Mathew 'Matt' Ragg (born 21 September 1991) is a

Strongman Strongman is a competitive strength sport which tests athletes' physical strength and endurance through a variety of heavy lifts and events. Strongman competitions are known for their intensity, pushing athletes to their physical and mental limit ...

from

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

and a six-times winner of New Zealand's Strongest Man competition.

Background

Ragg started his sporting career as a sprinter but a recurring shin injury caused him to move towards

weight training Strength training, also known as weight training or resistance training, is exercise designed to improve physical strength. It is often associated with the lifting of weights. It can also incorporate techniques such as bodyweight exercises ( ...

. 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. Following a hiatus due to

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

, Ragg competed at 2022 Official Strongman Games and won third place which qualified him for the

World's Strongest Man The World's Strongest Man is an international strongman competition held every year. Organized by American event management company IMG, a subsidiary of Endeavor, it is broadcast in the US during summers and in the UK around the end of Decemb ...

. At 2023 World's Strongest Man, he qualified for the finals, finishing in 9th place. At the 2023 Giants Live World Tour Finals, he won second place behind

Tom Stoltman Tom Ryan Stoltman (born 30 May 1994) 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 ...

and ahead of the reigning World's Strongest Man champion Mitchell Hooper. In 2024, he won the Beasts of Burden competition by scoring 41 of a possible 45 points. Ragg found further success in the 2024 season, coming fourth place at the

2024 World's Strongest Man The 2024 World's Strongest Man was the 47th World's Strongest Man competition that took place in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina from May 1 to 5, 2024. Participants This year's competition welcomed 11 new faces to the competition, and included 5 no ...

and Giants Live Strongman Classic. He was also invited to compete in the 2024 Strongest Man on Earth competition (coming 12th out of 16) and the 2024 Rogue Invitational (coming 7th out of 10).

Personal life

Ragg is of Samoan descent. He works full time as a shift supervisor at

McDonald's McDonald's Corporation, doing business as McDonald's, is an American Multinational corporation, multinational fast food chain store, chain. As of 2024, it is the second largest by number of locations in the world, behind only the Chinese ch ...

Personal records

Deadlift The deadlift is a strength training exercise in which a weight-loaded barbell is lifted off the ground to the level of the hips, with the torso perpendicular to the floor, before being placed back on the ground. It is one of the three powerlifting ...

''(Equipped)'' – *Deadlift ''(Raw)'' – (2024 Rogue Invitational) * Squat ''(Raw with wraps)'' – x 5 reps *Log press – *Axle press – *Circus Dumbbell press – *

Keg toss Keg-tossing (or keg toss) is a traditional strength sport that involves the heaving of a standard half-barrel beer keg or a similar implement. The basic technique involves swinging the keg in a pendulum like manner and releasing when it is at its a ...

– over (2024 Strongest Man on Earth) * Manhood Stone (Max Atlas Stone) – over 4 ft bar

Competitive record

Winning percentage:
Podium percentage:

Filmography

Television

References

External links

Mathew Ragg
on Instagram {{DEFAULTSORT:Ragg, Mathew 1991 births Living people New Zealand strength athletes