World’s Strongest Man 2025 LIVE RESULTS: Debutant Rayno Nel pips Tom Stoltman to title by HALF a point

• Nel maintained his supremacy in the final after winning his group in the Qualifying Stage.

  He got it this hand on the trophy they all want:

  • Knaack Carry & Hoist - first place
  • 18th Max Deadlift - second place
  • Hercules Hold - second place
  • Flintstone Press Max - fifth place
  • Atlas Stone - third place

• Earlier, Lucas Hatton set a new world record in the Flintstone Barbell (Max) event with his guest lift peaking at 277 kilograms weight on the barbell and sustained it to make the history books.

• Donning the Unity Flag of South Africa, Rayon Nel maintains his roots of success.

  The first of what looks like many.

  

• The exact prize fund for this year's competition is yet to be revealed, but reports suggest that it could be higher than the 2024 winnings.

  Tom Stoltman pocketed $100,016 for lifting last year's crown, according to reports.

  But the total prize pot was reportedly a record-breaking sum of $263,200.

• Nel finds himself at the top of the Strongman game, with fellow champions to his side.

  • Rayno Nel — 47 points
  • Tom Stoltman — 46.5 points
  • Mitchell Hooper — 43.5 points

  

  

• Knaack Carry & Hoist

  1. Rayno Nel - 2 in 30.58 seconds
  2. Tom Stoltman - 2 in 34.49 seconds
  3. Mitchell Hooper - 2 in 35.47

  18th Max Deadlift

  1. Trey Mitchell - 5 Reps
  2. Rayno Nel - 3 Reps
  3. Tom Stoltman - 3 Reps

  Hercules Hold

  1. Eddie Williams - 1.22.14
  2. Rayno Nel - 1.15.63
  3. Paddy Haynes - 0.59.64

  Flintstone Press Max

  1. Tom Stoltman - 6 reps, Trey Mitchell - 6 reps
  2. Mitchell Hooper - 5 reps, Pavlo Kordiyaka - 5 reps
  3. Ondrej Fojtu - 4 reps

  Atlas Stone

  1. Tom Stoltman - 5 in 31.76 seconds
  2. Trey Mitchell - 5 in 41.08
  3. Rayno Nel - 4 in 30.17

• Nel is the first South African champion in WSM history.

  Nel's trip to the history books isn't shocking in retrospect. In his brief strongman career, he has dominated.

  He participated in six international competitions prior to his 2025 WSM participation, winning five of them.

  Now, he's one for one on the global stage.

  

• Scot Tom Stoltman was so close to securing back-to-back world titles.

  0.5 points off the eventual winner and will look at the Hercules Hold as the the event where his title tilt feel short.

  Stoltman, 30, has finished in the top-two for the last six editions and remains one of the most consistent in the business.

• • Rayno Nel, South Africa — 47pts
  • Tom Stoltman, United Kingdom — 46.5pts
  • Mitchell Hooper, Canada — 43.5pts
  • Trey Mitchell, United States — 38.5pts
  • Paddy Haynes, United Kingdom — 32pts
  • Ondrej Fojtů, Czech Republic — 27pts
  • Shane Flowers, United Kingdom — 25.5pts
  • Pavlo Kordiyaka, Ukraine — 25pts
  • Luke Stoltman, United Kingdom — 21.5pts
  • Eddie Williams, Australia — 20.5pts

• Rayno Nel has done it!

  The South African has ousted Mitchell Hooper and Tom Stoltman from their title perch and joins the pair and the sport’s other greats in the history book.

  Back-to-back continental titles in Africa have now seen the 30-year-old’s talent go global.

  

• • Rayno Nel - 4 in 30.17 seconds
  • Tom Stoltman - 5 in 31.76 seconds
  • Mitchell Hooper - 4 in 31.02 seconds
  • Trey Mitchell - 5 in 41.08 seconds
  • Paddy Haynes - 4 in 34.07 seconds
  • Ondrej Fojtů - 3 in 31.38 seconds
  • Shane Flowers - 4 in 54.09 seconds
  • Pavlo Kordiyaka - 4 in 38.39 seconds
  • Shane Flowers - 4 in 54.09 seconds
  • Pavlo Kordiyaka - 4 in 38.39 seconds
  • Luke Stoltman - 3 in 23.05 seconds
  • Eddei Williams - 3 in 25.88 seconds

• For those wondering, yes, they are everything you would imagine. Difficulty personified.

  

• The WSM contest's hallmark event is the Atlas Stones event.

  It typically decides who comes out on top.

  The Atlas Stones are five large, rounded stones that weigh between 100 and 160 kg. They were first introduced in 1986. They must be positioned atop five elevated platforms that are 16–33 feet long.

  This event has been mastered by some of the greats.

• Rayno Nel was ahead of defending WSM champion Tom Stoltman by nine points and Mitchell Hooper by seven points on the overall rankings.

  To overcome that point disadvantage, Nel would have to perform a miracle or a catastrophe for the latter two.

  After Nel lost in the second round, Hooper and Stoltman were able to cut Nel's advantage to 2.5 points overall by earning third and first place points, respectively.

  Our final event, the Atlas Stones is coming up.

• For those who missed it, The Flintstone Press Max, which hasn't been held since the 2022 WSM competition kicks off the last day of the Finals.

  Tom Stoltman, United Kingdom — Six reps (T-first)Trey Mitchell, United States — Six reps (T-first)Mitchell Hooper, Canada — Five reps (T-third)Pavlo Kordiyaka, Ukraine — Five reps (T-third)Ondrej Fojtů, Czech Republic — Four reps

  Shane Flowers, United Kingdom — Two reps (T-sixth)

  Luke Stoltman, United Kingdom — Two reps (T-sixth)Rayno Nel, South Africa — One repEddie Williams, Australia — no lift

  Paddy Haynes (UK) — no lift

To set a new WSM record, Lucas Hatton was handed a guest lift at the 277 kilograms weight on the barbell and sustained it to make the history books.

• Rayno Nel leads the hopeful pack with his closet competitor and 2023 champion Mitchell Hooper just behind.

  Here's how the two looked in the Flintstone Barbell (Max) event.

  

  

• • Rayno Nel - 39pts
  • Mitchell Hooper - 36.5pts
  • Tom Stoltman - 36.5pts
  • Trey Mitchell - 29.5pts
  • Paddy Haynes - 26pts
  • Ondrej Fojtů – 26pts
  • Shane Flowers – 21.5pts
  • Pavlo Kordiyaka – 20pts
  • Luke Stoltman - 18.5pts
  • Eddie Williams - 18.5pts

• One of the withdrawals that has happened in the competition yesterday is to the Polish competitor.

  Due to a right biceps injury, Luke Richardson, a competitor in Group Four, pulled out of the Loading Medley event.

  Also Group Five member Evan Singleton abandoned the competition due to a left biceps injury.

• And we have our first results set in the first of two crucial events:

  • Rayno Nel - 188kg - 1 rep
  • Mitchell Hooper - 211kg - 5 reps
  • Tom Stoltman - 211kg - 6 reps
  • Paddy Haynes - No lift
  • Trey Mitchell - 211kg - 6 reps
  • Ondrej Fojtů - 211kg - 4 reps
  • Eddie Williams - No lift
  • Shane Flowers - 200kg - 2 reps
  • Luke Stoltman - 200kg - 2 reps
  • Pavlo Kordiyaka - 211kg - 5 reps

• According to 29-year-old former champion Mitchell Hooper, who holds a master's degree in clinical exercise physiology, people's perceptions of competitive weightlifters are inaccurate.

  People think "that we're uneducated meatheads," said the 320-pound Canadian, whose nickname is "Moose."

  But, he added, "a lot of guys have higher education, and we train to compete strongly, because we just like to challenge ourselves."

  "You wake up in pain every day. You're constantly sore. You don't fit in normal spots. You have to wear a sleep apnea machine. You're always hot. You're always sweating."

  But, he added, "the upsides are pretty cool."

• Eddie Williams works as a wedding vocalist on the weekends and teaches school Monday through Friday. He competes to be the strongest man in the world by lifting incredibly big weights in his free time, which he is here to do.

  Some people think weightlifters are "a lot of angry people who just like to throw weight around," the 420-pound (190-kilogram) Australian told AFP, but "I can be, you know, a happy person, and still be able to lift heavy weights."

  "They're these gentle giants that are just so lovely, such beautiful human beings that are caring, and they're all cheering for each other," his wife Hannah added.

• The Flintstone Max Press event will feature a guest lift by Lucas Hatton. Hatton wants to lift 276 kilogrammes, the biggest weight ever, according to the reputable BarBend.

  In the penultimate event of the competition, WSM promoter Colin Bryce asked each of the ten WSM Finalists if they objected to Hatton's guest lifting. The roster unanimously approved of him, enabling the American powerhouse to go after the record books.

  The Qualifying Stage saw the elimination of Hatton, a rookie in WSM. In group three, he finished third, behind Shane Flowers, the runner-up, and Nel, the group winner. The leaderboard won't be impacted by Hatton's performance in the Flintstone Max Press.

  The event is scheduled to get underway soon.

• Here’s how the standings shape up going into our main events:

  • Rayno Nel - 36pts
  • Mitchell Hooper - 29pts
  • Tom Stoltman - 27pts
  • Paddy Haynes - 26pts
  • Trey Mitchell - 20pts
  • Ondrej Fojtů - 20pts
  • Eddie Williams - 18.5pts
  • Shane Flowers - 17pts
  • Luke Stoltman - 14pts
  • Pavlo Kordiyaka - 12.5pts

  

• This year's contest may be decided by the Leader's Advantage, which is legitimate. An athlete competes later in each event the higher their ranking. This indicates that they are fully aware of the statistics they must surpass.

  For instance, Hooper only needed to pull 975 pounds to win the 18" Max Deadlift since the highest lift before he took the stage was 970 pounds. No speculating. No energy was squandered.

  Following his victory at the 2023 WSM, Mitchell Hooper told Colosseum Strength that Leader's Advantage was worth six points. That year, he prevailed by 4.5 points. Do the maths: a title run can be made or broken by your position as the top seed.

• Includes the ‘mad diet’ of one of our finalist and the defending champion Tom Stoltman