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Giants Live was created in 2009 as the official Tour that qualifies strongmen to compete in the annual World's Strongest Man contest. At each Grand Prix, up to twelve international strongmen come together and compete over six events. The top three at each contest will receive an invitation to compete at the World's Strongest Man contest for that same year.
The official logo of Giants Live | |
| Tournament information | |
|---|---|
| Location | Various |
| Established | 2009 |
| Format | Multi-event competition |
| Purse | varies |
With 9 wins Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson is the greatest Giants Live champion of all-time.[1] Žydrūnas Savickas holds 6 wins while Mitchell Hooper, Eddie Hall and Evan Singleton share 5 each.[2]
On 27 April 2009, Giants Live was named the Official World's Strongest Man Qualifying Tour for 2009–2011, thus taking over from the Strongman Super Series in this regard. The first 2009 qualifying event took place on 17 May at the Mohegan Sun Casino Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut, and with the second event being the Viking Power competition.[3]
Giants Live was licensed the exclusive rights by IMG Sports Media, the creator and owner of the World's Strongest Man competition. Previously, the qualifying tournament was known as the IFSA Strongman Super Series from 2001–2004, and the World's Strongest Man Super Series from 2005–2008. Strongman Super Series continued to operate under the title of "Strongman Super Series" in 2009 and 2010, but did not have WSM qualifying status. The qualifying status went with Giants Live and Colin Bryce, the Tour's producer.
At each Grand Prix event, in common with previous such series, each competitor competes in six different tests of strength with the winner crowned Grand Prix Champion. The top three athletes at each tournament will win a qualifying slot at the World's Strongest Man competition.
Along with the Strongman Champions League, this event made important progress in acting as a fundamental part of a unifying movement for world strength athletics by making plans to help SCL get its athletes to the 2009 World's Strongest Man contest. SCL chief, Mostert, stated that "The top 5 SCL athletes will have places in the Giants Live tour for qualifying at World's Strongest Man (WSM) 2009". In addition, he also stated that wild cards for the WSM will include SCL athletes. He went on to say that "Finally we made it all possible again that all the athletes have chances to qualify for the WSM, which means in my opinion the WSM will have the strongest field ever in her history!" He went on to thank TWI/IMG and Giants Live for their part in making these possibilities.[4] This was groundbreaking because for a number of years prior to this, the athletes under the IFSA had been banned by the federation from entering WSM (since the IFSA fell out of favour with TWI). Likewise, the athletes invited to participate in WSM were not invited to participate in IFSA events. Some competitions bridged the divide, such as the Arnold Strongman Classic and the Fortissimus, but neither had the history, gravitas, or popular appeal of the World's Strongest Man. Most of the IFSA athletes, with the demise of the IFSA finances, competed in SCL from 2008. This deal, along with the Fortissimus deal before it, united strongman in a way it had not been since 2004.
Giants Live is a collaboration between IMG Media and Power Productions UK - owned by Colin Bryce:
Colin Bryce – an ex-Strongman competitor and Olympic bobsleigher, Bryce is currently a long-term producer of World Strongest Man through his company Power Productions and formerly the head referee and commentator on strongman events such as World's Strongest Man, Britain's Strongest Man, Strongman Super Series and World Strongman Cup.
Darren Sadler – an ex-Strongman competitor and former world champion in the U105 category, Sadler is currently a co-producer of World Strongest Man alongside Colin Bryce and formerly the head referee on for Giants Live competitions.
Magnús Ver Magnússon – an ex-Strongman competitor and four-time holder of World's Strongest Man, Magnússon is currently the head referee for Giants Live and World's Strongest Man competitions.
Bill Kazmaier – an ex-Strongman competitor and three-time holder of World's Strongest Man, Kazmaier is currently one of three main commentators for Giants Live competitions, alongside Neil Pickup and Radzi Chinyanganya. Neil Pickup – formerly a professional arm wrestler, Pickup is currently one of three main commentators for Giants Live competitions, alongside Bill Kazmaier and Radzi Chinyanganya. Pickup is also the MC for these events. Radzi Chinyanganya – Radzi is currently one of three main commentators for Giants Live competitions, alongside Neil Pickup and Bill Kazmaier. Nev & Neo – The duo dream team behind the live feed Dave Warner – Ex strongman competitor and multiple time UK strongest man competitor. One of the head judges. Judged Eddie's 500kg deadlift| Year | Event | Type | Date | Champion | Runner-Up | 3rd Place |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Mohegan Sun Grand Prix[5] Mohegan Sun Casino Arena, Uncasville |
Indoor | Sunday, 17 May 2009 | Derek Poundstone |
Travis Ortmayer |
Brian Shaw |
 Viking Power Challenge[6] Kongeparken, Stavanger |
Indoor | Saturday, 6 June 2009 | Travis Ortmayer |
Richard Skog |
 Mikhail Koklyaev | |
 Giants Live Poland[7]Castle of the Teutonic Order in Malbork, Malbork |
Outdoor | Saturday, 1 August 2009 | Jarek Dymek |
Mark Felix |
Stefán Sölvi Pétursson | |
| 2010 |  Giants Live South Africa[8] Expo Centre Johannesburg, Johannesburg |
Indoor | Sunday, 10 April 2010 | Brian Shaw |
Mikhail Koklyaev |
Terry Hollands |
 Giants Live Kyiv[9] People's Friendship Arch, Kyiv |
Outdoor | Sunday, 30 May 2010 | Derek Poundstone (2) |
Laurence Shahlaei |
 Johannes Årsjö | |
| Europe's Strongest Man Wembley Arena, London |
Indoor | Saturday, 19 June 2010 |  Žydrūnas Savickas |
Terry Hollands |
Mark Felix | |
| Giants Live Poland[10] MotoArena Toruń, Toruń |
Indoor | Sunday, 8 August 2010 | Vytautas Lalas |
Robert Szczepański |
Janusz Kułaga | |
 Giants Live Istanbul[11] KüçükÇiftlik Park, Istanbul |
Outdoor | Sunday, 24 October 2010 | Žydrūnas Savickas (2) |
Brian Shaw |
Stefán Sölvi Pétursson | |
| 2011 | Giants Live London[12] ExCeL London, London |
Indoor | Saturday, 19 March 2011 | Brian Shaw (2) |
Laurence Shahlaei |
Vytautas Lalas |
 Giants Live Finland Qualifier[13] Pori |
Outdoor | Friday, 13 May 2011 | Juha-Matti Järvi |
Antti Mourujärvi |
Pedro Karlsen | |
| Giants Live Finland Qualifier[14] Masku |
Outdoor | Saturday, 21 May 2011 | Juha-Matti Järvi (2) |
Kai Pasanen |
Jarno Kirselä | |
| Giants Live Finland Qualifier[15] Jyväskylä |
Outdoor | Saturday, 28 May 2011 | Juha-Matti Järvi (3) |
Jarno Kirselä |
Kai Pasanen | |
| Giants Live Finland Qualifier[16] Oulu |
Outdoor | Saturday, 28 May 2011 | Juha-Matti Järvi (4) |
Jarno Kirselä |
Janne Illikainen | |
| Giants Live Poland[17] Plac, Stróże |
Outdoor | Saturday, 6 August 2011 | Krzysztof Radzikowski |
Mike Jenkins |
Mateusz Baron | |
| Giants Live Finland[18] Power Park, Vaasa |
Outdoor | Saturday, 13 August 2011 |  Martin Wildauer |
Vidas Blekaitis |
 Rauno Heinla | |
| Giants Live Ukraine[19] Poltava |
Outdoor | Wednesday, 24 August 2011 | Serhiy Romanchuk |
Mark Felix |
Josh Thigpen | |
| 2012 |  Giants Live FitX Melbourne[20] Melbourne Centre, Melbourne |
Indoor | Sunday, 18 March 2012 | Mike Jenkins |
Nick Best |
Mike Burke |
| Giants Live Finland[21] Ideapark, Lempäälä |
Indoor | Sunday, 10 June 2012 | Laurence Shahlaei |
Johannes Årsjö |
Lauri Nämi | |
 Giants Live Hungary[22] Aquaworld Resort Budapest, Budapest |
Outdoor | Sunday, 17 June 2012 | Ákos Nagy |
Jack McIntosh |
Josh Thigpen | |
| Europe's Strongest Man[23] Elland Road, Leeds |
Outdoor | Saturday, 23 June 2012 | Žydrūnas Savickas (3) |
Vytautas Lalas |
Laurence Shahlaei | |
| Giants Live Poland[24] Kartuzy |
Outdoor | Saturday, 21 July 2012 | Krzysztof Radzikowski (2) |
Mateusz Baron |
Sebastian Kurek | |
| 2013 | Giants Live FitX Melbourne[25] Melbourne Centre, Melbourne |
Indoor | Sunday, 10 March 2013 | Derek Poundstone (3) |
Nick Best |
Frankie Scheun |
| Giants Live Hungary[26] Aquaworld Resort Budapest, Budapest |
Outdoor | Saturday, 22 June 2013 | Mike Burke |
Eddie Hall |
Bjørn André Solvang | |
| Europe's Strongest Man[27] Elland Road, Leeds |
Outdoor | Saturday, 29 June 2013 | Žydrūnas Savickas (4) |
Vytautas Lalas |
Krzysztof Radzikowski | |
| Nordic Championships Gol |
Indoor | Saturday, 6 July 2013 | Johannes Årsjö |
Ole Martin Hansen |
Juha-Matti Järvi | |
| Giants Live Poland[28] Pol'and'Rock Festival Grounds, Kostrzyn nad Odrą |
Outdoor | Saturday, 3 August 2013 | Vytautas Lalas (2) |
Krzysztof Radzikowski |
Lauri Nämi | |
| Britain's Strongest Man[29] Gateshead International Stadium, Gateshead |
Outdoor | Sunday, 4 August 2013 | Laurence Shahlaei (2) |
Terry Hollands |
Mark Felix | |
| 2014 | Giants Live FitX Melbourne[30] Melbourne Centre, Melbourne |
Indoor | Saturday, 8 March 2014 | Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson |
Warrick Brant |
Frankie Scheun |
| Britain's Strongest Man[31] The Dome Leisure Centre, Doncaster |
Indoor | Sunday, 16 March 2014 | Eddie Hall |
Graham Hicks |
Laurence Shahlaei | |
| World's Strongest Viking Fefor Høifjellshotell, Vinstra |
Outdoor | Saturday, 5 April 2014 | Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson (2) |
David Nyström |
Terry Hollands | |
| Giants Live Poland Dolina Charlotty |
Outdoor | Friday, 2 May 2014 | Žydrūnas Savickas (5) |
Mateusz Baron |
Rafał Kobylarz | |
| Giants Live Hungary[32] Aquaworld Resort Budapest, Budapest |
Outdoor | Saturday, 21 June 2014 | Jason Bergmann |
 Matjaž Belšak |
Eddie Hall | |
| Europe's Strongest Man[33] Headingley Stadium, Leeds |
Outdoor | Saturday, 9 August 2014 | Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson (3) |
Johannes Årsjö |
Graham Hicks | |
| Giants Live Sweden[34] Stadium Arena, Norrköping |
Indoor | Saturday, 29 November 2014 | Brian Shaw (3) |
Johannes Årsjö |
Martin Forsmark | |
| 2015 | ||||||
| Britain's Strongest Man The Dome Leisure Centre, Doncaster |
Indoor | Saturday, 14 February 2015 | Eddie Hall (2) |
Mark Felix |
Krzysztof Radzikowski | |
| Giants Live Viking Challenge[35] Grindavík |
Outdoor | Sunday, 7 June 2015 | Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson (4) |
Mark Felix |
Martins Licis | |
| Europe's Strongest Man[36] Headingley Stadium, Leeds |
Outdoor | Saturday, 11 July 2015 | Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson (5) |
Krzysztof Radzikowski |
 Dainis Zageris | |
| Giants Live Sweden[37] Stadium Arena, Norrköping |
Indoor | Saturday, 28 November 2015 | Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson (6) |
Johannes Årsjö |
Mark Felix | |
| 2016 | ||||||
| Britain's Strongest Man[38] The Dome Leisure Centre, Doncaster |
Indoor | Saturday, 30 January 2016 | Eddie Hall (3) |
Mark Felix |
Laurence Shahlaei | |
| North American Open[39] Town Square, Martinsville |
Outdoor | Saturday, 26 June 2016 | Nick Best |
Mark Felix |
Derek DeVaughn | |
| Europe's Strongest Man[40] First Direct Arena, Leeds |
Indoor | Saturday, 9 July 2016 | Laurence Shahlaei (3) |
Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson |
Johannes Årsjö | |
| Giants Live Sweden[41] Stadium Arena, Norrköping |
Indoor | Saturday, 12 November 2016 | Johannes Årsjö |
Martin Forsmark |
Mark Felix | |
| 2017 | ||||||
| Britain's Strongest Man[42] The Dome Leisure Centre, Doncaster |
Indoor | Saturday, 28 January 2017 | Eddie Hall (4) |
Laurence Shahlaei |
Graham Hicks | |
| Europe's Strongest Man[43] First Direct Arena, Leeds |
Indoor | Saturday, 1 April 2017 | Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson (7) |
Eddie Hall |
Terry Hollands | |
| North American Open[44] Town Square, Martinsville |
Outdoor | Saturday, 29 July 2017 | Rob Kearney |
Nick Best |
Adam Derks | |
| Giants Live Finals[45] Manchester Arena, Manchester |
Indoor | Saturday, 29 September 2017 | Žydrūnas Savickas (6) |
 Konstantine Janashia |
 JF Caron | |
| Scandinavian Open[46] Stadium Arena, Norrköping |
Indoor | Saturday, 11 November 2017 | Johannes Årsjö (3) |
Johnny Hansson |
Žydrūnas Savickas | |
| 2018 | ||||||
| Britain's Strongest Man[47] FlyDSA Arena, Sheffield |
Indoor | Saturday, 27 January 2018 | Eddie Hall (5) |
Graham Hicks |
Terry Hollands | |
| Europe's Strongest Man[48] First Direct Arena, Leeds |
Indoor | Saturday, 7 April 2018 | Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson (8) |
Konstantine Janashia |
Mateusz Kieliszkowski | |
| North American Open[49] Town Square, Martinsville |
Outdoor | Sunday, 10 June 2018 | Laurence Shahlaei (4) |
Trey Mitchell |
Kevin Faires | |
| Giants Live Finals[50] Manchester Arena, Manchester |
Indoor | Saturday, 15 September 2018 | Mateusz Kieliszkowski |
Martins Licis |
Adam Bishop | |
| 2019 | ||||||
| Britain's Strongest Man[51] FlyDSA Arena, Sheffield |
Indoor | Saturday, 19 January 2019 | Graham Hicks |
Adam Bishop |
Tom Stoltman | |
| Europe's Strongest Man[52] First Direct Arena, Leeds |
Indoor | Saturday, 6 April 2019 | Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson (9) |
Mateusz Kieliszkowski |
Konstantine Janashia | |
| Giants Live Wembley[53] Wembley Arena, London |
Indoor | Saturday, 6 July 2019 | Mateusz Kieliszkowski (2) |
Jerry Pritchett |
Martins Licis | |
| North American Open[54] Town Square, Martinsville |
Outdoor | Saturday, 10 August 2019 | Evan Singleton |
Kevin Faires |
Mark Felix | |
| Giants Live Finals[55] Manchester Arena, Manchester |
Indoor | Saturday, 7 September 2019 | Mateusz Kieliszkowski (3) |
 Ben Brunning |
Oleksii Novikov | |
| Official Strongman Games[56] Ocean Center, Daytona Beach |
Indoor | Sunday, 3 November 2019 | Luke Richardson |
Ben Brunning |
Jacob Fincher | |
| 2020 | ||||||
| Britain's Strongest Man[57] FlyDSA Arena, Sheffield |
Indoor | Saturday, 18 January 2020 | Adam Bishop |
Tom Stoltman |
Luke Stoltman | |
| Europe's Strongest Man[58] Allerton Castle, Harrogate |
Outdoor | Sunday, 6 September 2020 | Luke Richardson (2) |
Adam Bishop |
Ervin Toots | |
| 2021 | ||||||
| The Strongman Classic[59][60] Royal Albert Hall, London |
Indoor | Saturday, 24 July 2021 | Oleksii Novikov |
Evan Singleton |
 Cheick Sanou | |
| World Open[61][62] AO Arena, Manchester |
Indoor | Saturday, 14 August 2021 | Evan Singleton (2) |
Adam Bishop |
Oleksii Novikov | |
| Europe's Strongest Man[63] First Direct Arena, Leeds |
Indoor | Saturday, 4 September 2021 | Luke Stoltman |
Oleksii Novikov |
Graham Hicks | |
| Giants Live Finals[64][65] SSE Hydro, Glasgow |
Indoor | Saturday, 18 September 2021 | Luke Stoltman (2) |
Tom Stoltman |
Evan Singleton | |
| Arnold Sports Festival UK The NEC, Birmingham |
Indoor | Sunday, 3 October 2021 | Evan Singleton (3) |
Oleksii Novikov |
Trey Mitchell | |
| Britain's Strongest Man FlyDSA Arena, Sheffield |
Indoor | Saturday, 23 October 2021 | Tom Stoltman |
Adam Bishop |
Graham Hicks | |
| Official Strongman Games Ocean Center, Daytona Beach |
Indoor | Friday, 12 November 2021 | Pavlo Kordiyaka |
Spenser Remick |
Tyler Cotton | |
| 2022 | ||||||
| Britain's Strongest Man FlyDSA Arena, Sheffield |
Indoor | Saturday, 26 February 2022 | Tom Stoltman (2) |
 Pa O'Dwyer |
Adam Bishop | |
| Europe's Strongest Man[66] First Direct Arena, Leeds |
Indoor | Saturday, 2 April 2022 | Oleksii Novikov (2) |
Luke Stoltman |
Konstantine Janashia | |
| The Strongman Classic[67] Royal Albert Hall, London |
Indoor | Saturday, 9 July 2022 | Oleksii Novikov (3) |
Mitchell Hooper |
Evan Singleton | |
| The Giants Live Open Motorpoint Arena, Cardiff |
Indoor | Saturday, 6 August 2022 | Pavlo Nakonechnyy |
Mitchell Hooper |
Oleksii Novikov | |
| Giants Live Finals OVO Hydro, Glasgow |
Indoor | Saturday, 8 October 2022 | Mitchell Hooper |
Aivars Šmaukstelis |
Kevin Faires | |
| World's Strongest Nation M&S Bank Arena, Liverpool |
Indoor | Saturday, 26 November 2022 |  Team UK |
Team USA |
||
| 2023 | ||||||
| Britain's Strongest Man[68] FlyDSA Arena, Sheffield |
Indoor | Saturday, 28 January 2023 | Adam Bishop (2) |
Gavin Bilton |
Graham Hicks | |
| Europe's Strongest Man[69] First Direct Arena, Leeds |
Indoor | Saturday, 1 April 2023 | Pavlo Kordiyaka (2) |
Oleksii Novikov |
Aivars Šmaukstelis | |
| Giants Live Strongman Classic[70] Royal Albert Hall, London |
Indoor | Saturday, 8 July 2023 | Evan Singleton (4) |
Tom Stoltman |
Mitchell Hooper | |
| The Strongman Open[71] Cardiff International Arena, Cardiff |
Indoor | Saturday, 2 September 2023 | Evan Singleton (5) |
Gavin Bilton |
Shane Flowers | |
| Britain's Strongest Women[72] Doncaster Dome, Doncaster |
Indoor | Saturday, 30 September 2023 | Rebecca Roberts |
Lucy Underdown |
Andrea Thompson | |
| England's Strongest Man[73] Doncaster Dome, Doncaster |
Indoor | Sunday, 1 October 2023 | Luke Richardson (3) |
Kane Francis |
Patrick Haynes | |
| Giant's Live Finals[74] OVO Hydro, Glasgow |
Indoor | Saturday, 21 October 2023 | Tom Stoltman (3) |
 Mathew Ragg |
Mitchell Hooper | |
| World's Strongest Nation[75] M&S Bank Arena, Liverpool |
Indoor | Saturday, 18 November 2023 | Team USA |
Team UK |
||
| 2024 | ||||||
| Britain's Strongest Man FlyDSA Arena, Sheffield |
Indoor | Saturday, 27 January 2024 | Tom Stoltman (4) |
Gavin Bilton |
Luke Stoltman | |
| Europe's Strongest Man First Direct Arena, Leeds |
Indoor | Saturday, 13 April 2024 | Luke Stoltman (3) |
Aivars Šmaukstelis |
Oleksii Novikov | |
| England's Strongest Man York Barbican, York |
Indoor | Saturday, 22 June 2024 | Kane Francis |
Andrew Flynn |
Patrick Haynes | |
| Britain's Strongest Woman York Barbican, York |
Indoor | Saturday, 22 June 2024 | Lucy Underdown |
Rebecca Roberts |
Donna Moore | |
| The Strongman Classic Royal Albert Hall, London |
Indoor | Saturday, 13 July 2024 | Mitchell Hooper (2) |
Tom Stoltman |
Pavlo Kordiyaka | |
| Official Strongman European Barbican Theatre, York |
Indoor | Saturday/Sunday, 17/18 August 2024 | Roman Grekov |
Ben Glasscock |
Marek Czakjkowski | |
| The Strongman Open Utilita Arena, Birmingham |
Indoor | Saturday, 7 September 2024 | Mitchell Hooper (3) |
Maxime Boudreault |
Luke Richardson | |
| US Strongman Championship Orleans Arena, Las Vegas |
Indoor | Saturday, 28 September 2024 | Mitchell Hooper (4) |
Trey Mitchell |
Eddie Williams |
|
| Giants Live Finals OVO Hydro, Glasgow |
Indoor | Saturday, 19 October 2024 | Mitchell Hooper (5) |
Trey Mitchell |
Luke Richardson | |
| 2025 | ||||||
| Britain's Strongest Man FlyDSA Arena, Sheffield |
Indoor | Saturday, 1 February 2025 | ||||
| Europe's Strongest Man First Direct Arena, Leeds |
Indoor | Saturday, 5 April 2025 | ||||
| The Strongman Classic Royal Albert Hall, London |
Indoor | Saturday, 5 July 2024 | ||||
| The Strongman Open Utilita Arena, Birmingham |
Indoor | Saturday, 6 September 2025 | ||||
| Giants Live Finals OVO Hydro, Glasgow |
Indoor | Saturday, 18 October 2025 |
| Rank | Champion | Country | Wins | Win breakdown | Podiums |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson | Iceland | 9 | 9 internationals | 10 |
| 2 | Žydrūnas Savickas | Lithuania | 6 | 6 internationals | 7 |
| 3 | Mitchell Hooper | Canada | 5 | 5 internationals | 9 |
| 4 | Evan Singleton |  United States | 5 | 5 internationals | 8 |
| 5 | Eddie Hall | England | 5 | 5 nationals | 8 |
| 6 | Laurence Shahlaei | England | 4 | 3 internationals and 1 national | 10 |
| 7 | Tom Stoltman | Scotland | 4 | 1 international and 3 nationals | 9 |
| 8 | Juha-Matti Järvi | Finland | 4 | 4 nationals | 5 |
| 9 | Oleksii Novikov | Ukraine | 3 | 3 internationals | 10 |
| 10 | Johannes Årsjö | Sweden | 3 | 3 internationals | 9 |
| 12 | Luke Stoltman | Scotland | 3 | 3 internationals | 6 |
| 13 | Mateusz Kieliszkowski | Poland | 3 | 3 internationals | 5 |
| 14 | Brian Shaw | United States | 3 | 3 internationals | 5 |
| 15 | Luke Richardson | England | 3 | 2 internationals and 1 national | 5 |
| 16 | Derek Poundstone | United States | 3 | 3 internationals | 3 |
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