Canada’s first World’s Strongest Man Champion Mitchell Hooper reflects on his ‘life-changing’ victory
MITCHELL Hooper made history as the first Canadian to win the title of World’s Strongest Man.
The 2023 champion faced stiff opposition from Britain’s Tom Stoltman and Ukraine’s Oleksii Novikov to take home the trophy in just his second appearance at the competition.
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Speaking to The US Sun after his win in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, Hooper, 27, admitted the win was “life-changing” and described being the first Canadian to win the title as “amazing”. .
He said: “It’s the back of so many people who have sacrificed so much for the good of the sport.
“And hopefully JF Carron, Hugo Girard, Maxime Boudreault, anyone who’s been to Canada knows that they played a role in my upbringing.”
He continued, “It’s something that changes your life.
“So I look forward to using that for a greater purpose. And yes, it will take me a long time to internalize it.”
And while some competitors would take this opportunity to have a lavish evening out or vacation, Hooper is simply planning a “quiet” celebration.
He said, “My brain is tired, my body is tired.
“Maybe just a few beers and hanging out with all the boys and 29 of my best friends that I won’t be seeing for a while now.”
As for his future, Hooper has no plans to retire anytime soon, and when asked if he’d try to make it back-to-back in 2024, he simply replied, “We’ll try.”
“I’ll stay here as long as I enjoy it,” he said.
“As long as this community stays the same, it’s going to be pretty hard to leave.
“It’s such a special group of guys, such a special community from top to bottom. So it’s very difficult to predict that this will end any time soon.”
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