Tom Stoltman has been named the World’s Strongest Man for the third time.
The Invergordon-born “Albatross”, also known as “King of the Stones” took the top spot at the annual Strongest Man competition in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina on Sunday.
In emotional footage from Sunday’s final, wife Sinead Stoltman ran to congratulate her husband as he lifted the highly prized trophy.
Tom, 29, told USA Today that after months of conditioning and training, he hoped to enjoy a drink to celebrate his win.
In a gruelling training programme with his strongman brother Luke, Tom – who is 6ft 8ins had given up alcohol since late summer.
But Luke – Europe’s Strongest Man 2024 – and Tom were going to be enjoying a drink “100%” last night.
And rightly so, as Tom, a huge Rangers fan, had missed out on last year’s trophy, and doubled down on his training regime this year.
Tom gets hands back on the title
He won the competition in 2021 and 2022.
Tom told USA Today: “I just want to be ‘King of the World,’ and that’s what I’ve done this weekend.”
The 2024 World’s Strongest Man finals were nail-biting for Tom and Luke as top places went to the wire in event to event over two days of lifting and moving.
Tom, glided to the podium finish by winning his signature event, the Atlas Stones.
“I’ve worked for a third title for a while now and to do it before 30 years old is an achievement,” Tom told the news channel.
“I’m just happy with myself. Happy with my performance. Kept my head.”
Tom finished with 53 total points – 5.5 points ahead of second place Mitchell Hooper, the 2023 champion.
‘Kind of broke me’
Speaking of last year’s event, Tom said: “Kind of broke me, not getting that title.”
Over the last year, Tom said that he improved his conditioning programme for the competition.
He has been running much more, up to a mile or two every week and began using hyperbaric chambers for recovery.
He has been training and lifting more in the gym.
Tom contiued: “When we’re both 100 per cent, we’re both unbeatable.
“Fortunately, I topped him in this competition. But he’s going to be back. We’ll be looking to take titles back and forth from each other in the near future.”
Tom was top three in all six events over the two-day finals.
He tied for the most points in the Max Axle and Keg Toss on Saturday to put himself into the lead after day one.
Stoltman, who weighs 28 stone, told the broadcaster: “I want to be the greatest, I don’t even think I’m at my prime.”
Luke came in a notable ninth place only a few weeks after winning Europe’s Strongest Man.
The brothers’ YouTube account, “Stoltman Brothers,” has nearly 250,000 subscribers who watch their fitness and gym content.
They filmed plenty of behind-the-scenes footage throughout the week in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, where the WSM was held for the second straight year.
Tom Stoltman who lives with autism uses his platform on the world stage to speak about his diagnosis.
He said: “People with autism get labelled as disabled and all that kind of stuff.
“I wanted it to be a superpower – and look at me. I’m a three-time World’s Strongest Man, living with autism every single day of my life.”
