Mitchell Hooper tops Rayno Nel

The 2026 SBD World’s Strongest Man competition wrapped up Sunday, April 26 with the top-10 qualifiers competing against one another in the overhead log and Atlas Stones event.

Despite the myriad of competitors squaring off though, it was clear that this was a two-man race heading into Sunday, with 2025 champion Rayno Nel and 2023 champion Mitchell Hooper leading the charge.

Nel had dominated the finals events on Saturday, with Sunday’s max log being the first finals event he didn’t win. Nel and Hooper were only separated by a singular point heading into the last event, Atlas Stones. Hooper had a clear path to victory: defeat Nel in the Atlas Stones and win his second SBD World’s Strongest Man competition.

Hooper did just that.

The two squared off face-to-face for the event, and although Nel had the advantage through the first three stones, he slipped on the fourth, giving Hooper all the time he needed to get ahead. Neither competitor was able to get the fifth stone (210 kg) settled.

Third-place was also a very tight race, with 3.5 points separating third place from eighth place entering Atlas Stones, meaning there was plenty of reason for everyone involved to put their best foot forward. Only one competitor in the entire event managed to settle all five stones: American Trey Mitchell. His Herculean performance was enough to secure him a spot on the podium, his first top-three finish at World’s Strongest Man after two prior fourth-place performances.

Here are the full results from the final day of events at the 2026 World’s Strongest Man competition in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina:

Final SBD World’s Strongest Man results

Mitchell Hooper — 54 points
Rayno Nel — 52 points
Trey Mitchell — 36 points
Pavlo Kordiyaka — 31.5 points
Ondrej Fojtu — 31.5 points
Martins Licis — 30.5 points
Mathew Ragg — 29 points
Eddie Williams — 26 points
Nick Guardione — 21 points
Austin Andrade (withdrew) — 12.5 points

Nel’s 52 points mark the most ever for a second-place finisher in a Final where the maximum points attainable was 60. 2026 was the 15th such World’s Strongest Man Final since 2010.

Mitchell Hooper’s victory

Hooper entered Sunday’s events a few points back of the top spot but took advantage of Nel’s weaker events in order to secure the come-from-behind victory.

“Last year, [Nel] came 9th out of 10 in natural overhead press. I expected to outperform him even more this year, but he clearly improved,” Hooper told USA TODAY Sports.

Nel finished fourth in the overhead log press. Hooper finished tied for second.

Hooper actually didn’t earn the top spot in any event the entire weekend, yet he still managed to win the competition. That’s a feat that has never happened in the 48 previous editions of World’s Strongest Man. It’s a testament to Hooper’s consistency and his ability to succeed in every aspect of competition.

“Consistency is everything,” Hooper said. “I’ve been lucky enough to be on the podium the past two years, and part of that is that I have no weaknesses.”

When it came to the final event, Atlas Stones, Hooper actually trailed through the first three stones, but after Nel dropped the fourth, Hooper had time to settle his own and put himself in front. When asked whether or not Nel’s drop helped motivate Hooper to finish his own stone, Hooper said he tried to tune it out. “You gotta do your best to ignore what’s happening on the other side. You do your best time and hope that’s enough.”

Hooper also noted that perhaps being face-to-face with Nel in the final event helped him in an unexpected way.

“Nel is pretty inexperienced, and I say that as a compliment in the highest regard,” Hooper said. “When you’re face-to-face, as the event organizers intend to do, it can be hard to shut out outside noise and just focus on yourself, and that’s where I think my experience came into play.”

Although Hooper has enjoyed incredible success in strongman events outside of WSM, having won each of the last four Arnold Strongman Classics and each of the last three Rogue Invitationals, his victory this weekend in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina meant more than he could’ve imagined. Not only is the World’s Strongest Man title the most recognizable in the sport, but since his win in 2023 came before the birth of his first child, this championship gave him the opportunity to do so in front of his kids.

“Just a month after my first World’s Strongest Man win, my wife was pregnant.” Hooper continued, “To win now in front of my children, it means the world.”