While the entire Vehicle Pull category in the World's Strongest Man contest is a spectacle in itself, a few contestants have caused viewers to drop their jaws with their insane display of strength.

So, let's take a look at a few insane performances in this category that best justified the title of ‘World’s Strongest Men.’

The top-8 Vehicle Pulls in World’s Strongest Man

Unlike static lifts, vehicle pulls are a combination of coordination and brute strength. The strongmen are required to lean forward at an extreme angle and march forward, pulling the vehicle with a harness. 

It is an intensely taxing test of applying force over distance, even when the body is screaming for you to stop. In 2023, the challenge is to pull a 51,000lbs bus through a 25-metre course within 75 seconds.

Here are the 8 incredible humans who beat the odds and completed the challenge most impressively:

1. Michael Hooper (30.24 secs)
2. Tom Stoltman (32.27 secs)
3. Evan Singleton (32.27 secs)
4. Pavlo Kordiyaka (32.46 secs)
5. Trey Mitchell (32.49 secs)
6. Brian Shaw (32.65 secs)
7. Luke Stoltman (32.83 secs)
8. Oleksii Novikov (33.35 secs)

Legends of the World’s Strongest Man Vehicle Pulling Contest

The event was introduced in 1977 when someone saw a truck and thought, “How about if a human pulled it?” and since then, everything from a car to a tram, buses, and even planes have been dragged across a 100ft course by the human equivalent of the Incredible Hulk by their hands. 

Bruce Wilhem was the first person to pull a vehicle and complete a 21 metre course in 14 seconds. The feat popularized vehicle pulling in modern athletic competition, and made the event one of the most-loved Strongman challenges.

There is a very peculiar way of choosing the vehicle for the event; it's either a nod to the previous winner or the city in which the competition is being held. 

In 2007, the vehicle used in the competition was a fire truck to pay tribute to firefighter Phil Pfister, who was also the 2006 champion. Similarly, in 2008, the competition was held in West Virginia, and the vehicle used was a coal truck, which was an ode to the coal mining industry in that area.

Some of the greatest strongman vehicle pullers of all time are:

1. Hafthor Bjornsson
2. Zydrunas Savickas
3. Mariusz Pudzianawski
4. Mateusz Kieliszkowski
5. Brian Shaw
6. Tom Staltman
7. Martin Licis
8. Terry Hollands

Have you watched any of the performances of any of them? Also, who would you label the greatest Strongman of all time, considering all categories?

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Written by

Ruwa Javed

Edited by

Souvik Roy