Watch: A display of raw strength at SA Strongman qualifier

Man mountains gathered at Consolidated Auto in Boksburg for the South African Strongman Corporation qualifier on June 2.

During the fun day, Consolidated Auto also launched the Fiesta while some of the rugby players from the Lions franchise were on hand to mingle with the crowd.

Strongman icon Kelin Mills was one of the highlights on the day in the log lift – easily hoisting 165kg as the last man standing in the event.

Athletes like Jean van der Have also impressed in the open division, with the tough guy outdoing himself by lifting 150kg, also in the log lift.

But the day belonged to Johan Rudd who collected the most points (38.50) throughout the four testing events of the day.

Rudd, who’s normally one of the favourites in strongman competitions, met his matches on the day, in fact, he only triumphed in the tyre flip but his consistency saw him over the line.

Men and women alike were asked to take on the car hold and log lift – both a true test of raw strength and endurance.

The athletes were also taken through their paces in the penultimate and ultimate events namely the frame carry and the tyre flip – both true tests of strength and fitness.

Built for the sport, Rudd, who carries thighs that resemble tree trunks and bazooka-esque arms, finished second in the 220kg car hold, fourth in the 120kg log lift with an attempt of 140kg and second in the 300kg frame carry before excelling in the tyre flip.

Competition in the log lift in the men’s open division was tough and exciting. The maximum asked weight was 120kg and with Rudd exceeding that challenge by 20kg, one would think that it’s enough for gold.

But there was van der Have, there was Mills and there was Jared Leask, who will be representing the country at the World Log Lift Championship in Lithuania this Friday (June 15) – the trio hoisting 150kg, 160kg and 165kg respectively.

Meanwhile, in the women u-75kg competition, Melissa Sweeney won all but the car hold events to ease past Bianca Otten.

Elsewhere in the men’s u-90kg, a tie-breaking event – the fronthold, had to be introduced to separate Markus Jansen van Vuuren and Morné Peyper. The two cancelled each other out before ending with 13 points each. The former won the tie-break and was rewarded one additional point.

The men’s u-105kg category was also intriguing with its two-horse race between Willie White and Takkie van Staden.

White, who was the eventual winner, edged the latter in the car hold before being outshined in the log lift. Van Staden got one over his rival again in the frame carry before a strong finish by White in the tyre flip to earn himself a 13-12 overall win.

• Other results (top three in each category):

Novice men open: 1. Robert Haman (38 points); 2. Shawn Pretorius (34 points); 3. Guillaune Jordoon (25.50 points)

Novice men’s u-90kg: 1. Adrian Smit (26.50 points); 2. Brian Steenkamp (24 points); 3. Kyle Raley (18.50 points)

Novice woman: 1. Nat Barbosa (4 points) – @SabeloBoksburg