Public Interest Journalism funded through NZ On Air
When it comes to showcasing incredible strength and endurance, Matt Ragg is no stranger to the hurt. Ragg, a five-time champion of the New Zealand’s Strongest Man competition, is getting ready for the World’s Strongest Man event later this month.
The 31-year-old Samoan started competing in strongman competitions ten years ago and since then has worked his way up to become a world-class athlete in the sport, often featured in NZ sports news.
After earning recognition in New Zealand, Ragg headed overseas to compete in international events but that was before the 2020 pandemic slowed down his momentum.
“The pandemic hit, and I was actually gonna quit,” says Ragg.
“Luckily I chose to stick to it because then fast forward [to now].. I competed at OSG (Official Strongman Games).”
Persevering, Ragg managed to qualify for the World’s Strongest Man competition after placing third at the official Strongman Games in November of last year.
Strongman competitions traditionally consist of six different events. Each event tests a different aspect of the athlete’s strength, from brute force on the deadlift machine to speed and agility in the kettlebell toss. The stone over bar event requires not only raw strength but also strategy and technique, while the truck pull tests the athlete’s cardiovascular endurance as much as their physical strength.
“Right before the truck-pull, I’m just thinking about not dying,” Ragg chuckled.
“It hits you like cardio-wise, so you’re just trying to prepare yourself for that moment of just getting smashed by the truck pull.”
Pushing their bodies to new extremes, strongman athletes rely heavily on their fuel. Ragg follows a rigorous diet of roughly five high-protein meals of about 5000 calories per day. However, the most important priority for Ragg is staying injury-free while training for the competition.
Ragg will be the only New Zealand representative among 30 athletes in this year’s World’s Strongest Man Competition. The competition commences on April 19th in South Carolina and will run over the course of 5 days.
Determined to bring his A-game, Ragg is excited to represent New Zealand on the global stage.
