Eddie Hall built a career as one of the greatest-ever strongmen, but that doesn’t mean he can’t excel in other sports. What’s clear is that the 2017 World’s Strongest Man (WSM) Champion has an ability that seems to transfer over well to other avenues.
On May 17, 2022, Hall decided to again test his mettle in the pool as a swimmer when he completed a 50-meter freestyle in 27.06 seconds. Since there are distinctive demands between strongman and swimming as sports, it’s undoubtedly an impressive showcase of Hall’s rare talent.
It also marked a return of sorts to the pool for Hall, who was a champion swimmer as a teenager before pivoting to strongman.
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Hall completed the 50 meters in a short course swimming pool (or one that is only 25 meters long). That shorter length also means the athlete has to flip around and swim back in the other direction on the latter 25 meters. By contrast, a long course 50-meter freestyle features the full length of the lap on a straightaway swim. That setup is more in line with Olympic swimmers’ standards.
While Hall’s time of just over 27 seconds isn’t necessarily world-class, it is notable considering that swimming is not his usual focus (though his background could play a part). For context, the fastest-ever time on a short-course 50-meter freestyle belongs to Germany’s Nils Rudolph. He achieved a time of 21.76 at the 1990 Fédération Internationale de Natation (FINA) Swimming World Cup.
According to TopEndSports, the typical modern elite male swimmer weighs around 88 kilograms (194 pounds). With swimming being a sport that would certainly favor a lighter (and more experienced) athlete, that Hall could clock in at just over 27 seconds — despite weighing over 300 pounds — is a testament to his raw athleticism.
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A Post-Career of Joy
After notching the peak of his strongman career at the 2017 WSM, Hall decided to retire and focus on other aspects of his life. In addition to a well-maintained YouTube channel with over 2.03 million subscribers (and counting), he’s been very busy across the board showcasing his versatility.
For reasonably recent athletic examples, in February 2020, Hall set a record on the CrossFit “Isabel” workout with 30 unbroken snatches in a time of 50.9 seconds. It was a mark so lofty that powerlifter Julius Maddox did a staggering 28 unbroken reps in January 2022 and still fell short of Hall’s time. Meanwhile, Hall just finished (for now) a long-standing rivalry with 2018 WSM Champion Hafthor Björnsson. The two strongman legends decided to settle their differences in the boxing ring with a publicized match around the strength sports sphere.
As he moves forward in his life without competitive strongman, Hall seems to have a desire to stay occupied. Be it in CrossFit, in the ring, or in the pool, it appears this strength sports legend wants to leave a mark and have some fun wherever he can.
Featured image: @eddiehallwsm on Instagram
