Hooper’s 2023 Down Under got off to a roaring start.
Mitchell Hooper has already steadily plugged what could be a monumental year in his young professional strongman career. An athlete who burst onto the scene with an early blitz at the 2022 World’s Strongest Man (WSM) and subsequently became a dominant force on the major circuit, the strongman is poised to ascend to the top of the summit. However, before he starts climbing the mountain again, the superstar recently traveled to the “Land of the Long Weekend” for the perfect first stop on his 2023 journey. She was joined by someone who could become the next elite strong woman.
It’s January. 21, 2023, Hooper won the 2023 Australia’s Strongest International (ASI) competition in Yapean, Australia. In a competition that included other elite strongmen and strongwomen such as Masters deadlift world record holder Rauno Henla and 2018 World’s Strongest Woman (WSW) champion Andrea Thompson, Hooper stood tall as the headliner, respectively. New Zealand’s Shayna Wirihana wins half of ASI’s Strongest Woman 2023. Henla (second place) and Fadi El Masri (third place) joined Canada’s Hooper on the strongman podium. In contrast, Thompson (second place) and Megan Clarke (third place) rounded out Wirihana for the strong ladies.
Here are the final positions of the strongest players who competed in the 2023 ASI:
2023 Australia’s Strongest International | Strongman Final Positions
- Michelle Hooper (Canada) – 31 points
- Rowno Henla (Estonia) – 28 points
- Fadi El Masri (Australia) – 20 marks
- Jean-Stephen Koraboff (Australia) – 18.5 points
- Tiano Fapoi (New Zealand) – 13 points
- Tyler Helm (Australia) – 13 points
- Sean Gillen (Australia) – 11.5 points
Here are the final positions of the strong women who competed in the 2023 ASI:
2023 Australia’s Strongest International | Strong Woman Final Positions
- Shayana Virihana (New Zealand) – 28.5 points
- Andrea Thompson (Great Britain) – 26 points
- Megan Clarke (Australia) – 24.5 points
- Donna Moore (Great Britain) – 24.5 points
- Nicole Jenrich (Australia) – 13.5 points
- Joe Kimitaunga (Australia) – 11.5 points
- Camilla Fogagnolo (Australia) – 10.5 points
Hooper won four of the five events to seal his first career ASI title. With this decisive victory, Strongman more or less picked up where he left off in 2022. Hooper has now won three of his last four contests On a hot streak that includes wins at the 2022 Giants Live World Tour Finals and the 2022 Arnold Strongman Classic UK. So far, sh Strongman ArchivesHooper only failed to reach the podium at the 2022 WSM final when he posted an eighth-place result.
Meanwhile, Wirihana did not win any events outright at the 2023 ASI Achieving a solid top-three finish in each of them. Such consistency allowed the New Zealand rival to eventually topple Thompson by a 2.5-point margin. This is Wirihana’s first victory since capturing the 2022 New Zealand’s Strongest Woman Championship.
Hooper has already successfully morphed into one of the leading names in strongman. All he really has left to accomplish is outdoing his elite peers at the 2023 WSM, April 18-23, 2023 in Myrtle Beach, SC. For Wirihana, a strong woman may be just getting started. After overcoming a perennial WSW contender and gaining recognition among some of the world’s elite, the 2023 ASI could be a fantastic next step on its own path to greatness.
Featured Image: @mitchellhooper on Instagram
