Germany's Strongest Man
Annual strongman competition
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Germany's Strongest Man (German: Stärkster Mann Deutschlands) is an annual strongman competition held by the German Federation of Strength Athletes (GFSA). Heinz Ollesch holds the record for most wins with 12 wins.
| Tournament information | |
|---|---|
| Location | Germany |
| Established | 1994 |
| Format | Multi-event competition |
| Current champion | |
 Dennis Kohlruss | |
League structure and qualification system
On the men's side the sport of strongman in Germany is divided into three leagues - The ATX Power League (third division), the Deutschland Cup Series (second division) and the German Pro League (first division). Beginners can also optionally participate in a Beginner Cup as their first competition.
The ATX Power League (third division) was added to the two existing leagues in the 2021 season and consists of several competitions held throughout the year. After each competition, the top-placed German athletes are promoted to the second division, with the number of promotions depending on the number of participants. For every ten participating athletes, one athlete is promoted. The top athlete in the U105 weight class is also promoted to the second division.
With the introduction of the German Pro League in 2014, the Deutschland Cup Series became the second division in German strongman. Several competitions are held throughout the season, in which the top 20 German athletes earn points based on their results. Double points are awarded for the final competition of the season, and if an athlete competes three or more times in one season, his worst result is discarded. At the end of the season, the three athletes with the most points are promoted to the German Pro League. Athletes ranked fourth and fifth can either be promoted to the first division or compete for another season at Deutschland Cup level.[1]
Like the Deutschland Cup Series, the German Pro League includes several competitions per season in which athletes can collect points toward qualification for the German Championships. Here, too, the top 20 athletes in a competition receive points, and if an athlete competes three or more times in one season, his worst result is discarded.
In 2023 the current qualification system with 12 spots was introduced, where athletes can qualify via the following pathways:[2]
- As champion of the previous year's competition
- As a top-10-athlete in the current German Pro League season
- As the overall leader of the current Deutschland Cup season up to the german championship
If a qualified athlete chooses not to compete, the next athlete in the German Pro League ranking can move up.
Champions breakdown
| Year | Champion | Runner-up | 3rd place | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Heinz Ollesch | (To be confirmed) | (To be confirmed) | |
| 1995 | Heinz Ollesch | (To be confirmed) | (To be confirmed) | |
| 1996 | Heinz Ollesch | (To be confirmed) | (To be confirmed) | |
| 1997 | Heinz Ollesch | (To be confirmed) | (To be confirmed) | |
| 1998 | Heinz Ollesch | (To be confirmed) | (To be confirmed) | |
| 1999 | Heinz Ollesch | (To be confirmed) | (To be confirmed) | |
| 2000 | Heinz Ollesch | (To be confirmed) | (To be confirmed) | |
| 2001 | Heinz Ollesch | Martin Muhr | Carsten Kühn | Rosenheim |
| 2002 | Heinz Ollesch | (To be confirmed) | (To be confirmed) | |
| 2003 | Heinz Ollesch | (To be confirmed) | (To be confirmed) | |
| 2004 | Heinz Ollesch | (To be confirmed) | (To be confirmed) | |
| 2005[4] | Dieter Seidenkranz | Franz Müllner | Dietmar Zint | Rosenheim |
| 2006[5] | Heinz Ollesch | Florian Trimpl | Knut Handke | |
| 2007[6] | Igor Werner | Florian Trimpl | Raik Seume | |
| 2008[7] | Tobias Ide | Igor Werner | Jens Thamm | |
| 2009 | Florian Trimpl | Tobias Ide | Steffen Hayn | |
| 2010 | Igor Werner | Patrik Baboumian | Robert Heinrich | Waging am See |
| 2011 | Patrik Baboumian | Daniel Wildt | Anton Schimke | Waging am See |
| 2012[8] | Timo Rüdiger | Mateusz Skrentny | Patrik Baboumian | Waging am See |
| 2013[9] | Daniel Wildt | Robert Heinrich | Patrik Baboumian | Waging am See |
| 2014 | Michael Blumstein | Daniel Wildt | Dennis Kohlruss | |
| 2015 | Andreas Altmann | Raffael Gordzielik | Julian Groth | |
| 2016 | Andreas Altmann | Raffael Gordzielik | Dennis Kohlruss | |
| 2017[10] | Raffael Gordzielik | Dennis Kohlruss | Sebastian Kraus | Bruckmühl |
| 2018[11] | Raffael Gordzielik | Dennis Kohlruss | Sebastian Kraus | Bad Tölz |
| 2019[12] | Raffael Gordzielik | Dennis Biesenbach | Sebastian Kraus | Bad Tölz |
| 2020 | Event not held | |||
| 2021[13] | Dennis Kohlruss | Sebastian Kraus | Adam Roszkowski | Gera |
| 2022[14] | Dennis Kohlruss | Tim Hruby | Patrick Eibel | Gera |
| 2023[15] | Dennis Kohlruss |
Patrick Eibel |
Markus Schätzl |
Gera |
| 2024[16] | Dennis Kohlruss |
Patrick Eibel |
Alex Zahn |
Steinmauern |
| 2025[17] | Dennis Kohlruss |
Dennis Schäfer |
Albin Hasanovic |
Steinmauern |
Repeat champions
Five athletes won the competition multiple times. Out of these winners, only Dennis Kohlruss is still actively competing at the time of the 2026 season.
| Athlete | Wins | Years | Athlete still active |
|---|---|---|---|
| Heinz Ollesch |
12 | 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2006 | No |
| Dennis Kohlruss |
5 | 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025 | Yes |
| Raffael Gordzielik |
3 | 2017, 2018, 2019 | No |
| Andreas Altmann |
2 | 2015, 2016 | No |
| Igor Werner |
2 | 2007, 2010 | No |
Weight class champions
In addition to the open weight class the title "Germany's Strongest Man" is also awarded in the lighter weight classes.
- In the U80 class the first championship was held in 2025. It was won by Kilian Mercier.
- In the U90 class the first title was awarded to Szymon Peplinski as the highest placing athlete under 90 kg competing in the U105 championship. Since 2023 the U90 championship is held annually as a standalone competition. Peplinski is the record holder with 2 wins.
- In the U105 class the national title was initially awarded to the highest placing athlete under 105 kg in the open weight class championships. Since 2018 the U105 championship is held as an annual standalone competition. Andreas Starzer, Lukas Neumayer and Volker Bauer are the record holders with 3 wins each.
- In the U120 class the first championship was held in 2025. It was won by Leonard Zimmermann.
| Year | U80
Champion |
U90
Champion |
U105
Champion |
U120
Champion |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | (Event not held) | (Event not held) | Robert Heinrich |
(Event not held) |
| 2007 | (Event not held) | (Event not held) | Patrick Baboumian |
(Event not held) |
| 2008 | (Event not held) | (Event not held) | Mirko Rothe |
(Event not held) |
| 2009 | (Event not held) | (Event not held) | Patrik Baboumian (2) |
(Event not held) |
| 2010 | (Event not held) | (Event not held) | Andreas Starzer |
(Event not held) |
| 2011 | (Event not held) | (Event not held) | Oliver Nell |
(Event not held) |
| 2012 | (Event not held) | (Event not held) | Oliver Nell (2) |
(Event not held) |
| 2013 | (Event not held) | (Event not held) | Mirko Rothe (2) |
(Event not held) |
| 2014 | (Event not held) | (Event not held) | Andreas Starzer (2) |
(Event not held) |
| 2015 | (Event not held) | (Event not held) | Andreas Starzer (3) |
(Event not held) |
| 2016 | (Event not held) | (Event not held) | Lukas Neumayer |
(Event not held) |
| 2017 | (Event not held) | (Event not held) | (Event not held) | (Event not held) |
| 2018 | (Event not held) | Szymon Peplinski |
Oliver Nell (3) |
(Event not held) |
| 2019 | (Event not held) | (Event not held) | Lukas Neumayer (2) |
(Event not held) |
| 2020 | (Event not held) | (Event not held) | (Event not held) | (Event not held) |
| 2021 | (Event not held) | (Event not held) | Lukas Neumayer (3) |
(Event not held) |
| 2022 | (Event not held) | (Event not held) | Volker Bauer |
(Event not held) |
| 2023 | (Event not held) | Szymon Peplinski (2) |
Tim Hruby |
(Event not held) |
| 2024 | (Event not held) | Yago Kracht |
Volker Bauer (2) |
(Event not held) |
| 2025 | Kilian Mercier |
Maximilian Wunderlich |
Volker Bauer (3) |
Leonard Zimmermann |
| 2026 | (To be held 2026-07-18) | (To be held) | (To be held) | (To be held 2026-07-19) |