Three-time World’s Strongest Man Tom Stoltman has confirmed he’ll skip the 2026 Arnold Strongman Classic in Ohio, opting to put all his focus into chasing a fourth WSM crown later this year.
The decision, revealed on his YouTube channel, marks a tactical shift in the Scotsman’s 2026 season — one that’s all about control, recovery, and peaking at exactly the right moment.
“I’ve pulled out of the Arnold Classic in Ohio. I thought, people are watching this and I want to tell you guys I’m not doing the Arnold Classic in Ohio. …I decided to pull out of that and really concentrate on a 12- to 14-week prep for World’s (WSM),” Tom said.
Rather than jetting across the Atlantic for back-to-back contests, Stoltman will anchor his early-season efforts at Britain’s Strongest Man in Sheffield on February 7. Competing on home soil means fewer logistics, less fatigue — and more room for a long, uninterrupted training block leading into Worlds.
“That means there’s less traveling for me to do. There’s not a competition in the way now. So I don’t have to kind of peak for Britain’s, go back down, quickly peak, go back down, and compete. Then between Britain’s and the World’s, not having that travel, which can really mess you up as well. So I just thought to sacrifice Arnold for a bit, and I really want that fourth (WSM) title. So, I’m going to go really hard into it.”
The 30-year-old explained that his withdrawal wasn’t about injury or burnout, but about refining his preparation window.
His current Britain’s training cycle has been clicking — and he wants to maintain that rhythm rather than risk spreading himself too thin.
“And the way I’ve been training for Britain’s, if I can keep that for the next 14 weeks, then I’ll be on a good road to it, really,” he said. “That is the reason why I pulled out of Arnold’s, because I know I am getting back to my best.
“If I wasn’t training like I was for Britain’s, I would have done it. And then also, it gets me more time. I think there’s less stress and pressure on me because the Arnold’s this year, I think, would have been stressful and pressured knowing that I’m really wanting the fourth and then I would have been like trying to maybe question things again, trying to go heavier in training because World’s is coming up.”
By staying in the UK for his build-up, Stoltman avoids the kind of jet-lag and routine changes that can derail top-end prep.
“But now after Britain’s, I’ve got 14 weeks to kind of have some chill time,” Tom said. “We’ve got a few things that we’re going to be doing…
“I’ve had fun from this prep up to Britain as well. I think the reason I’ve had fun is because I’ve stayed in the country. I’ve not had to go to America. I’ve not had to go abroad and switch time differences. I’ve been in Scotland and England and I can say that if I’m in Scotland or if I’m in England or anywhere in the UK, I can eat the same food and it’s the same time difference.”
Tom says that if he can continue he training at the rate he is at this moment in time, fans will see him in “the best shape” of his life.
Stoltman’s decision is purely strategic — not injury-related — as he pursues commitment to making strongman history. Only a handful of legends – including Brian Shaw, Zydrunas Savickas, Magnús Ver Magnússon, and Jón Páll Sigmarsson – have ever captured four World’s Strongest Man titles.
Poland’s Mariusz Pudzianowski still leads the all-time standings with five.
If Stoltman can convert this focused approach into another championship run, he’ll become just the sixth man in history to lift four WSM trophies — cementing his place among the sport’s all-time greats.
Elsewhere in his video update, Tom paid tribute to the late Pa O’Dwyer, and highlighted how much of an honour it was – as his competitor and friend – to carry Pa to his final resting place.
For now, as Tom puts it best himself, he’s “getting back to his best” following the holidays.
Featured image credit: YouTube/LifeWithTomAndSinead / Instagram/tomstoltmanofficial
