{"id":6890,"date":"2025-05-22T11:20:05","date_gmt":"2025-05-22T09:20:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/?p=6890"},"modified":"2026-03-12T10:36:09","modified_gmt":"2026-03-12T08:36:09","slug":"how-rayno-nel-became-worlds-strongest-man","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/how-rayno-nel-became-worlds-strongest-man\/","title":{"rendered":"From Rugby to Record-Breaker: How South Africa&#8217;s Rayno Nel Became the 2025 World&#8217;s Strongest Man"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>In a demanding showcase of physical power, mental grit, and unwavering determination, South African powerhouse Rayno Nel etched his name in the history books. He claimed the prestigious title of the World\u2019s Strongest Man. After a weekend of relentless challenges, Rayno Nel emerged victorious by a razor-thin margin of just 0.5 points. He toppled reigning English champion Tom Stoltman.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The former Cheetahs rugby player, tipping the scales at 148kg, is now the first athlete from our country to clinch this global accolade. Rayno Nel&#8217;s remarkable journey to the top was no easy feat. It involved conquering a series of brutal qualifiers and finals that tested every aspect of his strength and stamina.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-conquering-the-qualifiers\">Conquering the Qualifiers<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The opening two days saw Nel taking on a range of demanding events including a loading medley, a series of deadlifts, an overhead medley, the titan\u2019s toss, and a stone medley. These were designed to test explosive power, endurance, and strategy. His solid <a href=\"https:\/\/iol.co.za\/sport\/2025-05-21-this-is-what-south-african-star-rayno-nel-did-to-become-the-worlds-strongest-man\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> performance <\/a>in these rounds earned him a spot in the finals, where the true battle began for Rayno Nel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div id=\"gaute-1192505892\" class=\"gaute-inbetween-content gaute-entity-placement\" style=\"margin-top: 30px;margin-bottom: 30px;margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto;text-align: center;\"><div class=\"gaute-adlabel\">Advertisement<\/div><script async src=\"\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-1852772760112594\" crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script><ins class=\"adsbygoogle\" style=\"display:block;\" data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-1852772760112594\" \ndata-ad-slot=\"1819787043\" \ndata-ad-format=\"auto\" data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins>\n<script> \n(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); \n<\/script>\n<\/div><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-final-day-1-saturday\">Final Day 1 \u2013 Saturday<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Knaack Carry and Hoist<\/strong><br>Nel started the finals with an impressive display in the Knaack Carry and Hoist. This event involved transporting two heavily loaded boxes mounted on a pole across a set distance. Then, Rayno Nel raced back to hoist a third box while seated. Nel completed the task in just 30.58 seconds, setting a high standard early in the competition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>The Deadlift<\/strong><br>This classic event was a trial of lower body and back strength, pushing each competitor to their threshold. Rayno Nel managed to lift 350kg for eight reps, placing second behind American Trey Mitchell, who completed 10 repetitions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Hercules Hold<\/strong><br>A true test of grip strength and pain tolerance, the Hercules Hold saw Nel gripping onto 700kg worth of concrete pillars for 75.63 seconds. Though he narrowly missed the top spot, finishing behind Australian Eddie Williams (82.14 seconds), Nel&#8217;s performance kept him within touching distance of the overall lead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe title=\"World&#039;s Strongest Man 2025 RESULTS Event 2 ft. TOM STOLTMAN\" width=\"755\" height=\"425\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/ECLiIeHXD8o?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-final-day-2-sunday\">Final Day 2 \u2013 Sunday<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Flinestone Barbell<\/strong><br>Sunday brought one of Rayno Nel\u2019s less dominant moments. Faced with a 246kg barbell for overhead presses, he could only manage one repetition. Meanwhile, Stoltman racked up six, significantly closing the points gap.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Atlas Stones<\/strong><br>The final and most iconic event, the Atlas Stones, required competitors to lift and place a series of concrete spheres, each weighing 210kg. Nel managed four stones in 30.17 seconds, earning a third-place finish in this round. Stoltman completed five stones in 31.76 seconds. He claimed first in the event\u2014but it wasn\u2019t quite enough to overtake Rayno Nel&#8217;s overall lead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe title=\"World&#039;s Strongest Man 2025 - Finals Day 1\" width=\"755\" height=\"425\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/TparDGqUqsc?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div id=\"gaute-3777785098\" class=\"gaute-inbetween-content gaute-entity-placement\" style=\"margin-top: 30px;margin-bottom: 30px;margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto;text-align: center;\"><div class=\"gaute-adlabel\">Advertisement<\/div><script async src=\"\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-1852772760112594\" crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script><ins class=\"adsbygoogle\" style=\"display:block;\" data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-1852772760112594\" \ndata-ad-slot=\"1819787043\" \ndata-ad-format=\"auto\" data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins>\n<script> \n(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); \n<\/script>\n<\/div><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-rayno-nel-s-historic-victory\">Rayno Nel&#8217;s Historic Victory<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Thanks to his strong performances on the opening day of the finals, Nel built a solid points foundation. Despite Stoltman\u2019s late push, the South African strongman\u2019s consistency paid off. With a narrow 0.5-point lead, Rayno Nel secured the overall title, marking a monumental moment for South African strength athletics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Rayno Nel&#8217;s triumph is not only a personal victory but a national one. His achievement puts the country on the global strongman map, inspiring a new generation of athletes back home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Also read: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/springbok-camp-welcomes-new-faces-ahead-of-2025-international-rugby-season\/\">Springbok Camp Welcomes New Faces Ahead of 2025 International Rugby Season<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In a demanding showcase of physical power, mental grit, and unwavering determination, South African powerhouse Rayno Nel etched his name in the history books. He claimed the prestigious title of the World\u2019s Strongest Man. After a weekend of relentless challenges, Rayno Nel emerged victorious by a razor-thin margin of just 0.5 points. He toppled reigning<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":6895,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rank_math_focus_keyword":"","rank_math_title":"","rank_math_description":"In a demanding showcase of physical power, mental grit, and unwavering determination, South African powerhouse Rayno Nel etched his name in the history books....","footnotes":""},"categories":[56,64],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-6890","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-sports","8":"category-sports-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6890","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6890"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6890\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6897,"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6890\/revisions\/6897"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6895"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6890"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6890"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6890"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}