An athlete’s life is not easy, and when the sport is akin to Strongman, things can get bloody really quickly. Canadian strength icon Mitchell Hooper has made a name for himself in the field with his spectacular performance and countless titles this season. However, even the Arnold Strongman Classic champion couldn’t escape grave injuries.
He recently took to Instagram to share some anecdotes from behind the curtains at the World’s Strongest Man Championship held a few days ago at Myrtle Beach. While the competition itself was an adrenaline fuel, with strongmen from various countries coming together to test their limits, it proved to have its dangers.
Revealing shots of his bloodied hand in a video, Hooper admitted in another detailed post that he sustained severe injuries in the first round of the finals itself. This made him question whether he could move ahead with his participation since being safe and injury-free was his ultimate goal.
However, he pushed through and ended up on the podium in the second position after British Strongman champion Tom Stoltman. In the caption under the video, he confessed the harsh realities of the sport.
“Insight into what was happening between events. This is strongman. You have to be a little dumb and a little tough to hack it at the top level.”
The separate post contained his heartiest wishes for Stoltman’s third title along with describing some of the gory details the sport has to witness. Since his hands were practically split open, the equipment sported blood and skin that the volunteers had to clean down every time. And while it may sound icky to many, strength athletes are used to witnessing and experiencing accidents all the time.
“With every rep of the axle they cleaned my blood and skin off the bar. I set a world record on the keg toss while holding the keg in open wounds. I couldn’t hold a 730lbs deadlift backstage and stepped out to hit 830 for 6 reps. I came second in the atlas stones with tacky spread through wounds in my hands.”
More than physical strength, strongmen had to fight through their mental setbacks, especially upon sustaining injuries. While Hopper knew that he may not be at his best, the important thing was to push through the competition, and he did so. Towards the end, he refused to accept sympathies or condolences upon losing and sustaining injuries. Instead, he wanted fans to congratulate and celebrate him for his significant achievement.
Fans came in to support Mitchell Hooper with full force
Watching him fight tooth and nail to get to the top and see glimpses of his bloodied hands, strongman enthusiasts witnessed Hooper’s attitude towards competition in admiration. Especially his coach, Laurence Shahlaei, was incredibly proud of his mentee’s hard work towards the title.
“After messing up your hands earlier in the competition, you still fought and saw it through to the end. You should be very proud of yourself…”
Hooper’s resilience impressed Ireland’s Strongest man, Pa O’Dwyer.
“Your a tough c*** to perform the way you did with those messed up hands…”
Many fans appreciated him and made sure he felt proud of himself for getting through injuries.
“After messing up your hands earlier in the competition, you still fought and saw it through to the end. You should be very proud of yourself…”
Some even called him and his strength an inspiration to those who wanted a push in their lives to trudge forth.
“Stand proud man. You are an inspiration. Not giving up is a rare skill that sits in the heart of a beast mentality. We dont lose. We win or we learn. Proud of you!”
Finally, one of the volunteers who helped Hooper wrap up his injuries also expressed her awe.
“it was a pleasure watching you and trying to tape you up between events Mitch. You put on one hell of a performance. Ps, sorry (again) about the burn of the dermabond…”
He may not have won the championship this year, but the Canadian ended up winning hearts and respect for his stunt. Now, fans eagerly await his next appearance as he prepares to smoke the rest of his competitors.
