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| Nationality | New Zealand | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 21 September 1991 New Zealand | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Occupation | Strongman | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 155–160 kg (342–353 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Mathew 'Matt' Ragg (born 21 September 1991) is a Strongman from New Zealand [1] and a six-times winner of New Zealand's Strongest Man competition. [2]
Ragg started his sporting career as a sprinter but a recurring shin injury caused him to move towards weight training. [2] In 2013, he started competing in local strongman competitions and broke some national records in the process. This paved him to join 2016 Arnold Amateur World Championships, where he secured third place behind Zach Hadge and Evgeny Markov, resulting in his pro debut.[ citation needed ]
Following a hiatus due to COVID-19 pandemic, [3] Ragg competed at 2022 Official Strongman Games and won third place which qualified him for the World's Strongest Man. [4] At 2023 World's Strongest Man, he managed to qualify into the finals and emerged ninth place. At 2023 Giants Live World Tour Finals, he won second place behind Tom Stoltman and ahead of the reigning World's Strongest Man champion Mitchell Hooper.[ citation needed ]
In 2024, he won the Beasts of Burden competition by scoring 41 of a possible 45 points [4] Ragg came fourth place at the 2024 World's Strongest Man and Giants Live Strongman Classic.
Ragg is of Samoan descent. [5] He works full time as a shift supervisor at McDonald's. [2]
Magnús Ver Magnússon is an Icelandic former powerlifter and strongman competitor. He is a four-time World's Strongest Man, having won in 1991, 1994, 1995, 1996 and is widely regarded as one of the greatest strongmen of all time.
Svend 'Viking' Karlsen is a Norwegian former strongman, powerlifter, bodybuilder and 2001 World's Strongest Man.
Žydrūnas Savickas is a Lithuanian retired strongman and powerlifter. Due to his 84 international wins in strongman including four World's Strongest Man titles, eight Arnold Strongman Classic titles, two IFSA Strongman World Championships, and over 70 world records, he is widely regarded as the greatest strongman of all time.
Magnus Samuelsson, is a Swedish actor, former Strongman and the 1998 World's Strongest Man. Known as the 'king of the stones', he made it to the World's Strongest Man podium 5 times and the finals 10 times and is regarded as one of the greatest strongmen in history.
Mark Felix is a Grenadian-English strongman competitor and regular entrant to the World's Strongest Man competition. He has competed at a record 18 World's Strongest Man contests, reaching the finals three times. He is the winner of the 2015 Ultimate Strongman Masters World Championships, 2016 WSF World Cup India and has won several international grip contests, including the Rolling Thunder World Championships in 2008 and 2009, as well as the Vice Grip Viking Challenge in 2011 and 2012.
Stefán Sölvi Pétursson is an Icelandic strongman and a finalist of the World's Strongest Man competition, winning 4th place in the 2010 World's Strongest Man competition held in Sun City and 9th place in the 2011 World's Strongest Man competition held in Wingate, North Carolina. He has also won Icelandic Strongman competitions multiple times including Iceland’s Strongest Man in 2009 and 2010.
Brian Shaw is an American retired professional strongman who is widely regarded as one of the greatest strength athletes of all-time. He won the 2011, 2013, 2015, and 2016 World's Strongest Man, making him one of only five men to win the World’s Strongest Man four times or more. In 2011, Shaw became the first man to win the Arnold Strongman Classic and the World's Strongest Man competitions in the same calendar year, a feat he replicated in 2015. With 27 international competition wins, he is the fourth most decorated strongman in history behind Lithuania's Žydrūnas Savickas, Poland's Mariusz Pudzianowski and Iceland's Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson. Shaw has also set more than 25 world records in deadlifting, stonelifting, keg-tossing, grip related movements and more.
Martin Wildauer is an Austrian strongman competitor and entrant to the World's Strongest Man competition. He is a competitor of the well-known Strongman Champions League and the Giants Live competitions. Martin is the current world record holder in the Bavarian stonelift.
Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson is an Icelandic professional strongman who is widely regarded as one of the greatest strength athletes of all time. He is the first and only person to have won the Arnold Strongman Classic, the Europe's Strongest Man, and the World's Strongest Man competitions in the same calendar year and holds numerous Strongman titles from multiple strength federations, including multiple world records. With 31 international competition wins, he is the third most decorated strongman in history, behind Lithuania's Žydrūnas Savickas and Poland's Mariusz Pudzianowski, and in terms of pure brute strength and with over 100 world records, many strength analysts and Strongman experts regard Hafþór as "the strongest man to have ever lived".
Edward Stephen Hall is a British media personality and a retired strongman. He is best known for his world-record setting 500 kg (1,102 lb) deadlift in 2016 which is widely regarded as one of the greatest feats of strength in history. He is also known for winning 2017 World's Strongest Man competition.
Graham Hicks is an English strongman and powerlifter. He won the 2019 Britain's Strongest Man competition and placed second in 2014 and 2018. He is also a two time Europe's Strongest Man bronze medalist.
Matjaz Belsak is a Slovenian professional strongman and powerlifter. Having competed in 64 International strongman competitions and winning 11 of them, Belsak is among the 20 most decorated strongmen of all time.
Mateusz Kieliszkowski is a Polish strongman competitor, notable for winning the 2019 World's Ultimate Strongman competition. He is also a two-time World's Strongest Man runner-up, three-time Arnold Strongman Classic runner-up, one time Europe's Strongest Man runner-up, and five-times Poland's Strongest Man.
Martins Licis is an American professional strongman, notable for winning 2019 World's Strongest Man, 2022 Arnold Strongman Classic, and 2021 Rogue Invitational strongman championships.
Tom Ryan Stoltman is a British professional strongman competitor, from Invergordon, Scotland. He is a three time winner of the World's Strongest Man in 2021, 2022, and 2024. He also won the national title of Britain's Strongest Man on the same years. Nicknamed "The Albatross" due to his sizeable arm span, Stoltman is known for his prowess with the Atlas Stones. In 2020, Stoltman broke the world record for the 5 Atlas Stones 100–180 kilograms (220–397 lb) in just 16.01 seconds; he also holds the world record for the heaviest Atlas stone ever lifted over a 1.22 metres (4.0 ft) bar at 286 kilograms (631 lb).
Adam Bishop is a professional strongman and two-time winner of the Britain's Strongest Man competition. Bishop refers to himself in the media as "one of the little guys" in the sport, despite weighing over 300 lbs. Bishop has also competed in rugby, where he played as a winger, and in skeleton bobsleigh.
Mikhail Vasilyevich Shivlyakov is a Russian professional strongman and former Russian Marine
Oleksii Novikov is a Ukrainian professional strongman. He won the 2020 World's Strongest Man competition, becoming the second Ukrainian to win the title since Vasyl Virastyuk in 2004, and at 24 years, 278 days, he is also the second youngest winner in history, being only seven days elder than Jón Páll Sigmarsson in 1984. He is also a two time World's Ultimate Strongman, the 2022 Rogue Invitational champion, and the 2022 Europe’s Strongest Man.
Mitchell Hooper is a Canadian strongman and kinesiologist. He secured 1st place at the 2023 World's Strongest Man competition in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, where he also became the first Canadian to win the title of World's Strongest Man. He is also the winner of both the 2023 and 2024 Arnold Strongman Classic events. In 2023, he became the fourth person to win both the World’s Strongest Man and Arnold Strongman Classic competitions in the same year. He is currently the only person to have won what are considered to be the four most prestigious competitions in modern strongman, being the World's Strongest Man, Arnold Strongman Classic, Rogue Invitational, and Strongest Man on Earth competitions.
