changing hands again. (fitnessvolt.com)