Mathew Ragg

Mathew Ragg, known as Mat, is a strongman from New Zealand born on 21 September 1991, the Oceanian deadlift record holder and a seven-time winner of New Zealand's Strongest Man. He began as a sprinter, but a recurring shin injury pushed him towards weight training, and from 2013 he competed in local strongman events and broke national records. Third place at the 2016 Arnold Amateur World Championships brought his professional debut. After a pause during the pandemic he took third at the 2022 Official Strongman Games, which qualified him for the World's Strongest Man, where he reached the 2023 final and finished ninth. In 2023 he was second at the Giants Live World Tour Finals behind Tom Stoltman, in 2024 he won Beasts of Burden and placed fourth at the 2024 World's Strongest Man, and he holds a world record Viking press of 240 kilograms from the 2023 New Zealand's Strongest Man. He is of Samoan descent and works full time as a shift supervisor.