This Canadian just became the 1st to win World's Strongest Man

Anyone dubbed the world's strongest man might seem a little intimidating. But Mitchell Hooper, the first Canadian to ever capture it, wants to change that perception.

On the surface, that might seem difficult. Hooper, who is based in Barrie, Ont., is a towering figure who can pull a city bus with his legs and toss kettle bells into the sky with his arms.

But those skills only make up half of his motto: "Lift heavy, be kind."

"I want to start changing the narrative that the biggest, strongest person is also the most aggressive and standoffish," Hooper said. 

"If you're around the people at World's Strongest Man, it's some of the sweetest guys, some of the nicest guys you'd ever meet."

Hooper was crowned champion at the 2023 World's Strongest Man finals in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, after achieving the highest combined score through five events in the championship round. The competition took place from April 19 to 23. 

WATCH | Mitchell 'the Moose' Hooper becomes the world's strongest man:

Events in the final round included herculean tasks like atlas stones, which involve hoisting five spherical stones on top of platforms as quickly as possible, the stones increasing in weight from 100 to 160 kilograms. Hooper completed that in about 37 seconds. 

He was in the lead from the first event, something he tried not to think about while completing the rest. 

The final event was the stone lift. Hooper was still in first going in and behind him on the leader board was the reigning champion, who also happens to be the best stone lifter in the world, Hooper said.

When Hooper placed the final stone on the platform and became champion, he says he felt a wave a relief. 

"You could see the first thing I do is put my hands on my