The Strongman Super Series, known from 2001 to 2004 as the IFSA World Strongman Super Series, from 2005 to 2008 as the World's Strongest Man Super Series, and reverting in 2009 to the World Strongman Super Series, is a sequence of grand prix events in the sport of strength athletics. It was introduced in 2001 in response to concerns that, unlike other individual sports such as golf or tennis, there was no recognized international "tour" in strength athletics. The Strongman Super Series ensures that there are a number of high-profile, professionally run contests during the year, with competitors' placings being used to decide the overall Super Series Champion.
Typically, ten to twelve athletes take part in each GP, comprising the top six in the international rankings and at least four qualifiers or wildcard entries. The winner of each grand prix receives ten series points, the second placed, nine, and so on. The highest scoring competitor at the end of the series is named World Champion.
World Class Events ("WCE") ran the Super Series in co-operation with the International Federation of Strength Athletes ("IFSA") from 2001 to 2004 until IFSA cut ties with WCE and World's Strongest Man and began promoting their own grand prix events and world championships. In 2005, WCE signed a deal with Trans World International ("TWI"), the world's largest independent producer and distributor of sports programming, to have the exclusive rights worldwide to be the only qualifying tour to the MET-Rx World's Strongest Man event for 2005–2008.WCE AND TWI SHOW STRENGTH IN PARTNERSHIP The top four athletes from each Grand Prix competition receive an automatic invitation to WSM.
On April 27, 2009 Giants Live, an arena-based series of live strongman competitions, was named the Official World's Strongest Man Qualifying Tour for 2009–2011, thus taking over from the Strongman Super Series in this regard. The first 2009 qualifying event took place on May 17 at the Mohegan Sun Casino in Uncasville, Connecticut, and the second event being the Viking Power competition in Norway, and finishing off the 2009 season in Poland.GIANTS LIVE NAMED OFFICIAL QUALIFYING TOUR FOR WORLD'S STRONGEST MAN COMPETITION
Super Series World Champions Year Athlete Nationality2001 Magnus Samuelsson 2002 Hugo Girard 2003/4 Mariusz Pudzianowski 2004 Žydrūnas Savickas 2005* Mariusz Pudzianowski 2006* Mariusz Pudzianowski 2007* Mariusz Pudzianowski 2008* Derek Poundstone 2009 Brian Shaw 2010 Brian Shaw
2001
The International Federation of Strength Athletes co-produced the Strongman Super Series events from 2001 to 2004 along with World Class Events (WCE)/Ulf Bengtsson.
Name and LocationChampionRunner-up3rd PlaceDate Netherlands Wout Zijlstra Magnus Samuelsson Svend Karlsen 20 May 2001 Prague, Czech Republic Hugo Girard Svend Karlsen Magnus Samuelsson 18 August 2001 Stockholm, Sweden Magnus Samuelsson Hugo Girard Svend Karlsen 28 October 2001 Magnus Samuelsson (15 points) Hugo Girard (13 points) Svend Karlsen (13 points)
2002 Name and LocationChampionRunner-up3rd PlaceDate Aberdeen, Scotland Svend Karlsen Hugo Girard Janne Virtanen 16 June 2002 Stockholm, Sweden Hugo Girard Svend Karlsen Žydrūnas Savickas 23 November 2002 Honolulu, Hawaii, United States Hugo Girard Žydrūnas Savickas Mariusz Pudzianowski 17 January 2003 Hugo Girard (17 points) Svend Karlsen (13 points) Žydrūnas Savickas 9 points)
2003 Name and LocationChampionRunner-up3rd PlaceDate Honolulu, Hawaii, United States Mariusz Pudzianowski Raimonds Bergmanis Žydrūnas Savickas 18 January 2003 Silvolde, Netherlands Mariusz Pudzianowski Žydrūnas Savickas Jarno Hams 14 June 2003 North Bay, Canada Hugo Girard Mariusz Pudzianowski Svend Karlsen 1 August 2003 Imatra, Finland Hugo Girard Mariusz Pudzianowski Raimonds Bergmanis 16 August 2003 Columbus, Ohio, United States Žydrūnas Savickas Svend Karlsen Raimonds Bergmanis 5-6 March 2004 Mariusz Pudzianowski Žydrūnas Savickas Raimonds Bergmanis
2004 Name and LocationChampionRunner-up3rd PlaceDate Moscow, Russia Mariusz Pudzianowski Žydrūnas Savickas Vasyl Virastyuk 11 July 2004 Gothenburg, Sweden Magnus Samuelsson Žydrūnas Savickas Svend Karlsen 5 December 2004 Žydrūnas Savickas Vasyl Virastyuk Mariusz Pudzianowski/ Magnus Samuelsson
2005 Beginning in 2005, WSM/WCE cut all ties with IFSA, who had begun promoting their own separate grand prix events and world championships. The Strongman Super Series then became known as the World's Strongest Man Super Series and was the official qualifying tour for World's Strongest Man from 2005 to 2008.
Name and LocationChampionRunner-up3rd PlaceDate Los Angeles, California, United States Mariusz Pudzianowski Jesse Marunde Janne Virtanen 18 June 2005 Malbork, Poland Mariusz Pudzianowski Slawomir Toczek Jesse Marunde 16 July 2005 Varberg, Sweden Mariusz Pudzianowski Janne Virtanen Jesse Marunde 30 July 2005 Uncansville, Connecticut, United States Mariusz Pudzianowski Jessen Paulin Don Pope 10 August 2005 Mariusz Pudzianowski Jesse Marunde Janne Virtanen
2006 Name and LocationChampionRunner-up3rd PlaceDate Uncansville, Connecticut, United States Mariusz Pudzianowski Jesse Marunde Josh Thigpen 1 June 2006 Moscow, Russia Mariusz Pudzianowski Elbrus Nigmatullin Jessen Paulin 2 July 2006 Milicz, Poland Mariusz Pudzianowski Jarek Dymek Sebastian Wenta 12 August 2006 Mariusz Pudzianowski
2007 Name and LocationChampionRunner-up3rd PlaceDate Uncansville, Connecticut, United States Mariusz Pudzianowski Kevin Nee Mark Felix 22 April 2007 Los Angeles, California, United States Dave Ostlund Mariusz Pudzianowski Jesse Marunde 16 June 2007 Gol, Norway Mariusz Pudzianowski Jarek Dymek Magnus Samuelsson 7 July 2007 Mariusz Pudzianowski
2008 Name and LocationChampionRunner-up3rd PlaceDate Uncansville, Connecticut, United States Derek Poundstone Mariusz Pudzianowski Terry Hollands 19 January 2008 New York City, New York, United States Travis Ortmayer Derek Poundstone Dave Ostlund 21 June 2008 Gol, Norway Arild Haugen Sebastian Wenta Richard Skog 5 July 2008 Lysekil, Sweden Magnus Samuelsson Tarmo Mitt Richard Skog 16 August 2008 Derek Poundstone
2009 Giants Live replaced the World's Strongest Man Super Series beginning in 2009 as the official qualifying tour for the World's Strongest Man. However, Strongman Super Series continued to hold events under the new title of World Strongman Super Series in 2009 & 2010.Official site breaking news
Name and LocationChampionRunner-up3rd PlaceDate Bucharest, Romania Marshall White Nick Best Johannes Arsjo 4 July 2009 Los Angeles, California, United States Brian Shaw Stoyan Todorchev Jason Bergmann 14 November 2009 Gothenburg, Sweden Brian Shaw Stoyan Todorchev Jason Bergmann 5 December 2009 Brian Shaw (27 points) Stoyan Todorchev (24 points) Nick Best (21 points)
2010 Name and LocationChampionRunner-up3rd PlaceDate Uncansville, Connecticut, United States Derek Poundstone Brian Shaw Stoyan Todorchev 25 April 2010 Gol, Norway Brian Shaw Johannes Arsjo Laurence Shahlaei 26 June 2010 Lysekil, Sweden Brian Shaw Nick Best Laurence Shahlaei 17 December 2010 Brian Shaw (33 points) Dave Ostlund (19.5 points) Laurence Shahlaei (16 points)
See also List of strongman competitions International Federation of Strength Athletes World's Strongest Man Giants Live Arnold Strongman Classic World Muscle Power Championships
References
External links WSM Super Series Official website to 2008 World Strongman Super Series Official website from 2009