Former CUT and Cheetahs loose forward Rayno Nel made history by becoming the first African to win the World’s Strongest Man competition.
The 30-year-old, 148kg South African edged defending champion Tom Stoltman by just half a point in the two-day final to claim the title in Sacramento, California.
It was the first victory by a rookie at the event since 1997.
“To represent [South Africa] in any way whatsoever, it feels surreal,” Nel told USA Today. “We’re a small country with a lot of struggles. To have something like this I know means a lot to my people.”
Nel captained CUT in three successive Varsity Cup campaigns, before being called up by the Cheetahs.
He only took up strongman training properly in 2022 and works as an electricalengineer.
