BBC – For Rayno Nel there is something special about the ability to call yourself the strongest man in the world.
The 30-year-old South African claimed the prestigious title on his debut in the competition in May – something that shocked many people, including him.
“I didn’t go into this year really thinking that this year would already be the competition where I would stand on top of that podium,” he told Not by the Playbook on the BBC World Service.
“It still feels so unreal to already have achieved it.
“You can have a UFC belt, which means you can fight good, but the World’s Strongest Man… there’s just something about the title, being the strongest.”
What makes his achievement all the more remarkable is that Nel, the first African to claim the title, only moved into the sport of strongman in 2023, four years after he gave up on his initial dream of playing professional rugby.
Having grown up in Upington, a town in Northern Cape province which Nel describes as “very isolated”, he was aware of strongman but admits it was “lucky” that it crossed his path after several years spent working full-time as an electrical engineer.
“I wanted to do a competitive sport,” he explained.
“I love the adrenaline of being in a competitive environment. I’m one of the people that really likes to put myself through hard times.”
Steak, pasta and eight-hour training sessions
Hard is certainly one way to describe strongman training – especially for someone with a 9-5 job like Nel.
“All my free time, my wife’s free time, goes into strongman,” he revealed.
“I trained three hours on three different week nights, and then on Saturdays I have a very long six- to eight-hour session.
“I eat up to 6,000 calories a day. I eat clean. Luckily, in South Africa, red meat isn’t that expensive, so I did a lot of steak, biltong and then pasta.”
Weighing in at 148kg and 191cm tall, a recent suit fitting saw the tailor unable to find a shirt in his shop big enough to fit Nel’s neck.
Given his size, and in a country full of wildlife reserves, it did not take long for a new nickname to stick.
“I’ve been dubbed the Rhino from South Africa, which I think is quite fitting,” he said. “I like it.”
‘A flood of emotion’
The Rhino charged his way to 2025’s World’s Strongest Man title in the Californian state capital Sacramento, pipping three-time winner Tom Stoltman of Great Britain by just half a point.
Having already come through two days of qualifying, Nel then finished in the top three in four of the five events which made up the final.
After deadlifting a mighty 490kg – about half the weight of one of South Africa’s critically endangered black rhinos – Nel took a healthy lead into the penultimate event, the Flintstone Press, a behind-the-neck shoulder press.
“Looking back, that was the least fun and the worst moment,” remembered Nel, whose lead was cut from seven points to just two and a half after he failed on his second lift.
“Not the toughest, like, taxing on my body, but mentally that was the toughest moment in the competition.”
Fortunately, he believes mental fortitude is one of his strong points.
“We (the competitors) are in the same room over four days, so I think there definitely is some mind games.
“I focus on my own job, so I also don’t play mind games.
“But in all honesty, the bunch of guys that I competed against are all amazing people, so it’s nothing nasty.”
In the final event, the infamous Atlas Stones in which athletes lift heavy spherical balls of ever-increasing weight onto elevated platforms positioned around chest height, Nel could afford to finish no more than two places behind Stoltman.
With the 2024 champion finishing first, Nel secured third place by less than a second to give him the overall victory by the slimmest of margins.
“It’s a flood of emotion,” the South African recalled of that winning moment.
“I had family there, my wife, my in-laws. My coach is also a big friend of mine, so it was just a moment of them seeing that all their sacrifices, with my sacrifices, came to fruition.
“It isn’t just a hobby that I do and take up everyone’s free time, but it really is something that can do good for our lives.”
Southern Africa’s strongman heritage
Nel says life has certainly changed since his unexpected victory, describing things as “extremely busy”.
“It’s been media and potential sponsor meetings,” he explained.
“I love it. It’s what I worked for, so I embrace it as much as I can. But, definitely, my life is not the same.”
He has also become a far more recognisable figure in his homeland.
“I think Africa as a whole, there’s a lot of struggle in our countries. To have some positive news…
“And the support that I got from people back home, it’s just testament to how wonderful our country is.
“I’m so humbled and honoured to represent my country.”
Nel is now hoping to bring World’s Strongest Man back to the continent, with South Africa, Botswana, Mauritius and Zambia all having previously hosted the competition – something he says proves that there is “a big heritage to strongman in the southern tip of Africa”.
And while he is targeting other titles, he says keeping hold of his current crown is the number one goal.
“The most prestigious title is World’s Strongest Man. I’d like to defend that one or two times.”
