The 2024 Strongest Man on Earth (SMOE) contest headlined the fourth installment of the Shaw Classic, hosted by four-time World’s Strongest Man (WSM) Brian Shaw, on Aug. 17-18, in Loveland, CO.

Three-time reigning WSM champion Tom Stoltman was among the 16 athletes on this year’s SMOE roster. The Scottish strongman had a “miserable performance,” by his own admission. No coach nor brother Luke for support and poor prep contributed to Stoltman’s seventh-place finish. He critiqued his SMOE performance on Sept. 2, 2024.

[Related: Hafthor Björnsson Sets Two World Records at the 2024 Strongest Man on Earth]

Max Raw Deadlift

The first event was a raw max deadlift. To Stoltman’s detriment, only lifting straps (no figure eight) and weightlifting belts were allowed. 

It’s hard to raw deadlift when you’re prepping a lot in a suit. 

Deadlifting suits provide better support and assistance during big lifts. Stoltman started with an easy first lift; his second attempt matched his top gym lift of 409 kilograms.

One of my biggest raw deadlifts in a competition…on a standard bar as well.

Stoltman needed 420 kilograms for a top-five placing; having never pulled this weight in training, he was upfront about his odds.

“I was laughing…there’s no way I’m going to get this,” he said. He failed the attempt and took eighth in the first event. 

Overhead Medley — Log and Axle Press

Next was the overhead medley, one of the two controversial events of the competition — due to weight misplacements. Athletes had two minutes to press three logs and two axles back to back in alternating order, each heavier than the last. 

I was really looking forward to this event; I put a lot of work into the gym.

[Related: 2024 Strongest Man on Earth Mitchell Hooper’s Top 10 Strength Exercises]

“My game plan was to not rush, and that’s what I did,” said Stoltman, who had a few hiccups cost him a better ranking. He finished third. “Proves that I still have some of the best shoulders in the world.”

Keg Toss for Max Height & Manhood Stone

Mitchell Hooper, Wesley Derwinsky, and Tom Stoltman shared the world record heading in the keg toss, tying at 7.76 meters at the 2024 WSM. That achievement was bested by Hafthor Bjornsson, who won the event and claimed the new keg toss world record after slinging the 15-kilogram keg 7.77 meters.

Stoltman struggled with placement, standing too close or far from the bar. He ranked second in a five-way tie.

I need to start getting really consistent because I’m not confident enough with keg tossing. 

Rolling into the Manhood stones, Stoltman panicked after learning his fellow elite stone lifters had gripping issues. The event was unlike traditional Atlas stones, where athletes race against time to load all five stones. Instead, they could lift stones for reps.

Stoltman skipped past the first four stones and went for the Hail Mary, the biggest stone weighing a colossal 600 pounds!

[I was] confident, failed it, and got zero on the stones. On any given day, I can do this, but it was just not my day.

Stoltman gathered that his strategy, training, and tacky — a sticky gripping substance — caused his no-lift.

Squat for Reps and Power Medley

The other controversial event was the squat for reps, sparking outrage over Hooper’s form, which resulted in a disproportionate margin of victory over his competition. However, Shaw and the event judges verified the validity of Hooper’s technique, calling it fair play per the guidelines set forth pre-show. 

Stoltman wasn’t a favorite in this event, admittedly overwhelmed by the 368-kilogram load. Few athletes did well in the event.

It was an absolute torture of a device. I’ve never been one [to] squat big weights, and unfortunately, I zeroed that.

Athletes moved to the power medley wheelbarrow walk into the arm-over-arm truck pull. Stoltman breezed through the wheelbarrow carry, but no athletes finished the truck pull. Again, Stoltman finished center of the pack.

Dumbbell Medley, Fingal’s Fingers, & Power Stairs Medley

Stoltman displayed his pressing prowess in the dumbbell medley, lifting three of the five weights overhead for fifth place. He entertained locking out the fourth dumbbell had he taken more time.

When I attack and am aggressive with the dumbbells, they go up. My pressing is still up there with the best in the world.

Stoltman won the Fingal’s Fingers and Power Stairs finale. Bjornsson landed the 250- and 272-kilogram implements atop the steps first, with Evan Singleton behind and Stoltman in third. 

Stoltman’s Post-Competition Critiques

Stoltman sees his 2024 SMOE performance as a wake-up call. While Colorado’s elevation affected Stoltman at the 2023 SMOE, he doesn’t feel it factored into the 2024 event. 

I’m not happy; a lot of blame is on myself. I don’t think the climate affected me because the pressing events were good.

Stoltman suspects his junk-heavy diet slowed his performance. I might be a professional athlete, but I’m over in America eating sweeties and crap food; these guys are eating good quality foods,” he included.

I got a bit complacent. If I want to be the greatest of all time, I must win these other shows.

Stoltman vows to return stronger for the upcoming contests, including the Giants Live Strongman Championships, the Giants Live World Tour Finals, and the 2024 Rogue Strongman Invitational.

Featured image: @tomstoltmanofficial on Instagram

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