Thanks to a titanic effort from Evan “T-Rex” Singleton, Team USA took down Team UK in a fierce battle for the title of World’s Strongest Nation for 2023.
The clash between an American team led by 2019 World’s Strongest Man Martins Licis and a British team headlined by legendary English strongman Eddie Hall featured seven events over a one-day competition that took place on November 18, 2023, at M&S Bank Arena in Liverpool, England. After seeing the home team claim the crown in 2022, UK fans saw Team USA put together a winning effort that included a record performance from Kevin Faires in the final show from the Giants Live World’s Strongest Man Arena Tour.
Both teams had a mix of female and male athletes taking part in a series of challenges that tested their strength, power and conditioning. Teams earned three points for an event win, with a bonus point awarded to the team with the best overall performance in each of the first six events. Despite a frantic comeback effort by Hall’s team, Singleton – winner of both the 2023 Giants Live Strongman Classic and the 2023 Giants Live World Open – sealed victory for the Americans by lifting a weight of 551 pounds (250 kg) on the final step. of ‘Power Stairs’.
Here are the full results from the seven events, along with an overview of what each entailed.
Event 1: Sandbag Steeplechase
Each competitor had to pick up a sandbag and move quickly to throw it over an obstacle set at the 10m mark. After retrieving it from the other side, the athlete had to travel another 10 meters before lifting it onto a table placed at the 20-meter mark. The men worked with 150 kg, while the women used 220.5 lb (100 kg) sandbags.
Team USA won the Sandbag Steeplechase with a sizable margin of almost 35 seconds for a total of four points.
Team USA (Total Time — 2:39.39 seconds)
- Inez Carrasquillo — 18.20 seconds
- Rob Kearney — 21.39 seconds
- Nadia Stowers — 22.69 seconds
- Kevin Faires — 20.44 seconds
- Erin Murray — 19.59 seconds
- Spencer Remick — 21.39 seconds
- Inez Carrasquillo — 18.19 seconds
- Evan Singleton — 17.56 seconds (bonus point)
Team UK (Overall time — 3:13.87 seconds)
- Andrea Thompson — 33.57 seconds
- Gavin Bilton — 17.66 seconds
- Lucy Underdown — 32.47 seconds
- Mark Felix — 29.63 seconds
- Donna Moore — 24.43 seconds
- Luke Stoltman — 18.00 seconds
- Rebecca Roberts — 19.99 seconds
- Tom Stoltman — 18.12 seconds
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Event 2: Farmer’s Walk
A classic strongman event, the Farmer’s Walk featured 40 meters of a grueling test of strength and endurance. Female gymnasts worked with 198.4 pounds (90 kg) in each arm, with men carrying 308.6 pounds (140 kg) on each side.
Team USA defeated Team UK in the second event thanks to another top performance from Singleton which gave his side a second bonus point.
Team USA (Total Time — 3:04.90 seconds)
- Inez Carrasquillo — 21.68 seconds
- Spencer Remick — 23.26 seconds
- Nadia Stowers — 34.25 seconds
- Martins Lisis — 21.12 seconds
- Erin Murray — 24.65 seconds
- Kevin Faires — 20.36 seconds
- Gabby Dixon — 21.48 seconds
- Evan Singleton — 18.10 seconds (bonus point)
Team UK (Overall time — 3:13.65 seconds)
- Andrea Thompson — 21.87 seconds
- Gavin Bilton — 25.17 seconds
- Lucy Underdown — 26.55 seconds
- Luke Stoltman — 20.11 seconds
- Donna Moore — 32.53 seconds
- Tom Stoltman — 19.94 seconds
- Rebecca Roberts — 20.87 seconds
- Mark Felix — 26.61 seconds
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Event 3: Shaft dead lift
In a test of deadlift ability, the men used 793.7-pound (360-kilogram) deadlifts — a weight that proved incredibly challenging. Meanwhile, the women put together some impressive totals using 485lb (220kg) shafts.
Team UK secured victory over Team USA with five total reps on the back of a bonus point winning performance from Lucy Underdown.
Team USA (Total reps — 23 reps)
- Gabby Dixon — 10 repetitions
- Nadia Stowers — Six repetitions
- Rob Kearney — Four repetitions
- Evan Singleton — Three repetitions
Team UK (Total reps — 28 reps)
- Lucy Underdown — 13 repetitions (bonus point)
- Andrea Thompson — Eight repetitions
- Gavin Bilton — Four repetitions
- Tom Stoltman — Three repetitions
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Event 4: Circus Altiras
Arguably the most technically challenging event on the program, the Circus Dumbbell tested athletes’ explosive strength and coordination with an overhead press. Lisis cleverly used the wild card to maximize the potential point for his team — and the move paid off.
Team USA won with three total reps, with Singleton earning his third bonus point by outscoring all competitors with seven reps. The wild card allowed the Americans to score twice as many points.
Team USA (Total reps — 22 reps)
- Nadia Stowers — Four repetitions
- Inez Carrasquillo — Five repetitions
- Rob Kearney — Six repetitions
- Evan Singleton — Seven repetitions (bonus point)
Team UK (Total reps — 19 reps)
- Donna Moore — Four repetitions
- Andrea Thompson — Six repetitions
- Luke Stoltman — Six repetitions
- Gavin Bilton — Three repetitions
[Related: 8 Overhead Press Variations for Stronger Shoulders]
Event 5: Spoiled ball
First held at the Giants Live Strongman Open earlier this year, this event tested the athletes’ grip and willpower. Kevin Faires, who placed ninth in the 2023 Giants Live Strongman Classic, cemented his place in the strongman history books by setting a world record by holding the wrecking ball in place for nearly two minutes.
However, The UK team still comes out victorious thanks to 18-time WSM competitor Mark Felix recording a highly impressive time of his own that gave his team the decisive advantage.
Team USA (Total Time — 4:01.84 seconds)
- Gabby Dixon — 6.84 seconds
- Nadia Stowers — 46.01 seconds
- Kevin Faires — 1:53.00 seconds (World record)
- Evan Singleton — 1:15.99 seconds
Team UK (Overall time — 4:23.30 seconds)
- Lucy Underdown — 46.43 seconds
- Rebecca Roberts — 57.47 seconds
- Gavin Bilton — 1:02.02 seconds
- Mark Felix — 1:37.38 seconds
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Event 6: Tug of war
Eddie Hall confidently wielded his wild card in an old-fashioned tug-of-war contest. The three-way battle began with separate matches between four-man men’s and women’s teams and concluded with an eight-man mixed-sex duo.
Unfortunately for Team USA, all three rounds went to the UK teamwho closed the gap to just three points going into the final event.
Pull 1: Women
Team UK (Moore, Roberts, Thompson and Underdown) defeats Team USA (Carrasquillo, Dixson, Murray and Stowers)
Draw 2: Men
Team UK (Bilton, Felix, L. Stoltman and T. Stoltman) defeats Team USA (Kearney, Licis, Remick, Singleton)
Pull 3: Mixed
Team UK (Moore, Roberts, Thompson, Underdown, Bilton, Hall, L. Stoltman and T. Stoltman) defeats Team USA (Carrasquillo, Dixson, Murray, Stowers, Faires, Kearney, Licis and Remick)
[Related: Australian Strongman Smashes World Record by Pulling 44,753-Pound Crane]
Event 7: Power Stairs
The final event had three men and two women taking turns carrying a weight each to the top of a flight of stairs. While the men worked with weights of 496 pounds (225 kg) and 551.2 pounds (250 kg), the women used weights of 275.6 pounds (125 kg) and 286.6 pounds (130 kg).
Between having a 1.5 second lead due to the three point difference and executing the challenge with great technique, Team USA stormed to the top of the ladder and secured the title of the strongest nation in the world.
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In the end, all the athletes showed tremendous class and respect for each other while putting their bodies on the line for the sake of national pride. With the teams splitting the first two matches, the third iteration of World’s Strongest Nation should be even more competitive. Only time will tell if Team USA can become the first back-to-back winners in the competition’s short history.
Featured Image: Giants Live Strongman / Instagram
