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Tom Stoltman Defends World’s Strongest Man Title: ‘Almost Unheard Of’
Scottish strongman Tom Stoltman won the World’s Strongest Man competition for the second consecutive year
WPG48D Blairgowrie,Scotland. 8,September,2019.Tom Stoltman lifts all the stones in record time of 21.80seconds, at Blairgowrie and Rattray Highland Games,The Ardblair Stones are nine reinforced concrete spheres ranging in weight from 18-152kg (40-335lbs). The Ardblair Stones Challenge involves lifting the stones sequentially from lightest to heaviest onto whisky butts (132cm or 52 inches in height). The event is judged on both time and the number of stones successfully completed. Credit Antonio Brecht Grist/ Alamy Live News
Tom Stoltman took home the gold on Sunday to defend his title as the “World’s Strongest Man” for the second consecutive year.
Stoltman, who turned 28 on Monday, represented Scotland in the Sacramento, California, competition. He was followed by runners-up from the United States, Martins Licis, and Ukraine, Oleksii Novikov.
“To do it once is unbelievable,” the Scottish athlete told USA Today after his win. “Back to back? Almost unheard of.”
Stoltman, who fans have nicknamed “The King of Stones” and “The Albatross,” secured the win during the final two events of the competition, which happened to include Stoltman’s strongest area: the Atlas Stones.
According to USA Today, Stoltman entered those final two events down by 3.5 points.
“You still have to keep your head in it,” Stoltman said. “You can’t overthink these things.” That mental toughness allowed Stoltman to defend his title, along with the support of his team, nutritionist, and wife, Sinead.
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In an interview with BBC Scotland, Stoltman said he took the pressure off of the competition by treating it “like a training session.” The strongman added, “I kept a cool head, was chilled out.”
After Sunday’s victory, Stoltman became the first strongman to claim consecutive titles since Brian Shaw in 2015 and 2016, according to USA Today.
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