Tom Stoltman harnesses 'superpower' of autism to become the World's Strongest Man

By Will Edmonds, CNN

Updated 0921 GMT (1721 HKT) January 3, 2022

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(CNN)As Tom Stoltman crouched down to pick up the fifth and final Atlas Stone, a 210-kilogram (almost 463 pounds) spherical behemoth — slightly heavier than an upright piano — and lift it up to a platform at shoulder height, he knew it was the only thing standing between him and becoming the 'World's Strongest Man.'

It was the final lift, in the final event, in a week's worth of grueling challenges designed to test the upper limits of human strength, pitting giants from all over the world in trials ranging from pushing a 20-ton train for maximum speed, to squatting 320kg (about 705.5 pounds) for maximum reps, to tossing a 33-pound keg for maximum height and numerous other unimaginable