The 2024 UK’s Strongest Man competition took place on June 8-9 in Cardiff, United Kingdom. It gathered a dozen elite Strongman athletes, who were vying for the prestigious national title. Therefore, after two days of competing, Paul Smith emerged as the champion.
It is important to note that the athletes performed multiple events on day one purely to qualify for the second day. So, going into day two, only eight athletes advanced. They then performed five events, starting from scratch with regard to points.
Paul Smith found himself in an unpredictable battle against Louis Jack. Both men had performed very similarly throughout all five events, but Paul slowly built up a four point lead, which secured him the title of 2024 UK’s Strongest Man.
2024 UK’s Strongest Man Results
- Paul Smith — 38 points
- Louis Jack — 34 points
- Andrew Flynn — 28 points
- Shaun Diver — 24 points
- Matt Dimond — 17 points
- Chris Beetham — 15 points
- Cillein Groom — 9 points
- Stephen Jackson — 5 points
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Event Recap
Event One — Truck Pull
Although they came into the finals of the 2024 UK’s Strongest Man relatively tired from the qualifiers, the athletes were immediately pushed to their limits since the opening event was a Truck Pull. As a result, they had to pull a 15,000-kilogram (33,069-pound) vehicle for a distance of 20 meters in the fastest time possible.
The first event showcased the incredible lineup that the competition featured, as four athletes finished the event within approximately one second of each other. In turn, Paul Smith won the event with a time of 36.36 seconds, beating multiple rivals in a photo finish.
On the other hand, Matt Dimond had to settle for second place despite being just 0.3 seconds slower than Smith. Andrew Flynn also lacked a bit of luck, as he finished an additional 0.2 seconds behind Matt.
- Paul Smith — 36.36 seconds
- Matt Dimond — 36.67 seconds
- Andrew Flynn — 36.89 seconds
- Louis Jack — 37.98 seconds
- Cillein Groom — 40.29 seconds
- Shaun Diver — 41.98 seconds
- Chris Beetham — 43.4 seconds
- Stephen Jackson — 43.5 seconds
Event Two — Tire Flip
The second event of the 2024 UK’s Strongest Man was no easier than the first one, as the athletes were tasked with flipping six 435-kilogram (959-pound) tires. Although they had a 75-second time limit, no man managed to fully complete the event.
The placements in the Tire Flip event were decided by the number of implements completed and the time needed to do so. Ultimately, Louis Jack took the most points, having flipped four tires. No other athlete managed to do the same number of reps, so his time basically had no effect.
Likewise, Paul Smith was the only man on three repetitions, meaning that he was the second-place finisher. However, both Shaun Diver and Andrew Flynn flipped the tire twice. So, seeing that Shaun finished his two reps in 12 seconds less than Flynn, he rounded up the top three.
- Louis Jack — 4 in 28.48 seconds
- Paul Smith — 3 in 64.42 seconds
- Shaun Diver — 2 in 60.35 seconds
- Andrew Flynn — 2 in 72.52 seconds
- Cillein Groom — 1 in 64.09 seconds
- Matt Dimond — No Lift
- Chris Beetham — No Lift
- Stephen Jackson — No Lift
Event Three — Daddy Dumbbell
Marking the midway point of the 2024 UK’s Strongest Man was the Daddy Dumbbell. It featured an implement weighing 90 kilograms (198.4 pounds), which the athletes had to overhead press with one arm for as many reps as possible.
With upper body strength and technique being key in this event, Paul Smith comfortably took the win. He crushed his opponents, locking out nine repetitions, while all the other athletes got less than eight.
Louis Jack found himself just behind Smith, finishing in second-place with an impressive seven repetitions. Andrew Flynn finished in third place yet again with one rep less than Jack.
- Paul Smith — 9 reps
- Louis Jack — 7 reps
- Andrew Flynn — 6 reps
- Shaun Diver — 5 reps
- Chris Beetham — 4 reps
- Matt Dimond — 1 rep
- Cillein Groom — No Lift
- Stephen Jackson — No Lift
Event Four — Car Hold
As all aspects of strength had to be tested, the penultimate event of the competition was the Car Hold. The grip strength and endurance played a major role, as the athletes had to pick up and hold a 300-kilogram (661.4-pound) car for as long as possible.
Paul Smith’s determination to become the 2024 UK’s Strongest Man led him to another event victory, as he refused to drop the car before any other competitor. His final time was 63.91 seconds, which was more than enough to beat everyone.
Shaun Diver was the only other man to exceed one minute, as he held the car for 60.73 seconds. In turn, he placed second, just ahead of Louis Jack, who dropped the car five seconds prior.
- Paul Smith — 63.91 seconds
- Shaun Diver — 60.73 seconds
- Louis Jack — 55.68 seconds
- Andrew Flynn — 50.82 seconds
- Chris Beetham — 41.52 seconds
- Matt Dimond — 37.12 seconds
- Stephen Jackson — 30.53 seconds
- Cillein Groom — No Lift
Event Five — Stones of Strength
Perfectly described by their name, the Stones of Strength were the final hurdle of the 2024 UK’s Strongest Man competition. They consisted of five implements, ranging in weight from 110 – 160 kilograms (242.5 – 352.7 pounds). The goal was to complete the events in the shortest time possible.
Lous Jack won the final event of the competition, but it was to no avail, as it was already too late to catch up with Paul Smith. Moreover, Smith finished just 0.5 seconds behind Louis, with which he officially confirmed his victory at the 2024 UK’s Strongest Man.
Andrew Flynn once again finished in third-place in the event. Interesting enough, he also placed third on the overall leaderboards.
- Louis Jack — 28 in 28.34 seconds
- Paul Smith — 5 in 28.80 seconds
- Andrew Flynn — 5 in 28.90 seconds
- Chris Beetham — 5 in 30.92 seconds
- Matt Dimond — 4 in 25.74 seconds
- Shaun Diver — 3 in 17.72 seconds
- Stephen Jackson — 2 in 24.55 seconds
- Cillein Groom — 1 in 14 seconds
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Paul Smith has a history of success at the UK’s Strongest Man competition, and this year was no exception. He reached another incredible achievement, managing to win his third consecutive edition of the show. Now, with another win under his belt, there is no doubt that Paul will be even more
