As a teenager, there were times Tom Stoltman couldn’t even leave the house, such were the limitations autism was placing on him.
Just over a decade later, the 30-year-old’s life is unrecognisable.
A book has been written, a documentary is on the verge of being released, a Hollywood film starring the Hemsworth brothers (of Marvel and Hunger Games fame) is in the pipeline and, perhaps most significantly, Stoltman has his sights set on becoming the greatest Strongman of all-time.
Growing up, the Invergordon man was acutely worried about the direction in which life was heading.
Bullied at school and restricted significantly by autism, there were countless things he either couldn’t or wouldn’t do, with leaving the house alone the most extreme example in a long list of limitations.
“Growing up with autism and seeing the path my life was going down, I really thought I was going to go to a care home or be at home for the rest of my life with my parents,” Stoltman says.
“It was my mum who changed my life - from day one until she passed away, she fought for everything for me.
“She kept pushing and pushing to get a diagnosis, which I got when I was 14, and that's when a big weight was taken off me and I felt like I'd been reborn because I felt like I wasn't hiding behind a fake smile anymore and I wasn't being judged. People started to understand why I couldn't do certain things.
“If you have autism, you can't do it yourself - you need to have the right support network around you and thankfully I had that. If it wasn't for my family, I would definitely not be where I am now.”
Where Stoltman is now, and the success he’s achieved, is astonishing, particularly given his starting point.
It’s no overstatement to say he’s a phenomenon and with each passing year, he’s garnering greater appreciation and alongside his brother, Luke, who is also one of the world’s best Strongmen, their, story and particularly Stoltman’s achievements, have attracted global attention.
Stoltman could never have envisaged where that first step into the gym would end up taking him.
Having rapidly progressed through the ranks in the sport, he won his first World’s Strongest Man title in 2021, successful defended it in 2022 and made it a hat-trick of titles in 2024.
“In my life, I've had a lot of negativity in terms of being bullied but I turned my life around and as soon as you win even just one World's Strongest Man title, your life changes,” he says.
“And now, having won three titles in the past few years, my life has transformed.
“There's so much going on with the book out already, the documentary hopefully coming out later this year and we've signed the rights over for a Hollywood movie with the pitch going to the Hemsworth brothers. To be talking about these things happening is just crazy.
“For me, though, the most important thing is my role trying to help other people with autism.
“All these Strongman titles are nice but what really touches me is when people tell me I've changed their kid’s life. That means more to me than any trophy because you can win and lose titles but the impact you can have on somebody's life stays with them forever.
“So to sit and look at what my life is life now is absolutely crazy, the teenage me would never have believed it.”
World’s Strongest Man 2025 begins on Thursday in Sacramento in California and defending champion, Stoltman, is going for his fourth title in five years.
A tweak to the format this year means the higher-ranked athletes, including Stoltman, will not benefit from the advantages of their high-ranking status that they’ve enjoyed in the past- the qualifying rounds are included in the scoring for the final - but irrespective of the format, Stoltman is feeling confident and is unburdened by the pressure of being defending champion.
“I just take it all in my stride in terms of being defending champion. I know that if I’m at 100 percent I've got a very good chance of winning the title so whether I'm defending champion or not, I go in with the same mindset.
“t's getting harder and harder to win the title - every year, the guys get stronger but that’s good because it pushes me onto another level.
“The new format means the top guys don't have any advantage but I think that makes it exciting and better for the fans.
“And I love Sacramento - I’ve been there twice and won there twice so hopefully that's a good omen.”
At 6’8”, weighing around 27 stone and lifting the equivalent of five fridges simultaneously, Stoltman is an astonishing physical specimen.
Having dropped a couple of stone in weight this year, he’s feeling in the shape of his life and he’s even transformed his diet in order to maximise his physical potential.
“My diet has changed completely since last year's World’s Strongest Man and this is the strongest and fittest I've been in my life,” he says.
“I have a really simple breakfast - eight to ten eggs on toast, then I'll have for a snack which is a protein shake and some fruit.
“I'll have a cheat meal before the gym to help me with some extra energy so it'll be something like a burger and chips.
“Post-gym, I'll have two meals of steak so while it’s a lot, I do try to keep as many of my meals as possible healthy.
“It’s 6 to 7,000 calories in a typical day and then as I’ve gotten closer to World's Strongest Man it’s gone up to 9 or 10,000 calories a day.”
The current record of World’s Strongest Man titles is five, accumulated by Poland’s Mariusz Pudzianowski. It’s a record Stoltman has his sights firmly set upon but he has a strategy to ensure he gets the most out of both his Strongman career, and his life as a whole.
All going to plan, Stoltman will win title number four next weekend and will then take a sabbatical from the sport to give himself a well-earned break.
He will use his time away to refresh and rejuvenate before he returns to the Strongman circuit and becomes, he hopes, the best the sport has ever seen.
“I would love to break the record of five titles but this isn't a sport like football when you can win five and six titles in a row,” he says.
“The options for me are keep going until my body fails me or take a year or two off and refresh and come back better so my plan is to do this season and then get away from the sport for a year or two and give my body a rest, see what other opportunities are out there and live the life that I want for a while.
“People often forget that I'm still only 30 years old so, realistically, I could take a few years off, come back and still win another three titles by the time I'm 40.
“So, absolutely, my plan is to win six titles and be the greatest this sport has ever seen.”
Given what Stoltman has achieved in his life to date, surely only a fool would bet against him.
