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Late last year in Botswana, Eddie Hall (aka The Beast) became the first British athlete to win the World’s Strongest Man title since 1993, when Gary Taylor claimed the top spot on the podium.

EDDIE HALL’S WAY TO THE TOP

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“Set goals and smash them, if your will power and drive is strong enough then you can do, be and succeed at anything you want.”

— Eddie Hall, 2017 World's Strongest Man

To win the WSM title, Hall had to outlast Icelandic giant Hafthor Bjornsson, and the United States’ Brian Shaw — who had won the competition both of the previous two years and four times overall. Rounding out the field of ten were another four-time champion in Lithuania’s Zydrunas Savickas, Hall’s countryman Laurence Shahlaei, JF Caron (Canada), Mateusz Kieliszkowski (Poland), Martins Licis (USA), Konstantine Janashia (Georgia), and Nick Best (USA).

TYRE FLIP

🇺🇸 Brian Shaw, 6 in 27.28s — 45.5%
🇮🇸 H. Bjornsson, 6 in 28.83s — 47.6%
🇨🇦 JF Caron, 6 in 31.56s — 52.6%
🇵🇱 M. Kieliszkowski, 6 in 34.52s — 57.5%
🇬🇧 Eddie Hall, 6 in 35.12s — 58.5%
🇬🇧 L. Shahlaei, 6 in 39.87s — 66.4%
🇺🇸 Martin Licis, 6 in 39.93s — 66.6%
🇬🇪 K. Janashia, 5 in 60.00s — 100%
🇺🇸 Nick Best, 3 in 60.00s — 100%
🇱🇹 Z. Savickas, 3 in 60.00s — 100%

In the first event, contestants had one minute to flip a 500kg tire six times, with the fastest time winning. Shaw and Bjornsson led the way, as the only two men to complete the task in less than half the allotted time. Hall finished in the middle of the pack with a time of 35.12.

SQUAT LIFT

🇬🇧 Eddie Hall, 15 reps — 100%
🇨🇦 JF Caron, 13 reps — 86.7%
🇺🇸 Martin Licis, 13 reps — 86.7%
🇱🇹 Z. Savickas, 13 reps — 86.7%
🇺🇸 Brian Shaw, 13 reps — 86.7%
🇮🇸 H. Bjornsson, 12 reps — 80.0%
🇬🇧 L. Shahlaei, 12 reps — 80.0%
🇺🇸 Nick Best, 6 reps — 40.0%
🇵🇱 M. Kieliszkowski, 3 reps — 20.0%
🇬🇪 K. Janashia, 2 reps — 13.3%

In the Squat Lift event, contestants had one minute to perform as many squat lift repetitions as possible with a 320kg (700 lb) bar. Hall claimed the round, by using his cartoon physique to crank out 15 reps with the equally cartoonish barbell.

VIKING PRESS

🇬🇧 Eddie Hall, 15 reps — 100%
🇮🇸 H. Bjornsson, 14 reps — 93.3%
🇺🇸 Brian Shaw, 12 reps — 80.0%
🇨🇦 JF Caron, 8 reps — 53.3%
🇬🇪 K. Janashia, 8 reps — 53.3%
🇺🇸 Martin Licis, 8 reps — 53.3%
🇵🇱 M. Kieliszkowski, 7 reps — 46.7%
🇬🇧 L. Shahlaei, 7 reps — 46.7%
🇺🇸 Nick Best, 3 reps — 20.0%
🇱🇹 Z. Savickas, 2 reps — 13.3%

In the Viking Press, competitors went head to head in attempting as many reps as possible in one minute with 160kg of weight piled high in a mining carriage. Hall’s second win in a row propelled the Englishman atop the leaderboard, and he never relinquished the position.

PLANE PULL

🇵🇱 M. Kieliszkowski, 40.07s — 66.8%
🇮🇸 H. Bjornsson, 41.10s — 68.5%
🇬🇧 Eddie Hall, 42.92s — 71.5%
🇬🇧 L. Shahlaei, 44.14s — 73.6%
🇺🇸 Brian Shaw, 47.60s — 79.3%
🇱🇹 Z. Savickas, 47.73s — 79.6%
🇺🇸 Martin Licis, 49.30s — 82.2%
🇬🇪 K. Janashia, 50.25s — 83.8%
🇨🇦 JF Caron, 60.00s — 100%
🇺🇸 Nick Best, 60.00s — 100%

If you’ve ever been stuck in an airplane waiting for it to make its way to the terminal, you may want to call Kieliszkowski. The muscle-bound Pollack won the Plane Pull by towing a 26-ton plane 30 meters in just over 40 seconds.

DEADLIFT (FOR MAX)

🇬🇧 Eddie Hall, 472.5kg — 100%
🇮🇸 H. Bjornsson, 460kg — 97.4%
🇺🇸 Brian Shaw, 460kg — 97.4%
🇨🇦 JF Caron, 440kg — 93.1%
🇬🇪 K. Janashia, 440kg — 93.1%
🇺🇸 Martin Licis, 440kg — 93.1%
🇱🇹 Z. Savickas, 400kg — 84.7%
🇬🇧 L. Shahlaei, 400kg — 84.7%
🇵🇱 M. Kieliszkowski, 380kg — 80.4%
🇺🇸 Nick Best, 380kg — 80.4%

That Hall claimed the Dead Lift with a barbell loaded up with 472.5kg of plates, came as a surprise to no one as he is the reigning world record holder in the event.

FINAL STANDINGS

🇬🇧 Eddie Hall, 51 points — 100%
🇮🇸 H. Bjornsson, 50 points — 98.0%
🇺🇸 Brian Shaw, 48 points — 94.1%
🇺🇸 Martin Licis, 36.5 points — 71.6%
🇨🇦 JF Caron, 35.5 points — 69.6%
🇵🇱 M. Kieliszkowski, 30.5 points — 30.5%
🇬🇧 L. Shahlaei, 25 points — 49.0%
🇬🇪 K. Janashia, 23 points — 45.1%
🇱🇹 Z. Savickas, 21 points — 41.1%
🇺🇸 Nick Best, 9.5 points — 18.6%

In the last event, the Atlas Stones, Hall managed to get all five round stones — ranging in weight from 150-210kg — atop their stands, to narrowly defeat Bjornsson for the overall title. Shaw finished in third place for the third time in his storied appearances in the WSM finals.

EDDIE HALL’S DEADLIFT RECORD

In July of 2016, foreshadowing the WSM title to come, Hall set a deadlift world record of 500 kg (1102lbs), at Europe’s Strongest Man / World Deadlift Championship, in front of an electrified crowd of 10,000 at First Direct Arena in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England.