Mathew Ragg
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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 the reigning and six-times winner of New Zealand's Strongest Man competition.[2]
Background[edit]
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. In 2017 and 2018, Ragg competed in the Arnold Pro Strongman World Series in Australia, finishing seventh and eighth respectively.[3]
Following a hiatus due to COVID-19 pandemic,[4] Ragg competed at 2022 Official Strongman Games and won third place which qualified him for the World's Strongest Man.[5] 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.[3] In 2024, he won the Beasts of Burden competition by scoring 41 of a possible 45 points[5] and won fourth place in 2024 World's Strongest Man.
Personal life[edit]
Ragg is of Samoan descent.[6] He works full time as a shift supervisor at McDonald's.[2]
Personal records[edit]
- Deadlift (equipped) - 460 kg (1,014 lb)
- Log press - 200 kg (441 lb)
- Axle press - 180 kg (397 lb)
- Circus Dumbbell press - 125 kg (276 lb)
References[edit]
- ^ "Mathew Ragg". Strongman Archives. 21 January 2024. Retrieved 3 May 2024.
- ^ a b c "MATHEW RAGG". giants-live.com. 3 April 2023. Retrieved 3 May 2024.
- ^ a b "KIWI LEGEND I'm a World's Strongest Man finalist – who worked at McDonald's while fulfilling my Strongman dream". Anthony Wood for The Sun. 11 July 2024. Retrieved 3 May 2024.
- ^ ""Right before the truck-pull, I'm just thinking about not dying" – Strongman Matt Ragg". Hanalei Foliaki for TP+. 15 April 2023. Retrieved 3 May 2024.
- ^ a b "2024 Beasts of Burden Results — Mathew Ragg Dominates". Phil Blechman for Barbend. 22 January 2024. Retrieved 3 May 2024.
- ^ ""Right before the truck-pull, I'm just thinking about not dying" – Strongman Matt Ragg". Hanalei Foliaki for TP+. 15 April 2023. Retrieved 7 May 2024.
External links[edit]
- Mathew Ragg on Instagram