Mitchell Hooper wins 2026 World's Strongest Man

Mitchell Hooper won the 2026 World’s Strongest Man on Sunday, April 26, in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, beating Rayno Nel by two points. (usatoday.com) (strongmanarchives.com) The Canadian finished with 54 points in the final to Nel’s 52, and Trey Mitchell of the United States took third with 36. (fitnessvolt.com) (strongmanarchives.com) Hooper did it without winning a single final event. Fitness Volt’s event table shows him going 10, 9, 9, 8.5 and 9 across the five final disciplines. (fitnessvolt.com) (usatoday.com) Nel won the deadlift and Titan’s Toss in the final, but Hooper stayed close enough on every event to erase the gap on the last day. (fitnessvolt.com) (generationiron.com) That scoring explains the result. World’s Strongest Man awards points by placing in each event, so steady second- and third-place finishes can beat a rival who mixes wins with weaker results. (fitnessvolt.com) The title changed hands after Nel won the 2025 final in Sacramento, where Tom Stoltman finished second and Hooper finished third. On Sunday, Hooper took the trophy back and became a two-time champion after first winning in 2023. (strongmanarchives.com) The 2026 contest ran from April 23 to April 26 in Myrtle Beach, with 25 athletes from 11 countries and a 10-man final. (fitnessvolt.com) Hooper’s win also extends his 2026 run. Strongman Archives lists him as the winner of the Arnold Strongman Classic in Columbus on March 7, 2026. (strongmanarchives.com) For Hooper, the closing image was simple: no event trophy on Sunday, but the biggest trophy of the weekend after four days of scoring. (usatoday.com)