Tallest Strongman Ever
Strongman are known for their huge frames but also tower over most normal people. For those who have came face-to-face with a strongman know that they are definitely built differently, in size and height! In this article, we will look at the tallest strongman to have ever lived and others who stand above us! To get a quick breakdown, here is the list below.
| Rank | Strongman | Height |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Édouard Beaupré | 2.51 metres (8 feet 3 inches) |
| 2 | Ted van der Parre | 2.09 metres tall (6 feet 10.5 inches) |
| 3 | Nathan Jones | 2.08 metres (6 feet 10 inches) |
| 4 | Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson | 2.05 metres (6 feet 9 inches) |
| 5 | Tom Stoltman | 2.04 metres (6 feet 8.5 inches) |
To find out more about some of these unique strongman, continue reading on!
Édouard Beaupré
The tallest strongman to have ever lived is Édouard Beaupré, who stood at a whopping 2.51 metres (8 feet 3 inches) tall! Beaupré was born in 1881 and was well known for his height throughout his life. At just the age of nine years old, he was already standing at 1.83m (6 feet), taller than most fully grown adults! His height kept on growing at rapid pace. At the age of 12, he was already over 1.98 metres tall (6 feet 6 inches).
Édouard Beaupré worked with his father who was a freighter before his strongman days. He abandoned his life to begin touring, showing off his strength. In 1901, he famously wrestled Louis Cyr, a famous French Canadian Strongman, and managed to overcome him. At 21 years old, he weighed 166kg (366lbs) and stood at 2.41 metres (7 feet 11 inches).
Now to get an idea of his sheer size, his neck measured at 21 inches in circumference. He wore size 22 custom made shoes for his feet and had a chest that measured at 56 inches. Édouard Beaupré had some grip with his hands measuring at 12 and a half inches from the wrist to finger tips.
He was the strength star for Barnum and Bailey’s circus, widely crediting him as a strongman. Unfortunately, his career was short lived, with him passing away at just the age of 23 in 1904.
Ted van der Parre
Ted van der Parre is the tallest man to ever compete at the World’s Strongest Man contest, and even managed to win the event in 1992. Standing at 2.09 metres tall (6 feet 10.5 inches) and weighing in at 160kg (350lbs), he interestingly had a low BMI of 35. He is noted as the tallest strongman to win the prestigious event by the Guinness World Records.
Van der Parre boasted 3 titles of Strongest Man of the Netherlands. He is considered to be the strongest strongman from the Netherlands and is the only Dutch winner of the prestigious WSM title.
Despite his great career in strongman, he lost his way. Van der Parre is unfortunately now on welfare and hasn’t set foot in a gym for years. Now he is living in his small home in Poeldijk, sitting in his yard watching pigeons. He is not a man to give up, despite his strongman career costing him his short-term memory and marriages. Whoever does that really ends up in the gutter. – Ted Van per Parre
Nathan Jones
Towering at 2.08 metres (6 feet 10 inches) and weighing in at 145kg, Nathan Jones is a giant! Jones is no stranger to the media, as he is known as an active actor and former professional wrestler. He is noted for his short stint in the World Wrestling Entertainment in the years 2002-2003, aligning himself with the great Undertaker!
Jones was an accomplished powerlifter before switching his attention to strongman. He won the National Powerlifting Champion of Australia. his most notable powerlifting accolade. Nathan Jones is no stranger to strongman, and qualified for the 1995 and 1996 World’s Strongest Man events. Jones’ 1995 run was ended when he broke his arm because of an arm wrestling event with Magnus Samuelsson, the winner of the 1998 World’s Strongest Man. In 1996, he finished third in the qualifying heat.
Despite his short spell in strongman, he is still to be considered one of the tallest strongman to have ever competed on the circuit.
Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson
Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson is one of the greatest strongman in history, standing at 2.05 metres (6 feet 9 inches) tall. He won the World’s Strongest Man in 2018, and reached the podium 7 other times!
Born on 26th November 1988 in Reykjavik Iceland, in his youth was active helping his family farm. His early development started from lifting natural stones from a young age.
Björnsson started his sporting journey with basketball. This a common trend among budding strongmen such as Brian Shaw who also played basketball professionally. Hafthor used his height to an advantage before finding his footing in the world of strength training.
He also broke a deadlift world record in 2020 by pulling 501kg during the pandemic at his own gym in Iceland with referee’s set up by video link. Björnsson is one of the top strongman to come from Iceland. Why not read more about Icelandic strongmen here!
Tom Stoltman
Tom Stoltman is the current World’s Strongest Man, standing at 2.04 metres (6 feet 8.5 inches). He started his professional journey placing second in 2015 Scotland’s Strongest Man, moving on to second the next 2 years until winning first place in 2018 and 2019.
Nicknamed ‘The Albatross’, Stoltman then went on to win Britain’s Strongest Man in 2021 and 2022. He is the current and two time World’s Strongest Man, winning the event in 2022 and his maiden title in 2021. A historical moment for the country as being the first Scot to ever win the title at Worlds.
Tom also has a second nickname of King Of The Stones because of his speed and fluidity in the event.
At the age of 5 Tom was diagnosed with Autism and found his quality of life greatly improved when following his brother Luke’s footsteps by walking into the gym. He focused so much on training he feels his autism has been a self proclaimed super power. His mindset has influenced others with autism around the country as an inspiration.
