[2] The tournament was won by Eddie Hall of the United Kingdom, with Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson of Iceland second and defending champion Brian Shaw of the United States third.

[3] Four-time champion Zydrunas Savickas of Lithuania finished in ninth place; this marked the first time in his career that he failed to finish in the top three after qualifying for the final.

Each group participated in five normal events, with the highest scoring competitor at the end of those events being declared the group winner and automatically qualifying for the final.

Each competitor took turns lifting the stone from their side of the square and dropping it over the hurdle.

Once one of them could not complete the task, he was eliminated from the event and the third place competitor stepped in.