The ONI Crew Takes on WellyStrong

 

The ONI Crew Takes on WellyStrong

A huge congratulations to the ONI crew who competed at the recent WellyStrong Strongman Competition!

Organised by ONI coach Conor O’Neill alongside Renee Rowlings of Tribal Phoenix Fitness, WellyStrong brought together athletes across novice, teen, masters and open categories for a full day of impressive lifting and plenty of community support.

Ten athletes from ONI competed on the day, with eight of them taking part in their very first strongman competition. Despite plenty of nerves beforehand, everyone stepped up, achieved personal bests and came away with an impressive collection of medals.

The support throughout the competition was just as memorable as the performances. Athletes, coaches, friends and spectators spent the day cheering one another on and creating the welcoming atmosphere that makes strongman such a great sport.

ONI Crew Results

Jane: 1st — Novice Women Under 80kg 🥇
Shannyn: 2nd — Women Under 73kg 🥈
Maria: 1st — Masters Women 🥇
Anton: 1st — Teen Men and Spirit of the Sport Award 🥇🏆
Conor: 1st — Novice Men Under 100kg 🥇
Michael: 4th — Novice Men Over 100kg
Carl: 3rd — Novice Men Over 100kg 🥉
Adam: 2nd — Novice Men Over 100kg 🥈
Chris: 1st — Men Under 80kg 🥇
Josh: 2nd — Men Under 120kg 🥈

Maria, Shannyn, Chris and Josh also earned invitations to compete at New Zealand’s Strongest Man and Woman 2026.

Below, Conor shares a closer look at some of the athletes’ performances and the work that went into preparing them for the competition.

 
 

Jane - Novice Women Under 80kg Champion

It was a pleasure helping Jane prepare for her first strongman competition through my weekly strongman classes at ONI. She picked everything up incredibly quickly and delivered an outstanding performance, winning all five events and taking first place in the Novice Women Under 80kg category.

  • Yoke Medley: 90kg and 110kg in approximately 19 seconds — 1st

  • Overhead Pyramid: 20kg dumbbell, 35kg axle and seven reps with the 35kg log — 1st

  • Max Farmers Deadlift and Carry: 55kg per hand — 1st

  • Sandbag Loading Medley: 30kg, 40kg, 50kg and 60kg bags in approximately 54 seconds — 1st

  • Husafell Carry: 50kg for 90 metres — 1st

Jane produced strong performances across the board and still looked like she had more in the tank. An incredible competition debut.

 
 

Conor - Novice Men Under 100kg Champion

Conor is a long-term client of mine, and this competition represented a huge step forward from where he began.

When we started training together last year, the focus was on learning fundamental lifting techniques and gradually becoming bigger and stronger. He is now competing in strongman competitions and performing exceptionally well.

Although the other athletes in his category unfortunately withdrew, Conor still approached every event with determination and put together an incredibly gutsy performance to earn a well-deserved gold medal.

  • Yoke Medley: 160kg and 180kg in 19 seconds — 1st

  • Overhead Pyramid: Two successful implements — 1st

  • Max Farmers Deadlift and Carry: 85kg per hand — 1st

  • Sandbag Load: 70kg and 80kg bags loaded — 1st

  • Husafell Carry: 90kg for 30 metres — 1st

It was a great example of someone stepping outside their comfort zone and showing what consistent training can lead to.

 
 

Anton - Teen Men Champion and Spirit of the Sport Winner

Anton stepped up in a massive way at WellyStrong.

At only 15 years old, he signed up to attempt events and weights that many adults would be nervous to take on. Despite being unsure beforehand whether he would manage some of the competition weights, he produced an incredible debut and showed just how much potential he has.

From coaching Anton through this preparation, it is clear that he has the drive needed to continue developing as he gets older. He also became one of the crowd favourites and was awarded the Spirit of the Sport trophy.

  • Yoke Medley: 140kg and 160kg in 20 seconds — 1st

  • Overhead Pyramid: Two successful implements — 1st

  • Max Farmers Deadlift and Carry: 75kg per hand — 1st

  • Sandbag Load: 60kg, 70kg and 80kg bags — 1st

  • Husafell Carry: 90kg for 45 metres — 1st

A phenomenal first competition and hopefully the first of many.

 
 

Chris - Men Under 80kg Champion

Chris already had an excellent base level of strength when we began preparing for WellyStrong, so our focus was largely on refining his technique and helping him apply that strength to unfamiliar strongman events.

That preparation paid off. What Chris lacked in previous strongman experience, he more than made up for with his work ethic, earning a convincing victory in his first competition.

  • Yoke Medley: 180kg and 200kg in 22 seconds — 1st

  • Overhead Pyramid: 50kg monster dumbbell for a significant personal best — 2nd

  • Max Farmers Deadlift and Carry: 100kg per hand — 1st

  • Sandbag Loading Medley: Four bags up to 110kg in 37 seconds — 1st

  • Husafell Carry: 100kg for 105 metres — 1st

Chris’ Husafell carry was also the furthest distance recorded by any athlete throughout the entire competition.

His performance earned him an invitation to New Zealand’s Strongest Man 2026, where we are looking forward to seeing what he can do next.

 
 

Maria - Masters Women Champion

This was the third strongman competition I have coached Maria through, and it was no surprise to see her dominate once again.

Maria won every event in her category and came home with another gold medal. Although she is still relatively new to the sport, she is already becoming an exceptionally well-rounded strongman athlete.

  • Yoke Medley: 140kg and 160kg in 14 seconds — 1st

  • Overhead Pyramid: 40kg monster dumbbell, 65kg axle and six reps with the 65kg log — 1st

  • Max Farmers Deadlift and Carry: 80kg per hand — Equal 1st

  • Husafell Carry: 80kg for 60 metres — 1st

Maria has also earned an invitation to New Zealand’s Strongest Woman 2026. It will be exciting to see how she performs on the national stage.

Shannyn - Women Under 73kg Silver Medallist

It was a lot of fun preparing Shannyn for WellyStrong.

Her existing training was already extremely varied, which translated well to the broad range of skills required in strongman. It was particularly impressive to see her bypass the novice category for her first competition and perform so confidently in the competitive women’s division.

  • Yoke Medley: 130kg and 150kg in 22 seconds — 2nd

  • Overhead Pyramid: 35kg monster dumbbell, 60kg log and four reps with the 60kg axle — 2nd

  • Max Farmers Deadlift and Carry: 60kg per hand — 2nd

  • Sandbag Loading Medley: 50kg, 60kg, 70kg and 80kg bags — 1st

  • Husafell Carry: 70kg for 80 metres — 2nd

Shannyn finished second overall in the Women Under 73kg category and earned an invitation to New Zealand’s Strongest Woman 2026.

A very impressive debut, with plenty more to come.

Josh - Men Under 120kg Silver Medallist

It was great to finally see Josh demonstrate the strength we have been building throughout the year.

Since we started working together, Josh has consistently achieved personal bests, and it still feels like we are only beginning to see what he is capable of. Strongman suits him incredibly well, and he put together an excellent performance in his first competition.

  • Yoke Medley: 230kg and 250kg in 21 seconds — 2nd

  • Overhead Pyramid: 65kg monster dumbbell and 115kg axle, both personal bests — Equal 1st

  • Max Farmers Deadlift and Carry: 130kg per hand — 2nd

  • Sandbag Loading Medley: 100kg, 110kg, 120kg and 130kg bags in 30 seconds — 1st

  • Husafell Carry: 150kg for 10 metres — 2nd

Josh finished second in the Men Under 120kg category and became another member of the ONI crew to qualify for New Zealand’s Strongest Man 2026.

Adam - Novice Men 100kg+ Silver Medallist

Adam put together a really strong performance at WellyStrong, taking second place in the Novice Men 100kg+ category.

As one of the ONI coaches competing on the day, it was awesome to see him step onto the competition floor himself and put all that training into practice. He handled the events well, pushed hard across the day and came away with a well-earned silver medal.

A great result and another strong showing from the ONI crew at WellyStrong.

If you are based in Wellington and keen to give strongman training a go, check out Conor’s weekly strongman classes at ONI. Beginners are welcome, and your first class is free.

Try a Strongman Class
 
BlogLaurent PangStrongman, WellyStrongComment