Who is the greatest?

Do multiple championships count more for longevity? Is the competition better now than it was? Are the events easier now than they were 20 years ago? No matter what your criteria you are bound to have an opinion – this is the place to have your say and vote for who you think is the best ever. Everyone is encouraged to leave a comment with who they picked, but more importantly why.

15 Comments »

15 Responses

on February 10, 2010 at 5:08 pm | Reply Gary

The Capester!

There are others out there with bigger arms, faster times and more impressive feats to their name, but I have a real soft spot for Geoff Capes. He’s a UK institution.
- on February 10, 2010 at 5:12 pm | Reply The 5th Stone
  
  His battles with Jón Páll Sigmarsson are some of my earliest and greatest memories of World’s Strongest Man. His bar bending skills are second to none, not even the mighty Bill Kazmaier could match him in that event.
on February 16, 2010 at 10:35 pm | Reply The Solution

I would definitely vote for Magnus Samuelsson. He was my favorite every time I saw him competing. His introduction into WSM (1995) was also very impressive. These man-on-man contests can be quite harmful sometimes.
- on February 17, 2010 at 6:14 am | Reply The 5th Stone
  
  I was watching the 1995 World’s Strongest Man last week and I was amazed at how young Magnus looked! He’s competed in more World’s Strongest Man finals than any other competitor in the history of the competition – add in his huge personality and entertaining style and we have a real comtendor.
on March 7, 2010 at 2:18 am | Reply Chris Hawkes

Who is the greatest? That’s a tough one. Kind of a vague question. Who is the strongest is another. Jon Pall is the Arnold of the sport, Mariusz the Coleman. And as far as longevity Capes has to be mentioned. Kaz was Jon Pall hero and held a bench record that lasted 19 years I believe. All have built on the success of the those before, and the sport has changed a lot. Having interviewed Poundstone myself, he said Kaz would be at the top even today. And we’ll never know how many he could have won if given the chance. Jon Pall’s personality and positive thinking an stature are the most admirable I’ve seen in the sport. Guy was pure fun to watch.
- on March 7, 2010 at 6:33 am | Reply The 5th Stone
  
  What led to you interviewing Derek Poundstone and is the interview available online?
  
  It’s a shame Kaz never competed in the 83-86 competitions, it would have been interesting to see him against Capes and Sigmarsson, all at their peak together.
  
  Do you think Kaz would still have been top today with the high level of athelticsm that guys like Pudzianowski possess? That said, I do think Kaz was far more mobile than people have always made out when comparing him to today’s competitors.
on August 28, 2010 at 7:20 am | Reply Bobby

You have it all wrong. Kaz didn’t compete for 5 years. He did compete against capes before wsm banned kaz for 5 years. I think he competed against capes 2 or 3 wsm and destroyed capes every time. I would think that if kaz wasn’t banned for 5 years he would have had 3 or 4 more titles. The 2 titles Capes won would have been kaz titles. Kaz won three years in a row and spoke his mind. In 83 wsm went over seas and kaz refuse to compete that year. They didn’t invite him back because of that and nobody could beat him at his prime so they felt the sport wasn’t growing if he came back and continued his dominance. For that reason a lot of people think they didn’t let kaz compete and banned him for 5 years. I think he was out for 6 years though. When he finally came back to wsm after all those years he was now much older and not in his prime but still did very well. Capes himself said few years ago in an interview that kaz in his prime was the best strongman ever.
- on January 1, 2011 at 4:19 pm | Reply The 5th Stone
  
  As I said, it would have been nice to have seen Capes v Kaz v Sigmarsson ALL in their prime competing against each other in WSM, but that never happened.
on January 6, 2011 at 7:36 pm | Reply Rosco Diaz

Žydrūnas Savickas? Doesn’t he hold around 48 records?
Probably not my choice, but the commentators, I think Colin Bryce, were pretty emphatic that he was.
- on January 7, 2011 at 9:29 am | Reply The 5th Stone
  
  My problem with calling Savickas the greatest is that a lot of his achievements have bee outside of WSM, and I think to be the greatest hell have to win more WSM titles, which after this year it looks he very well may do!
  
  I think I need to change this poll to add Savickas into the choices – when I did it he had only won once and I was only including people who’d won twice or more, which of course he now has done.
on January 14, 2011 at 8:02 am | Reply Luke

Like i said on a different post.. big z will prob beat most WSM records… the bloke is a beast and keeps comming back stronger and faster! he is obvioulsy as determined as marius! but marius has gotta be the best ever to take part and make history in WSM!!! I just cannot wait tho to see a nooby first time come to WSM and destroy all the events and perhaps break all the records and win every time.. it has happened before!!! back in the day.. but there is always another day! this would be great

THE DOMINATOR ALL THE WAY!
- on January 14, 2011 at 4:24 pm | Reply The 5th Stone
  
  The closest we had a to a new guy winning was Poundstone in 2008, and if he hadn’t drop that 5th Atlas Stone then he’d have won in his first ever WSM appearance. I think Brian Shaw will win next year. As strong as Big Z is I think Shaw, with an extra year of experience, will be unbeatable – he seems made for Strongman competitions and cam so close this year.
on March 23, 2011 at 2:30 pm | Reply Hulkvader

The Kaz is the greatest strongman ever, won three times in a row and would have continued winning, but was left out for six years in his prime. When they finally invited him back in 88, he was screwed out of the Championship on technicalitys. I just watched the 88 final, and never have I seen so much animosity towards a competitor as there was towards kaz, and favoritism shown towards reeves. but then the same thing happened when capes competed. the brits wanted their man to win, and did what ever it took to make it happen. Kaz was not invited back so Geoff Capes could win, and he did twice.
- on March 25, 2011 at 9:49 am | Reply The 5th Stone
  
  I don’t think it’s quite the conspiracy you’re implying – I’ve read the interview where Kaz says he wasn’t invited but then I’ve also heard from other more neutral sources that the event went abroad and Kaz refused to go, so he ruined his own chances of gaining more titles really. IMG, the company who organise WSM are an American company so it’s not a case of a British company wanting a Brit to win. There’s no doubt he’s one of the strongest ever but the world was not against him.
on July 27, 2011 at 4:58 am | Reply jason

Regarding Bill Kazmaier’s wsm years….my opinion and understanding of it is that, at the time,the promoter(s) were in business with Jon Pall in various capacities,one of which being a Yoghurt Manufacturer which used the title of “Worlds Strongest Man” with Jon Palls mugshot on the pot to help to flog them.This makes it obvious that there was always a vested interest in having JPS win this title,as the events Organisers and Promoters were the same people that owned the various Business interests which JPS was involved in…..use your brains people! lol
Retain your cynicism and you’ll come to the correct conclusion on why it was made very hard for Kaz to win events that he’d never seen before and was never told were going to be included upcoming events,whereas JPS was given full information of them and given time to practice them.
However,JPS was always a lot younger and was very talented,so the advantage of the “Favourable Treatment” was enough to give him the slight edge he needed to beat Kaz when they faced each other towards the end of Kaz’s career.Also,to clear up this fallacy about Kaz not wanting to attend…..in days gone by,the entrants were chosen on an “invite” basis,there was never any qualifying rounds etc,on the years Kaz didnt compete it was because he WAS’NT INVITED!…..he was simply ignored and was kept out of the loop.
Hope this has cleared this all up,Kaz is King as the evnts were a sham in the old days.