The strongman scene has seen some incredible men compete over the years. The legendary Lithuanian Zydrunas Savickas needs no introduction. At the same time, luminaries such as Mark Henry, Paul Anderson, Vasyl Virastyuk, Brian Siders, and Hafthor Bjornsson have each etched their names into strongman competition history. One man is often left out of discussions regarding the best strongmen of all time, and that man is none other than British star Eddie Hall.
Eddie Hall was born in Newcastle-under-Lyme in January 1988 and was a sports-loving child. Hall, a keen and talented swimmer, competed in the UK Nationals swimming competition in 2001, where he set two British records and won four gold medals and one silver medal. Hall was invited to join the Olympic Youth Squad as a teenager but was thrown off the team after he set off smoke alarms by smoking in his dorm.
Around that time, doctors diagnosed Hall with anxiety and depression. His mood spiralled, and his high school expelled him, resulting in Hall being homeschooled for the last few years of his education. His parents urged him to get a job, which he did, but their paying for Hall to go to the gym transformed his life. Little did Mr. and Mrs Hall know back then that their troubled son would soon feature on the best sportsbook websites as the favorite to win strongman competitions.
The Start of Eddie Hall’s Strongman Journey
Weightlifting gave Hall direction and a new purpose in his life. He not only enjoyed lifting weights and growing stronger, but he realized he was good at it and that if he dedicated himself to the sport, he could turn a hobby into a profession. Hall spent his late teens working as a roofer by day and spending 20 or more hours in the gym in the evenings; he had caught the weightlifting bug.
Hall entered his first strongman competition at 19, finishing fifth out of 15 entrants. Although bitterly disappointed not to win, Hall set his sights on one day becoming the World’s Strongest Man and began entering every available competition in the United Kingdom.
Hall won the 2010 edition of England’s Strongest Man and clinched back-to-back titles by coming out on top the following year. Full of confidence in his ability, Hall began competing in Britain’s Strongest Man, Europe’s Strongest Man, Giants Live, and the elite-level World’s Strongest Man from 2012 onwards.
Eddie Hall in the UK’s Strongest Man
It is fair to state Hall dominated the UK’s Strongest Man circuit from the first time he qualified for the competition in 2011. Hall won on his debut and claimed the title for six consecutive years between 2011 and 2016. Nobody could lay a finger on Hall, and he gained a reputation for being a fearless competitor.
Eddie Hall at the Britain’s Strongest Man
Hall initially struggled in Britain’s Strongest Man competition, finishing eighth in 2012 and slumping to 12 the following year. However, just as he was doing in the UK’s Strongest Man category, Hall began to brush his opponents aside, and he emerged victoriously in every competition between 2014 and 2018, with the 2018 Britain’s Strongest Man being Hall’s final Strongman competition of a long and illustrious career.
Eddie Hall’s Rise to the Number One in the World
Although Hall was crushing the domestic strongman scene, he found the European and World competitions challenging. In Europe’s Strongest Man, Hall finished seventh on his debut in 2012 before finishing eighth, seventh, and ninth. In 2017, he came agonizingly close to clinching the title, finishing two points behind Iceland’s Hafpor Julius Bjornsson despite winning three events (Max Axle Press, Deadlift, and the Car Walk). That second-place finish was Hall’s closest to becoming Europe’s Strongest Man.
Hall’s first World Strongest Man tournament was in 2012, but he failed to progress past the qualifying group. It was a similar story in 2013, with Hall winning two events in his heat but not qualifying for the final.
In 2014, Hall finally made it to the World’s Strongest Man finals, ultimately finishing sixth. He finished fourth in 2015 and third in 2016, but it was in 2017 that Hall finally fulfilled a lifelong dream of being crowned the World’s Strongest Man.
Hall found himself in Heat 4 alongside Mateusz Kieliszkowski, Ari Gunnarsson, Derek DeVaughn, Lauri Nami, and Gerhard Van Staden. He came out on top with 24.5 points to reach his fourth straight finals.
A disappointing fifth place in the Tyre Flip event put Hall on the back foot and left him chasing the early leaders. Hall managed 15 repetitions of 317.5 kilograms in the Squat Lift to win that event before winning the 160-kilogram Viking Press, again with 15 repetitions.
He took third in the Plane Pull and performed a 472.5 kilogram Max Deadlift, giving him a four-point lead going into the dreaded Atlas Stones. Hall managed all five Atlas Stones in 58.74 seconds, placing him fourth in the event. This was enough to claim the title by a single point from Bjornsson, who had completed all five Atlas Stones in an incredible 28.99 seconds.
Having achieved his goal and being crowned the strongest man in the world, Hall retired from the competition and returned to lower-weight competitions after expressing concerns about his health.
What Does Eddie Hall Do Today?
Hall’s domination of the strongman scene in the United Kingdom and his World’s Strongest Man title made “The Beast” a celebrity. Having competed in a celebrity boxing match against Bjornsson, Hall has provided commentary for strongman competitions, wrote an autobiography, and has a highly popular YouTube Channel. His YouTube channel, “Eddie Hall, The Beast,” has almost three million subscribers who tune in to see Hall produce vlogs, training, fitness, and food challenge-related content.
Hall’s story is one of overcoming adversity, dedication, and determination, highlighting the incredible capabilities of the human body when we put out minds to task.
