Strength athletics in Norway refers to the participation of Norwegian competitors and holding national strongman competitions.
History
The sport's roots have a long history going back many centuries before modern strongman competitions in the 1970s. However, Norway did not come onto the international scene in modern times until the mid-1990s. Norway has had mixed success on the international stage, with Svend Karlsen winning the 2001 World's Strongest Man title, Norway's only WSM title. In recent years, Norway has had several top international competitors in WSM, including Arild Haugen, Richard Skog, Odd Haugen and Espen Aune.
National Competitions
Norway's Strongest Man
Norway's Strongest Man|
| Location | Norway |
|---|
| Month played | September |
|---|
| Established | 1998 |
|---|
| Format | Multi-event competition |
|---|
|
 Håkon Heitmann Kollerød (2024) |
Norway's Strongest Man (Norwegian: Norges Sterkeste Mann) is an annual strongman competition and the main national title of Norway. The event was established in 1998 and has produced fourteen champions throughout the years.[1] Kurt Kvikkstad won in 1998 & 1999, with Roy Holte winning the next 3 years. Then emerged Svend Karlsen, Norway's greatest strength athlete who took the 2003, 2005, and 2006 titles. In 2004 Mattis Bjorheim won the title. Arild Haugen won in 2007 & 2008 and Richard Skog won in 2009 & 2010.[1] Espen Aune won in 2011[2] and then emerged Ole Martin Hansen who won the title four times from 2012 to 2015.[3] Jørgen Skaug Aukland won in 2016 followed by Bjørn André Solvang in 2017. Then emerged Ole Martin Kristiansen who won the title three times from 2018 to 2020. Jonas Bathen won in 2021, Henrik Hildeskor in 2022 & 2023 and Håkon Heitmann Kollerød in 2024.
Champions breakdown
Repeat champions
| Champion
|
Times & years
|
| Ole Martin Hansen |
4 (2012, 2013, 2014, 2015)
|
| Roy Holte |
3 (2000, 2001, 2002)
|
| Svend Karlsen |
3 (2003, 2005, 2006)
|
| Ole Martin Kristiansen |
3 (2018, 2019, 2020)
|
| Arild Haugen |
2 (2002, 2003)
|
| Richard Skog |
2 (2009, 2010)
|
| Henrik Hildeskor
|
2 (2022, 2023)
|
Regional Competitions
Nordic Strongman Championships
Nordic Strongman Championships consists of athletes from Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Finland and Denmark.[8]
International Competitions
World's Strongest Viking
Norway hosted the World's Strongest Viking competition every January in freezing weather conditions.
Giants Live
Norway was also the venue for one of Giants Live grand prix competitions with the participation of top athletes of the world. The competition was named Viking Power Challenge.
References
