There is no doubt that Australia is one of the world’s greatest countries when it comes to the sport of strongman and strongwoman, having been steadily growing. To determine which athletes stand out across Australia, eleven men and nine women gathered in Melbourne, Australia, to compete head-to-head. Both the 2023 Australia’s Strongest Man and 2023 Australia’s Strongest Woman competitions took place on March 18-19. So, in the end, Josh Patacca won the men’s division, while Nicole Genrich was triumphant amongst the women.
Both the men’s and women’s competitions consisted of the same eight events, which spanned over two days of non-stop action. In addition, another similar outcome was in place for winners of both competitions, as Patacca and Genrich accumulated a significant lead and turned out to be very dominant at the end.
2023 Australia’s Strongest Man Results
- Josh Patacca — 76.5 points
- Ryan Rullis — 67 points
- Macauley Tinker — 59 points
- Jordan Osborne — 57.5 points
- Sean Gillen — 51.5 points
- Aidan Canini — 46.5 points
- Hank Theunissen — 46 points
- Dylan Lockard — 36.5 points
- Jihad El Masri — 35 points
- Maximus McCall — 21.5 points
- Nathan Woods — 9 points
2023 Australia’s Strongest Woman Results
- Nicole Genrich — 62.5 points
- Megan Clark — 51.5 points
- Nichole Wight — 45.5 points
- Rebekah Chessum — 43 points
- Katie Blunden — 39.5 points
- Ari Mann — 34.5 points
- Camilla Fogagnolo — 29.5 points
- Joe Kimitaunga — 29 points
- Elly Smith — 21 points
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2023 Australia’s Strongest Man & Woman Events
Event One — Yoke
Starting off the 2023 Australia’s Strongest Man & Woman competitions, the athletes were tasked with carrying a giant Yoke for a distance of 20 meters. For the men, the Yoke weighed 450 kilograms, while the women’s one came out to 300 kilograms.
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The time limit for the first event was 60 seconds and the goal was to finish it in the quickest time possible. However, those who did not manage to complete the entire distance were scored based on how much they managed to cover.
Event Two — Axle Overhead Press
A typical Axle Overhead Press for max weight was the second event of the competitions, testing the shoulder strength of the participants. The minimum opener weight for women was 90 kilograms, while the men could not choose to lift lighter than 140 kilograms.
The refereeing for this event was quite strict, as the athletes had to fill out multiple criteria. Once they approached the bar, each athlete had one minute to complete their attempt. The bar had to be fully locked out above their head and then controlled on the way down.
Event Three — Tyre Flip
The Tyre Flip was introduced as the third event of the 2023 Australia’s Strongest Man & Woman competitions. The approximate weight of the women’s tyre came out to around 260 kilograms, while the men’s weighed between 360 and 400 kilograms.
Event Four — Frame Hold
To complete the fourth event, the participants had to deadlift a frame and hold it for as long as possible. Seeing that it was a test of grip strength, no equipment apart from chalk was allowed. The men’s frame weighed 300 kilograms. On the other hand, the women held a 200-kilogram frame.
Event Five — Max Deadlift
Next up in 2023 Australia’s Strongest Man & Woman repertoire was one of the most iconic tests of strength across multiple sports. So, the Deadlift for max weight served as one of the most important moments of the competition. The standard deadlift rules were applied, but suits were not allowed. Similar to one of the previous events, the participants had 60 seconds to complete their attempt.
Event Six — QEST Stone Carry
The QEST Stone Carry was a true test of endurance, as the athletes had to pick up and carry the stone for the maximum distance possible. There were no additional attempts allowed. So, once the stone was dropped, the attempt was concluded. The men’s stone weighed 160 kilograms and the women’s one weighed 110 kilograms.
Event Seven — Composite Dumbbell Reps
The penultimate test of the 2023 Australia’s Strongest Man & Woman competitions once again focused on shoulder strength. This time, it isolated only one arm, as the athletes had to press Dumbbells for as many reps as possible inside the 60 second time limit. The weights of the dumbbells were 50 kilograms and 90 kilograms for women and men respectively.
Event Eight — Stone To Shoulder
The final and deciding event of the 2023 Australia’s Strongest Man and Woman competitions was Stone To Shoulder, which became incredibly difficult to perform after the previous seven events. The stone had to be moved from the floor to either of the athletes shoulders. However, the opposite hand also had to be clear of the stone, and the stone had to be clearly on the shoulder and under control for the rep to count. The weights used for the final event were 150 kilograms for men and 90 kilograms for women.
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The 2023 Australia’s Strongest Man & Woman competitions have justified the hype and continued the trend of improvement in this country. The standout athletes are clearly Josh Patacca and Nicole Genrich as the winners of their respective competitions, but it should also be noted that the rosters this year were arguably the greatest yet as well. Hopefully, the next edition of these competitions will be even more exciting than the previous one, as it will be interesting to see how the Australian Strongman and Strongwoman scene develops in the future.
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