Strength athletics in Sweden refers to the participation of Swedish competitors and events in the field of

strength athletics Strength athletics, also known as Strongman competitions, is a sport which tests competitors' strength in a variety of non-traditional ways. Some of the disciplines are similar to those in powerlifting and some powerlifters have also successfully ...

in association with the

World's Strongest Man The World's Strongest Man is an international Strongman competition held every year. Organized by American event management company IMG, a subsidiary of Endeavor, it is broadcast in the US during summers and in the UK around the end of Decem ...

History

Sweden has a long and rich history of strength athletics dating back to the mid 1900s in the sport of

Olympic weightlifting Olympic weightlifting, or Olympic-style weightlifting (officially named Weightlifting), is a sport in which athletes compete in lifting a barbell loaded with weight plates from the ground to overhead, with each athlete trying to successfully lif ...

with

Bo Johansson Bo "Bosse" Johansson (born 28 November 1942) is a Swedish former football player and current football coach. Biography Johansson was a player for fourteen years with Kalmar FF and Lindsdals IF, though he did not win any trophies as a player. I ...

in the 1960s and 1970s, and several top ranked IPF Powerlifters such as

Lars Hedlund Lars Hedlund (January 24, 1949 – June 4, 2016), was a former strongman and powerlifter from Sweden. Strongman Lars competed in three World's Strongest Man contests, finishing second at the 1979 and 1980 World's Strongest Man, and third in 197 ...

and

Lars Norén Lars Göran Ingemar Norén (9 April 1944 – 26 January 2021) was a Swedish playwright, novelist and poet. His plays are realistic and often revolve around family and personal relations, either among people who are impoverished and rooted at th ...

during the 1980s. Sweden has been at the top international level in

since the very beginning in the late 1970s with

achieving numerous podium finishes. Sweden struggled through the 1980s and early 1990s until the arrival of

Magnus Samuelsson Magnus Samuelsson (born December 21, 1969), is a Swedish actor, former strongman and winner of the 1998 World's Strongest Man contest in Morocco. He has also made it to the World's Strongest Man podium 5 times and the finals 10 times and is rega ...

in 1995. Samuelsson would go on to win the

1998 World's Strongest Man The 1998 World's Strongest Man was the 21st edition of World's Strongest Man and was won by Magnus Samuelsson from Sweden. It was his first title after finishing third the previous year. 1997 champion Jouko Ahola from Finland finished second, ...

, Sweden's only WSM title. Magnus continued to win major international contests and be a top podium finisher at WSM until his retirement in 2008. In recent years, Johannes Årsjö has continued to maintain Sweden's top position on the international scene with numerous podium finishes at major international contests.

National competitions

Sweden's Strongest Man

Sweden's Strongest Man ( sv, Sveriges Starkaste Man) is an annual

Strongman In the 19th century, the term strongman referred to an exhibitor of strength or similar circus performers who performed feats of strength. More recently, strength athletics, also known as strongman competitions, have grown in popularity. These ...

competition held in Sweden and featuring exclusively Swedish athletes, to determine who the strongest Swede of the year is.

and Johannes Årsjö have both won the competition 9 times, thus sharing the record for most wins.

Top 3 placings

Regional Competitions

Nordic Strongman Championships

The Nordic Strongman Championships consists of athletes from

Iceland Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its ...

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...

, Sweden,

Finland Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bo ...

and

Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of Denmark , establishe ...

.Nordic Strongman Championships: Viking Loses His Title!
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Svend Karlsen Svend 'Viking' Karlsen (born 6 October 1967) is a Norwegian former strongman, powerlifter, and IFBB professional bodybuilder. Being a winner of the World's Strongest Man, the Europe's Strongest Man, the World Muscle Power Classic and 3 tim ...

, ,

, , Juha-Matti Räsänen , , IFSA Nordic Championships

Kristiansand Kristiansand is a seaside resort city and Municipalities of Norway, municipality in Agder county, Norway. The city is the fifth-largest and the municipality the sixth-largest in Norway, with a population of around 112,000 as of January 2020, f ...

, - , 2012 , , Johannes Årsjö , ,

Lars Rorbakken Lars is a common male name in Scandinavian countries. Origin ''Lars'' means "from the city of Laurentum". Lars is derived from the Latin name Laurentius, which means "from Laurentum" or "crowned with laurel". A homonymous Etruscan name was born ...

, , Michael Licht , , Nordic Championships

Harstad ( se, Hárstták) is the second-most populated municipality in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. It is mostly located on the large island of Hinnøya. The municipal center is the town of Harstad, the most populous town in Central Hålogaland, ...

, - , 2013 , , Johannes Årsjö , , Ole Martin Hansen , , Juha Matti Jarvi , , {{flagicon, NOR Giants Live Nordic Championships

, -

References

Strongmen competitions Sweden Sport in Sweden