{"id":151452,"date":"2025-05-19T16:46:43","date_gmt":"2025-05-19T14:46:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.goodthingsguy.com\/?p=151452"},"modified":"2025-05-19T16:46:43","modified_gmt":"2025-05-19T14:46:43","slug":"rayno-nel-crowned-worlds-strongest-man-africas-first-ever-champion","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.goodthingsguy.com\/sport\/rayno-nel-crowned-worlds-strongest-man-africas-first-ever-champion\/","title":{"rendered":"Rayno Nel Crowned World\u2019s Strongest Man… Africa\u2019s First Ever Champion"},"content":{"rendered":"

From the dusty rugby fields of Bloemfontein to the world stage in Sacramento, Rayno Nel has just become the strongest man on Earth… and he did it for South Africa.<\/h2>\n

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South Africa (19 May 2025)<\/em> – South Africa, we\u2019ve got a new hero. And he just became the strongest man on the planet.<\/p>\n

In a historic triumph, 30-year-old Rayno Nel shocked the strongman world on 18 May 2025 in Sacramento. In his very first World\u2019s Strongest Man final, the former rugby star clinched the title by the slimmest of margins, just 0.5 points, edging out defending champion Tom Stoltman. Nel became the first man from outside Europe or North America to win the 48-year-old competition. In the final Atlas Stones event, he loaded his fourth stone mere fractions of a second ahead of his rivals, sealing a 47\u201346.5 victory in an epic showdown. By standing atop the podium he has become the first WSM winner from South Africa, the continent of Africa and the southern hemisphere.<\/p>\n

Nel\u2019s journey to the top was anything but ordinary. Born in Upington and raised in the rugby heartland of Bloemfontein, he played for the Central University of Technology and the Free State Cheetahs. After retiring from rugby in 2019 to work as an electrical engineer, he discovered the sport of strongman. Starting in 2023, he dominated immediately, winning South Africa\u2019s Strongest Man back-to-back and taking Africa\u2019s Strongest Man in 2023 and 2024. He even swept the 2024 Strongman Champions League season, becoming the world series champion.<\/p>\n

This rapid rise from local athlete to global contender set the stage for Sacramento… a \u201crookie turned legend\u201d almost overnight.<\/p>\n

At the 2025 finals, Nel stamped his authority early. On Day 1 he won the opening KNAACK Carry & Hoist, and took second place in both the massive 18-inch deadlift and the Hercules Hold. These results gave him a commanding lead (roughly seven points ahead of his nearest rival) going into Day 2. Stoltman fought back with wins in the Sunday events but Nel\u2019s cushion was just enough. The title came down to the final Atlas Stones lift: Nel and Stoltman went head-to-head, stone-for-stone. Nel loaded his final stone a heartbeat faster than the competition, a tiny margin that secured his 47\u201346.5 victory.<\/p>\n

Final standings confirmed the nail-biter: Nel 47.0 points, Stoltman 46.5, Canada\u2019s Mitchell Hooper 43.5. In a sport often dominated by stalwarts from colder climates, a South African giant had emerged.<\/p>\n

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A post shared by SBD World\u2019s Strongest Man (@theworldsstrongestman)<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n