Thanks to a titanic effort from Evan “T-Rex” Singleton, Team USA defeated Team UK in a close battle for the title of the strongest nation in the world in 2023.
The showdown between an American team led by 2019 World’s Strongest Man Martins Licis and a British team led by legendary English strongman Eddie Hall featured seven events during a single-day competition that took place on the 18th. November 2023 at the M&S Bank Arena in Liverpool, England. After watching his home team claim the crown in 2022, UK fans witnessed Team USA put together a winning effort that included a record-breaking performance from Kevin Faires. at the final show of Giants Live World’s Strongest Man Arena Tour.
Both teams had a mix of female and male athletes facing off in a series of challenges that tested their strength, power and conditioning. Teams earned three points for winning an event, with a bonus point awarded to the team that had the best overall performance in each of the first six events. Despite a furious comeback attempt by Hall’s team, Singleton, winner of both the Giants Live Strongman Classic 2023 and the Giants Live World Open 2023, sealed the victory for the Americans by lifting a weight of 551 pounds (250 kilograms). on the last step. of the “Electric Stairs”.
Here are the full results for all seven events, along with an overview of what each one entailed.
Event 1: Sandbag Obstacle Course
Each competitor had to grab a sandbag and move quickly to drop it over a fence placed at the 10 meter point. After retrieving it on the other side, the athlete had to walk another 10 meters before throwing it onto a table located at the 20 meter mark. The men worked with 150 kilograms (330.7 pounds) and the women with 100 kilograms (220.5 pounds) sandbags.
Team USA won the sandbag obstacle course by a considerable margin of almost 35 seconds for a total of four points.
Team USA (Total time: 2:39.39 seconds)
- Ines Carrasquillo — 18.20 seconds
- Rob Kearney – 21.39 seconds
- Nadia Torres – 22.69 seconds
- kevin fairs – 20.44 seconds
- Erin Murray – 19.59 seconds
- Spencer Remick – 21.39 seconds
- Ines Carrasquillo – 18.19 seconds
- Evan Singleton – 17.56 seconds (bonus point)
Team UK (total time: 3:13.87 seconds)
- Andrea Thompson – 33.57 seconds
- Gavin Bilton – 17.66 seconds
- Lucy Underdown – 32.47 seconds
- Marcos Felix – 29.63 seconds
- Diana Moore – 24.43 seconds
- Lucas 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 included 40 meters of a grueling test of grip strength and endurance. The athletes worked with 198.4 pounds (90 kilograms) in each hand, while the men carried 308.6 pounds (140 kilograms) on each side.
Team USA defeated Team UK in the second event. thanks to another great performance from Singleton that gave his team a second extra point.
Team USA (Total time: 3:04.90 seconds)
- Ines Carrasquillo – 21.68 seconds
- Spencer Remick – 23.26 seconds
- Nadia Torres — 34.25 seconds
- Martins Licis – 21.12 seconds
- Erin Murray — 24.65 seconds
- kevin fairs – 20.36 seconds
- Gaby Dixson – 21.48 seconds
- Evan Singleton — 18.10 seconds (bonus point)
Team UK (total time: 3:13.65 seconds)
- Andrea Thompson – 21.87 seconds
- Gavin Bilton – 25.17 seconds
- Lucy Underdown — 26.55 seconds
- Lucas Stoltman – 20.11 seconds
- Diana Moore – 32.53 seconds
- Tom Stoltman – 19.94 seconds
- Rebecca Roberts – 20.87 seconds
- Marcos Felix – 26.61 seconds
[Related: 11 Loaded Carry Variations Worth Trying]
Event 3: Axle Deadlift
In a deadlift competition test, the men used 360-kilogram (793.7 lb) axles, a weight that proved incredibly challenging. Meanwhile, the women achieved impressive totals using 485-pound (220-kilogram) axles.
Team UK secured victory over Team USA by five reps in total thanks to a performance by Lucy Underdown that gave her extra points.
Team USA (Total reps: 23 reps)
- Gaby Dixson – 10 repetitions
- Nadia Torres — 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 Dumbbell
Possibly the most technically difficult event on the calendar, the Circus Dumbbell tested athletes’ explosive power and coordination with an overhead press. Licis cleverly used his wild card to maximize the scoring potential for his team, and the move paid off.
Team USA won by three reps total, and Singleton earned his third bonus point by besting all competitors with seven reps. The wild card allowed the Americans to earn double the points.
Team USA (Total reps: 22 reps)
- Nadia Torres — Four repetitions
- Ines Carrasquillo — Five repetitions
- Rob Kearney — Six repetitions
- Evan Singleton — Seven repetitions (bonus point)
Team UK (total reps: 19 reps)
- Diana Moore — Four repetitions
- Andrea Thompson — Six repetitions
- Lucas Stoltman — Six repetitions
- Gavin Bilton — Three repetitions
[Related: 8 Overhead Press Variations for Stronger Shoulders]
Event 5: Wrecking Ball Grab
First held at the Giants Live Strongman Open earlier this year, this event tested the athletes’ grappling power and willpower. Kevin Faires, who placed ninth at 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 emerged victorious thanks to 18-time WSM competitor Mark Felix posting a very impressive time that gave his team the decisive advantage.
Team USA (Total time: 4:01.84 seconds)
- Gaby Dixson — 6.84 seconds
- Nadia Torres – 46.01 seconds
- kevin fairs — 1:53.00 seconds (World record)
- Evan Singleton – 1:15.99 seconds
Team UK (total time: 4:23.30 seconds)
- Lucy Underdown – 46.43 seconds
- Rebecca Roberts – 57.47 seconds
- Gavin Bilton – 1:02.02 seconds
- Marcos Felix – 1:37.38 seconds
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Event 6: Tug of war
Eddie Hall confidently used his wild card in an old-fashioned tug-of-war contest. The three-part battle began with separate matches between four-person men’s and women’s teams and concluded with an eight-player mixed duel.
Unfortunately for Team USA, all three rounds went to the UK teamwhich reduced the difference to just three points heading into the final test.
Shoot 1: Women
UK team (Moore, Roberts, Thompson and Underdown) defeats team USA (Carrasquillo, Dixson, Murray and Stowers)
Shoot 2: Men
UK Team (Bilton, Felix, L. Stoltman and T. Stoltman) defeats team USA (Kearney, Licis, Remick, Singleton)
Roll 3: Mixed
UK team (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: Escalators
In the last event, three men and two women alternated carrying a weight each to the top of some stairs. While the men worked with weights of 496 pounds (225 kilograms) and 551.2 pounds (250 kilograms), the women used weights of 275.6 pounds (125 kilograms) and 286.6 pounds (130 kilograms).
Between having a 1.5 second lead due to his three-point lead and executing the challenge with excellent technique, Team USA climbed to the top of the stairs and secured the title of the strongest nation in the world..
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In the end, all athletes demonstrated tremendous class and mutual respect as they risked their bodies for national pride. With the teams splitting the first two matchups, the third iteration of The World’s Strongest Nation should be even more competitive. Only time will tell if Team USA can become the first back-to-back winner in the contest’s brief history.
Cover Image: Giants Live Strongman / Instagram
