Shaw will lift his final World’s Strongest Man Atlas Stone this April.
Brian Shaw’s legacy is unquestionably secure in the pantheon of the strongest greats. The 40-year-old living legend has been professionally carrying yokes and placing Atlas stones on stage for nearly 15 years. As he looks to the next phase of his life that doesn’t involve lifting the biggest things a few select times on the calendar, Shaw is ready to close an important chapter.
On January 9, 2023, Shah was announced as the World’s Strongest Man (WSM) of 2023. It was his last performance in a famous international competition. When the latest edition rolls into Myrtle Beach, SC, April 18-23, 2023, Shaw will make “another big push” for a historic fifth career WSM title.
When Shaw is finally set to compete at the 2023 WSM, it will mark his 16th appearance at the prestigious event. He has appeared in WSM finals coming after the heat stage cutoff, in his previous 14 contests, only falling short of advancing in his WSM debut in 2008. So far, Shaw has never finished lower than sixth in the WSM (2019). And can boast of 10 podium results.
More impressively, when taking the historical context of wins, Shaw’s four WSM championships tie him for the second most all-time with Zydrunas Savikas, Magnus Ver Magnusson and Jan Paul Sigmars. With five WSM titles, only Poland’s Marisz Pudzianowski has more victories as he stands alone at the top of the sport. Shaw’s last WSM title came in 2016, when he happened to defeat eventual 2017 WSM champion Eddie Hall (third place) and future 2018 WSM champion Hafthor Björnsson (second place).
While discussing what his last appearance meant to him, Shaw was candid and seemingly optimistic about his prospects in the 2023 repeat of the competition.
“After taking some time to think about it, I want to give the world’s strongest man another big push.” Shah said. “I feel like I’ve got it in me. My body is better and mentally, I think I can be in a much better position this year. […] Now, there is a lot of work to be done. I’m not going to skate around that fact. I don’t think it will be easy in any way, shape or form. But the work can be put in and it can be amazing.
To win his fifth career WSM title, Shah faces a tall task in a stacked field of superstars. In addition to Shaw, the roster could include two-time champion Tom Stoltmann, 2019 champion Martins Lysis and 2020 winner Oleksii Novikov in some form.
One thing is for sure: if Shaw can overcome this ultimate feat of talented peers, his status as a living strongman legend can only grow in the WSM swansong.
Featured Image: @shawstrength on Instagram
