Tom Stoltman Defends World's Strongest Man Title: 'Almost Unheard Of'

Tom Stoltman took home the gold on Sunday to defend his title as the "World's Strongest Man" for the second consecutive year.

Stoltman, who turned 28 on Monday, represented Scotland in the Sacramento, California, competition. He was followed by runners-up from the United States, Martins Licis, and Ukraine, Oleksii Novikov.

"To do it once is unbelievable," the Scottish athlete told USA Today after his win. "Back to back? Almost unheard of."

Stoltman, who fans have nicknamed "The King of Stones" and "The Albatross," secured the win during the final two events of the competition, which happened to include Stoltman's strongest area: the Atlas Stones.

According to USA Today, Stoltman entered those final two events down by 3.5 points.

"You still have to keep your head in it," Stoltman said. "You can't overthink these things." That mental toughness allowed Stoltman to defend his title, along with the support of his team, nutritionist, and wife, Sinead.

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

In an interview with BBC Scotland, Stoltman said he took the pressure off of the competition by treating it "like a training session." The strongman added, "I kept a cool head, was chilled out."

After Sunday's victory, Stoltman became the first strongman to claim consecutive titles since Brian Shaw in 2015 and 2016, according to USA Today.