Rongo Keene, based in Western Australia, won his first international competition in Singapore. Photo / File
Rongo Keene, based in Western Australia, won his first international competition in Singapore. Photo / File
Small-town boy Rongo Keene from Mohaka is doing it big overseas.
He's just been named Singapore's Strongman Champion, after taking out top spot in all four of his events in the super heavyweight division -- 105kg and over.
It's an international series that included athletes from all over the world from as far as Russia to Kuala Lumpur.
"I'm pretty happy to have won my first international," Keene says. It was an intense competition and he had been training for the event for three years, just to get his body in the right shape to compete at that level.
"I've got that mentality to do a job and get it done. I don't look at the competition: we're there for war.
"If I worry about what everyone else is doing then I can't focus on what I'm doing."
Every event for Keene was challenging, every event was different -- testing athletes in all areas of strength.
On the menu were max 300kg axle deadlifts in a minute, 160kg Atlas stone lift for max reps in a minute, a 400kg keg carry for 10m and an overhead medley -- 70kg dumbbell lift, 100kg overhead press, 120kg log lift and 130kg axle press, all for time.
I've got that mentality to do a job and get it done. I don't look at the competition: we're there for war.
Keene says he gets his strength and work ethic from his father. "Growing up in the country, we had to have a good work ethic."
He left Mohaka at 18 and now runs his own scaffolding business in Western Australia.
Keene is West Australia's Strongest Man Champion and holds the heaviest log lift of 170kg, gained at the Australian Log Lift Championship this year.
Competing in Strongman competitions is just a hobby for Keene for now but he plans to take it to the next level.
"I'd like to get to worlds," he said.
"It's going to take a lot to get into that circuit. Me and my coach have given ourselves the next two years to make it."
Keene got into competing at Strongman competitions after reading about them and meeting Carl Waitoa, a widely respected Strongman champion, who now coaches him.
The focus now for Keene is to concentrate on the Arnold Australia next March and then look to compete in New Zealand's Strongman after that.
