@@CalvinHikes Why does the future of strongman have to be just one person? Both Tom and Mitch are phenomenal, and the pair of them are setting up to be the next big rivalry in the sport, which is nothing but good.
@@CalvinHikes It's definitely both. Tom's 3 WSM titles puts him in a very exclusive club of only 7 guys in history. Him and Mitch can beat each other, depending on the day and the events.
@@espenstoro mitch has placed higher than Tom in 6 of their last 7 contests they competed in together...and only lost on the one where he injured his hands on the first event of the finals at the 2024 WSM.
@@Flyxolydian91 I think what sets Mitch apart from many of competitors in strongman is that he's looking to implement innovations or techniques from other sports to strongman. That is something, which really hasn't ever been a focus of a competitor like Tom Stoltman, Eddie Hall, Hafthor Bjornsson. The more usual way is to focus on perfecting techniques that are already used in strongman competitions and on getting bigger, stronger, faster. I think eventually Mitch will have a profound impact on the world of strongman and on how certain lifts are done in competition just cause what he does is better. I don't think Tom could ever have that impact.
Allthough Hooper is indeed a very good strongman and ahead of most of the others. I think one of the reasons is that he wins so much is because the average level of strongman went down. Thor took a break, Big Z and Brian were past their prime. Martins is not what he was, Matheusz had a lot of injuries, same counts for Oleksi etc. Of course there is also no Eddie hall who easily strict pressed the 216kg axle and obviously had more in him. Would be fun to have seen hooper compete in the age of the titans.
@@Demano_9000 that's still a debate. That could've been way closer than it was and probably Mitchell winning again, if it wasn't for his hands' skin tear in the first event. PS: Mitchell getting 2nd with that in mind is impressive on its own tbh.
You can see in his face..it is strategy. He does not do 1 thing that isnt planned or rehearsed 50 times..every bloody second he knows exactely what the plan is and then executes it as flawless as possible. That and his superior training methods and academic background give him an edge
Much like Brian in fact, he was also very good at breaking down every single detail in a lift. But Brian is extremely humble and doesn't tend to say much. (Not calling Hooper arrogant, I root for him, but he is definitely not shy of saying he'll do it).
@@jessejames6157 I believe he lives in Barrie where he runs his kinesiology clinic! Also welcome to the sport! Mitchell is literally a strongman all-star at such a young age. He has already achieved what other strongman dream of. Great to watch him represent Canada 🍁 . Take care brother!
Hooper will go down as one of the greatest of all time. I still believe he is currently the strongest man on the planet despite the title going to Tom this year. Excited for this rivalry to continue
@@BloodCover i def agree. He seems at least as strong as prime thor if not stronger on stones and faster for sure. I dont remember thors exact stone lifts but tom is insane.
@@rossysossy I think Thor would win any loading race, husafell stone, and that thing where they go in a circle forgot the name. Any Frame carry and yoke would be really close, depends on the day. Thor should win pure strength events except pressing due to his injury, but deadlift, squat he beats Mitch. Also any throw over bar, truck pull, wheel of pain type events. Tom is king of stones and just beat Mitch recently. Mitch is good but I don’t think he is unbeatable, not at all
Literally the first time I saw Hooper in competition you could see he was on another level. just raw natural all rounded strength. As long as we don't see any bad injuries, 100% will go down as best of all time.
Mitch is such a beast! I remember watching his RU-vid on his first day learning how to split jerk doing like 1 plate per side.. now that knowledge gave him that edge to destroy the competition in axle press! Dope journey to have watched ! Inspiring af
I hope the Stoltman Hooper rivalry stays classy, one of the best things about the sport is how the competitors are ultra competitive but always show great sportsmanship
True sportsmanship by Mitchel just doing one stone to come in last in the event so the other competitors can beat him in a single event, true sportsmanship.
Tom a bit salty at <a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="620">10:20</a> to justify 2nd place to himself but the way Hooper dominated this comp was pretty incredible
Weird there aren't more comments about that part. Sounds like he'd rather a tense rivalry than a friendly one. Can't tell if it's intentional or if he actually feels threatened. Either way they're both good blokes.
@@voza-mj8hv Ever since Tom thought he won the Rogue invitational with his time in the final Atlas Stone event there, with his cocky little pose, only to have Licis beat him and win the whole thing... i've always enjoyed rooting against Tom. Tom is like that behemoth bully that is genetically bigger than everyone else but can still lose to someone who is a true student of the sport like a Hooper and or Licis.
If I didn't know anything about these strongmen and saw them in a lineup, there is no way I would pick Hooper to win. He doesn't look as big and powerful as some of those monsters, but dang, what an incredible athlete!
The fact that he set two, and equalled one, world record in one show is crazy (and let's face it, he could have easily smashed that third world record if he choose to do so). I just didn't think Strongman was a discipline you'd see such feats owing to how taxing attempting a record is in a single event, that it would almost by proxy prevent you from backing up to do it again.
I think Mitch has placed higher than tom in 6 out of their last 7 contests they both competed in....and Mitch only lost one as his hands were injured in an early event. But I think it is good that people like thor and tom push mitch to be better at everything instead of just one event.
@@daddynoah6210 Mitch tore his hands open at the FIRST event at the finals and could hardly perform at ALL the events after....that is why mitch placed 2nd, and why he beat tom at every event but the stones in the 2024 Strongman Classic, and beat tom at every contest in the last 7 contests EXCEPT the one he injured his hands.
@@interested3451 If Mitch hadn't jacked his hand up he would have likely won. If you look at contests over the last 2 years like JTF2dan suggests... THAT pretty much says it all... but perhaps only those of us with above average IQ's can read between those lines.
@rascalmatt6713 You really can't talk about "above average IQ" when you can't read between the lines lol, all I have stated is FACTS, ask any strongman what competition is the one to win, they will tell you WSM, Don't get buthurt because your "boy" is 2 wsm's behind 3x WSM Tom Stoltman who infact has done so with a disability his entire life !!!! Maybe when mitch "Jack'd" his hand u could have lent him yours for those nyt time shanks lol
He was coming back from injury, and hurt his bicep at Europes in April. So it’s good to see him finish a full comp and complete the stone run which he hasn’t managed for a little while.
Interesting to watch the axle press now compared previous eras. What I have noticed is that there is tendency to adopt part of the style of the Olympic discipline clean and jerk, with the leg split and jerk, rather than a straight arm press, where the legs do not initiate the press, as iron bibby has demonstrated .
The axle record is in my opinion the most important record when determining someone's overall strength off of only 1 lift. So this is an incredible weight and achievement. However, there is a big difference between Iron Biby's strict press, and Hoopers Split jerk. Insane nonetheless, butttttt
I really like Hooper, he is a technician. BUT i LOVE Tom Stoltman on the stones. Jeez, 200 like butter. Looking forward to Lasha hitting 270kgs in Paris!!
One has to wonder what Eddie Hall could have achieved in axle press had he ever bothered to incorporate legs/form in his lift. His shoulder strength was nearly without parallel.
With 3 world records and the win here... this might be the greatest victory in strong man history. So dominating you kind of just scratch your head. Seems like the "Sky" really is the limit for Hooper. If you disagree, check yourself. You're likely disagreeing because the win was so absolute and the 3 world records in one contest are somewhat unbelievable and hard to digest properly.
I’d like to see a competition, where each event is a championship of sorts… wherein each event a champion or king is awarded, such as deadlift, the winner is crowned “King of Deadlift” for a calendar year or wins a championship belt, and is the Deadlift champion for a year.
He doesn't it's Martins who holds record for the wheels which are 360. Pavlo Nachonechny beat Rauno in 2023 WT Finals I believe the amount of reps is 11-12 on globes which is 350
as dominant as hooper is, i doubt he could have beat stoltman on the stones even if he tried. that being said, he had no need to lift more than one and win so why would he even waste energy or get injured. smart man.
@@wanderer_oti Licis kicked his ass at the stones during the inaugural Rogue Invitational and won the whole thing. Watching him DESTROY Tom's atlas stone time was beauteous to behold.
Honestly Mitch reminds me of a mix of Mike Jenkins who come in and took big scalps. Yet at the same time the way he dominates 🤔 there's only ever been one true Dominator and that was Marius ! But honestly I think if Mitch avoids injury and continues at the same rate he is, he could easily do the 5x WSM and potentially 6x making him the greatest of all time. He has no weaknesses? Literally none, perfect all round Strongman 🤷♂️ 🎉 definitely very interested in next 5 years
The hardest part is getting it to the shoulders. The axle is as thick as a coke can (so no hook grip) with no whip (for extra momentum) and plates that are fixed to the bar, so it makes the clean ridiculously hard. But it would be amazing to see what a world class weightlifter could do
@@GiantsLiveSTRONGMAN Don't forget the axle has way less flex to it than the bar, limiting the amount of elastic energy the bar can impart to the weight.