The 2026 Australia’s Strongest Man & Woman competitions took place on May 2nd in Sydney, gathering over two dozen incredible Strongmen and Strongwomen. It consisted of five events in each division, incorporating all key aspects of strength, including the deadlift, overhead pressing, and moving challenges. Ultimately, Bradman Houston and Sarah Rainbow claimed gold in their respective divisions.
The 2026 Australia’s Strongest Man & Woman competitions featured some exciting performances and two polar opposites between the divisions. The Strongman division saw Bradman Houston and Dylan Lockard finish the competition with the same number of points. However, the tiebreaker went in favor of the 23-year-old Bradman.
On the other hand, Sarah Rainbow absolutely dominated the Strongwoman division with four out of five event wins. As a result, she finished on 69 points, coming just one point short of the maximum 70. This performance secured her the Australia’s Strongest Woman crown and proved that she is ready to compete at the highest international level.
2026 Australia’s Strongest Man & Woman Results
Men
- Bradman Houston — 48 points
- Dylan Lockard — 48 points
- B.J. Stone — 45 points
- Jordan Osborne — 42 points
- Joshua Sampson — 37 points
- Lachlan Breen — 27 points
- Sam Le Cerf — 23 points
- Deni Omeragic — 20 points
- Jack Jung — 19 points
- Craig Fry — 11 points
- Nathaniel Heazlewood — 5 points
Women
- Sarah Rainbow — 69 points
- Shayna Wirihana — 59 points
- Elly Latemore — 58 points
- Allira-Joy Cowley — 56 points
- Nichole Wight — 47 points
- Camilla Fogagnolo — 42.5 points
- Reiariki Kimitaunga — 42 points
- Shauna Maher — 35 points
- Carly Patterson — 32 points
- Sara Eldridge — 31.5 points
- Katie Martin — 19 points
- Hannahzhazie Kanari — 17 points
- Amy McGuire — 7 points
- Tayla Brown — 4 points
Related: 2024 Australia’s Strongest Man & Woman Results — Jordan Osborne & Nicole Genrich Victorious
Event One — Loading Race
The 2026 Australia’s Strongest Man & Woman competitions kicked off with the Loading Race. It featured three implements, one keg and two sacks. The athletes had to carry each implement for a distance of 10 meters before loading it. They also had 60 seconds to complete the task but aimed to finish it as quickly as possible.
Men’s weights: 120-kg (264.6-lb) Keg, 140-kg (308.6-lb) Sack, 160-kg (352.7-lb) Sack
Women’s weights: 70-kg (154.3-lb) Keg, 80-kg (176.4-lb) Sack, 100-kg (220.5-lb) Sack
Dylan Lockard came out on top in the Strongman division, being the fastest to complete the event with a time of 25.30 seconds. Bradman Houston was the only other man who loaded all three implements in under half a minute, while B.J. Stone rounded out the top three with a time of 30.85 seconds.
The Strongwoman division started with an insanely close battle for the win in the first event, with three women finishing within just 1.3 seconds. Sarah Rainbow ended up taking the max points with a time of exactly 26 seconds. On the other hand, Allira-Joy Cowley finished in second, being just 0.2 seconds slower. Elly Latemore was the third-place finisher, loading the final stone 1.1 seconds after Cowley.
Men
- Dylan Lockard — 3 in 25.30 s
- Bradman Houston — 3 in 29.61 s
- B.J. Stone — 3 in 30.85 s
- Joshua Sampson — 3 in 32.10 s
- Jordan Osborne — 3 in 39.80 s
- Lachlan Breen — 3 in 48.98 s
- Jack Jung — 2 in 23.50 s
- Sam Le Cerf — 2 in 25.24 s
- Deni Omeragic — 2 in 27.49 s
- Craig Fry — 2 in 28.05 s
- Nathaniel Heazlewood — 1 in 13.60 s
Women
- Sarah Rainbow — 3 in 26.00 s
- Allira-Joy Cowley — 3 in 26.20 s
- Elly Latemore — 3 in 27.30 s
- Reiariki Kimitaunga — 3 in 34.40 s
- Shayna Wirihana — 3 in 35.50 s
- Nichole Wight — 3 in 36.90 s
- Camilla Fogagnolo — 3 in 38.10 s
- Shauna Maher — 3 in 40.21 s
- Carly Patterson — 2 in 19.30 s
- Katie Martin — 2 in 19.92 s
- Sara Eldridge — 2 in 20.67 s
- Amy McGuire — 2 in 23.30 s
- Hannahzhazie Kanari — 2 in 24.61 s
- Tayla Brown — 2 in 25.92 s
Event Two — Deadlift
The second event of the competition was the Deadlift and it followed the rising bar format, which means that the weight progressively increased. Four barbells were used in both divisions, with the men’s weight ranging from 320 kilograms (705.5 pounds) to 380 kilograms (837.8 pounds), while the women pulled 180 kilograms (396.8 pounds) to 220 kilograms (485 pounds). It was a timed event, making it a race to see who could complete it the fastest.
B.J. Stone was the clear winner in the men’s division, being the only one who was able to conquer all four barbells. Similarly, Jordan Osborne and Dylan Lockard were the only ones who finished with three successful lifts. Osborne was, however, 25 seconds quicker than Lockard, which secured him the second-place finish.
The outcome of the deadlift event in the women’s division was completely different, as half of the roster managed to pull all four barbells. So, it came down to their times. The Strongwomen were insanely quick, with Sarah Rainbow securing the second event win in a row with a mind-blowing time of 13.10 seconds. She was once again pushed to her limits by other competitors, with Elly Latemore being the closest to her, as only half a second separated the two.
Men
- B.J. Stone — 4 in 38.50 s
- Jordan Osborne — 3 in 19.00 s
- Dylan Lockard — 3 in 44.70 s
- Bradman Houston — 2 in 17.79 s
- Joshua Sampson — 2 in 27.55 s
- Sam Le Cerf — 2 in 31.70 s
- Deni Omeragic — 2 in 36.24 s
- Lachlan Breen — 1 in 17.79 s
- Nathaniel Heazlewood — 1 in 20.79 s
- Jack Jung — No Lift
- Craig Fry — No Lift
Women
- Sarah Rainbow — 4 in 13.10 s
- Elly Latemore — 4 in 13.60 s
- Shayna Wirihana — 4 in 16.40 s
- Allira-Joy Cowley — 4 in 20.93 s
- Nichole Wight — 4 in 31.85 s
- Camilla Fogagnolo — 4 in 35.70 s
- Reiariki Kimitaunga — 4 in 46.85 s
- Carly Patterson — 3 in 16.80 s
- Sara Eldridge — 3 in 29.70 s
- Shauna Maher — 3 in 35.43 s
- Katie Martin — 3 in 40.68 s
- Hannahzhazie Kanari — 2 in 26.30 s
- Amy McGuire — 1 in 21.73 s
- Tayla Brown — No Lift
Event Three — Overhead Medley
The Overhead Medley was very similar to the deadlift, as it also consisted of four implements progressively increasing in weight. The time cap was 75 seconds, giving athletes plenty of time to pick up and overhead press two Axles and two Logs.
Men’s weights: 140-kg (308.6-lb) Axle, 150-kg (330.7-lb) Log, 160-kg (352.7-lb) Axle, 170-kg (374.8-lb) Log
Women’s weights: 70-kg (154.3-lb) Axle, 80-kg (176.4-lb) Log, 90-kg (198.4-lb) Axle, 100-kg (220.5-lb) Log
None of the Strongmen were able to lift the final implement, but B.J. Stone and Dylan Lockard did manage to get through three of them. Stone did so in a time of 30 seconds, which secured him a comfortable event win. On the other hand, Lockard pushed hard and managed to lock out the third implement just seconds before the time limit ran out.
Sarah Rainbow continued her winning streak, showing just how consistent and well-rounded she is by completing the event in 31.60 seconds. Shayna Wirihana was the biggest threat to Sarah on the Overhead Medley since she was the only other woman to reach the end. Unfortunately for Wirihana, she was 11 seconds slower than Sarah.
Men
- B.J. Stone — 3 in 30.30 s
- Dylan Lockard — 3 in 67.50 s
- Jordan Osborne — 2 in 14.85 s
- Bradman Houston — 2 in 23.49 s
- Joshua Sampson — 2 in 29.00 s
- Deni Omeragic — 2 in 63.70 s
- Sam Le Cerf — 1 in 8.49 s
- Lachlan Breen — 1 in 12.24 s
- Jack Jung — 1 in 12.92 s
- Craig Fry — 1 in 19.49 s
- Nathaniel Heazlewood — No Lift
Women
- Sarah Rainbow — 4 in 31.60 s
- Shayna Wirihana — 4 in 42.20 s
- Nichole Wight — 3 in 21.00 s
- Reiariki Kimitaunga — 3 in 27.20 s
- Allira-Joy Cowley — 3 in 35.79 s
- Sara Eldridge — 3 in 37.90 s
- Shauna Maher — 3 in 40.43 s
- Camilla Fogagnolo — 3 in 45.69 s
- Elly Latemore — 3 in 66.05 s
- Carly Patterson — 2 in 15.62 s
- Katie Martin — 1 in 5.60 s
- Tayla Brown — 1 in 7.30 s
- Hannahzhazie Kanari — 1 in 15.11 s
- Amy McGuire — No Lift
Event Four — Frame Carry
While the opening events were timed and focused on speed, the Frame Carry incorporated the endurance element. Specifically, the athletes had to carry the implement for the longest distance possible. The men’s frame weighed 360 kilograms (793.7 pounds), while the women took on a 220-kilogram (485-pound) implement.
Bradman Houston’s performance in the Frame Carry earned him his first event win at the 2026 Australia’s Strongest Man competition, and it came at just the right moment. He carried the frame for 36.2 meters, which proved to be more than enough to take the win. Joshua Sampson’s score of 30.9 meters got him a second-place finish, just ahead of Dylan Lockard’s 28.1 meters.
Sarah Rainbow did not want to let up any points and made sure to hold on to her 100% event win streak at the 2026 Australia’s Strongest Woman competition. Consequently, she achieved a distance of 59.9 meters and topped the leaderboards once again. Elly Latemore and Shayna Wirihana rounded out the top three with 50 meters and 47 meters, respectively.
Men
- Bradman Houston — 36.2 meters
- Joshua Sampson — 30.9 meters
- Dylan Lockard — 28.1 meters
- Jordan Osborne — 19.4 meters
- Jack Jung — 10 meters
- Lachlan Breen — 5.1 meters
- Craig Fry — 0.9 meters
- B.J. Stone — 0.8 meters
- Deni Omeragic — 0.5 meters
- Sam Le Cerf — 0.1 meters
- Nathaniel Heazlewood — No Lift
Women
- Sarah Rainbow — 59.9 meters
- Elly Latemore — 50 m
- Shayna Wirihana — 47 meters
- Allira-Joy Cowley — 43.1 meters
- Nichole Wight — 41.7 meters
- Sara Eldridge — 40 meters
- Camilla Fogagnolo — 40 meters
- Carly Patterson — 34.1 meters
- Shauna Maher — 27.7 meters
- Hannahzhazie Kanari — 20 meters
- Reiariki Kimitaunga — 19.5 meters
- Katie Martin — 3 meters
- Tayla Brown — No Lift
- Amy McGuire — No Lift
Event Five — Atlas Stones
The last challenge at the 2026 Australia’s Strongest Man & Woman competition was the Atlas Stones. As a result, the athletes were tasked with lifting and loading five round stones onto the platform. The time limit was set to 60 seconds, while the weights ranged from 160 kilograms (352.7 pounds) to 210 kilograms (463 pounds) for men and 110 kilograms (242.5 pounds) to 150 kilograms (330.7 pounds) for women.
The final stone proved to be too heavy for all Strongmen, especially considering that they completed four intense events beforehand. Bradman Houston achieved a crucial event win, which ended up securing him the title overall. He loaded four stones in 33.54 seconds, beating B.J. Stone by one second and Dylan Lockard by four seconds.
Elly Latemore was the only Strongwoman who managed to lift all five stones. Consequently, she was the only one who managed to outperform Sarah Rainbow on any event at the competition. However, Rainbow was not far behind, as she placed second on the Atlas Stones and won the overall competition.
Men
- Bradman Houston — 4 in 33.54 s
- B.J. Stone — 4 in 34.70 s
- Dylan Lockard — 4 in 37.90 s
- Jordan Osborne — 3 in 31.54 s
- Lachlan Breen — 3 in 52.49 s
- Sam Le Cerf — 2 in 16.81 s
- Joshua Sampson — 2 in 26.50 s
- Jack Jung — 2 in 30.20 s
- Deni Omeragic — 1 in 11.70 s
- Craig Fry — 1 in 28.24 s
- Nathaniel Heazlewood — 1 in 45.49 s
Women
- Elly Latemore — 5 in 38.19 s
- Sarah Rainbow — 4 in 28.10 s
- Shayna Wirihana — 4 in 30.24 s
- Allira-Joy Cowley — 3 in 24.40 s
- Camilla Fogagnolo — 3 in 36.00 s
- Shauna Maher — 3 in 38.30 s
- Reiariki Kimitaunga — 3 in 40.61 s
- Carly Patterson — 3 in 47.85 s
- Nichole Wight — 2 in 16.20 s
- Hannahzhazie Kanari — 2 in 18.67 s
- Sara Eldridge — 2 in 22.24 s
- Katie Martin — 1 in 7.90 s
- Amy McGuire — 1 in 16.80 s
- Tayla Brown — No Lift
Related: 2026 Europe’s Strongest Man Results — Ondřej Fojtů Wins
The 2026 Australia’s Strongest Man & Woman competitions crowned brand-new champions, showing just how stacked the region has become in regard to Strongman and Strongwoman. Sarah Rainbow’s dominant performance truly shows that she is one of the strongest women in the world, while Bradman Houston has emerged as one of the greatest young prospects that the sport has to offer.
