2017 World’s Strongest Man winner Eddie “The Beast” Hall challenges his fellow strongmen to hit the pool and test their swimming skills in this bonus feature from an episode of “The Strongest Man in History.”
After demonstrating his skills in the water, Hall, a former British national champion swimmer and British Junior Olympics swim team member, asks fellow World’s Strongest Man competitors Brian Shaw, Nick Best and Robert Oberst take their turn at two laps in the pool to see who is fastest.
Hall won gold in the 50 free, 100 free, 400 free and 1500 free and silver in the 200 free in the 13-year old age group at the ASA National Age Group Championships in 2001. In 2002, he took the gold in the 14 year old 400 (4:13.76) and 1500 (16:48.98) and was the runnerup in the 100 (55.10). He still ranks 66th all-time among British 14-year olds in the 100 free; at the time he ranked 4th.
Hall was the World’s Strongest Man in 2017 and also finished third in 2016, while Shaw won four titles (2011, 2013, 2015 and 2016). Best’s top finish on the World’s Strongest Man stage was sixth at the 2010 event. Oberst was eighth at the 2018 World’s Strongest Man competition and ninth in 2013.
In the swimming challenge, Oberst came up victorious in the three Strongman race. Full video is below.
According to the History Channel, each episode of “The Strongest Man in History” will see the four men “on a journey across the world to seek out history’s most legendary titans of strength, celebrate their feats of fortitude, immerse themselves in their history and attempt to break their long-standing records, some of which have endured for hundreds of years.”
This swimming challenge was a bonus feature from the episode “One Ton Lift,” which aired on July 17, 2019.
“The Strongest Man in the World” airs on the History Channel on Wednesdays at 10 p.m. ET/9 p.m. CT.
I did NOT realize how good of a swimmer Hall was back in the day. Coming here after watching him do a standing press >400 lbs over his head. Wow.
That butterfly reminds me of the Zohan swimming.
Lmao
Reminds me of Sylvester Stallone in Rocky 3.
I wonder who the heaviest elite swimmer is. I think Eddie was 350-375 when this was filmed. I can’t imagine any great swimmer weighs more than 230
Geoff huegill right before his comeback
Update: Ian Thorpe was 105kg which I believe in freedom units is 231. Mind blown.
Wowww, that’s big.
You can be overweight in swimming, not really great but good. I know overweight kids that were fair swimmers as a kid and I’m overweight as adult not as big as Eddie but heavy.
Adrian is 220lbs, probably not the top ever but he’s definitely up there
The rest of the guys are hilarious here (btw they all have there own channels were they document there training it’s pretty cool. But Eddie is actually a really good swimmer
I always knew Eddie was a good swimmer, but never thought he had such impressive winning spree in all those freestyle distances.
Yeah, the 1500 is a little surprising!
Awesome. I admit that it’s pretty funny seeing them try to move through the water, but as technical as an elite Strongman competitor has to be to move that much weight without getting injured, I bet any of them could pick it up in no time and smoke the average person if they wanted.
Its easier to swim with being overweight than run. I can swim fast but not run.
Easy to laugh at Brian Shaw (I’m guilty here), but just think of how he’d make us look in the weight room.
I love that Shaw lifts weights with a mouthguard in, and what he makes look easy the other guys can’t even “move”.
The weights he makes look easy would break every bone in my body.
It’s unreal how strong those guys are. I think most of us can’t really process it. These guys can lift weights that the rest of us would have trouble even make wiggle a little on the rack.
I’m guessing you’ve seen this, but I always really enjoy watching Rich Eisen’s 40-yard dash at the NFL combine, with the “Simulcam” comparing him to NFL players. They go by him like he’s standing still.
The simulcam part begins around 1:40:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pD720vl-GRU