Victory at WA log lift titles
Goldfields strongman Rongo Keene has added another title to his growing list of achievements after taking out the heavyweight division at last weekend's WA Strongman Log Lifting Championships.
After finishing a disappointing third place at the recent New Zealand titles, Keene blitzed the competition as he qualified for August's Australian titles in style.
The New Zealand native lifted an incredible 162kg in the log press, qualifying him first for the event which will be held in Sydney.
Remarkably, the lift was not his personal best, which he said was a deliberate approach as he did not want to max out in the qualifiers.
"I've still got a lot more left in the tank, but I've got a game plan in place where I just wanted to get the biggest lift on the day," he said.
"Then when I head over to the finals, I can go 100 per cent.
"I'm in a good position because I've lifted the most out of all the guys who have qualified, and I've still got more to give."
Keene was not the only Goldfields strongman to enjoy success, with stable mates Howie Tamaki and Kaine Zylstra enjoying success in the under 105kg and under 90kg divisions, respectively.
Tamaki claimed third place in the qualifiers, while Zylstra placed second in the log lift, despite the two being relative novices in the sport.
The three train together in Keene's gym, known as "The Dungeon", where they have built the majority of their own gear.
Keene said the back-to-basics approach has won them accolades within the industry, being referred to as "The Rocky Crew" after Sylvester Stallone's famous boxing characters training regime.
"We have got a lot of respect in the WA strongman community with how we are doing things up here in Kalgoorlie," he said.
"We have built a name for ourselves down there because they know we don't have the flash equipment like other gyms and we don't have professional trainers or nutritionists.
"We are just a bunch of guys who work in the mines, come together and train hard, and we're respected for that right across WA and Australia.
"For me especially, being able to keep up with some of the best lifters in Australia, and doing it our own way, is very pleasing."
