Rongo Keene Wins 2022 Magnus ver Magnusson Strongman Classic

Australian strongman Rongo Keene won the 2022 Magnus ver Magnusson Strongman Classic (MvMSC) contest. The three-day competition was held in Reykjavik, Iceland, from Nov. 18-20, 2022.

According to Strongman Archives, this is Keene’s first victory in a competition since he won the 2016 Australia’s Strongest Man contest. The 2021 MvMSC contest winner, Maxime Boudreault of Canada, placed second overall, and Eythór Ingólfsson Melsted took third place. The final standings for the entire lineup are below:

2022 Magnus ver Magnusson Strongman Classic Results

1. Rongo Keene — 87.5 points 
2. Maxime Boudreault — 81.5 points
3. Eythór Ingólfsson Melsted — 79 points
4. Vilius Jokužys — 72.5 points
5. Colton Sloan — 68.5 points
6. Stefán Karel Torfason — 65.5 points
7. Ervin Toots — 65.5 points
8. Mika Törrö — 56.5 points
9. Jacob Finerty— 54.5 points
10. James Jeffers — 51.5 points
11. Kristján Jón Haraldsson — 50 points
12. Kim Ujarak Lorentzen — 46.5 points
13. Pierre Motal — 33.5 points
14. Ryan England — 26.5 points

Below are recaps of each of the eight events:

[Related: Martins Licis Named New Captain of Team USA for 2022 World’s Strongest Nation Contest]

Event One – Rock Press

The competition took place outside, and the first event was the Rock Overhead Press. Six stones ranged in weight from 100 to 150 kilograms (220 to 330 pounds).

The strongmen took turns lifting each stone before moving on to the next. No one made it past the fourth stone, which weighed 138 kilograms (304.2 pounds).

Keene, Melsted, and Finerty tied for first place by lifting the 138-kilogram stone. Due to ties, the entire 14-man field finished with top 10 scores.

1. Rongo Keene — 138 kilograms
2. Eythór Ingólfsson Melsted — 138 kilograms (T-first)
3. Jacob Finerty — 138 kilograms (T-first)
4. Vilius Jokužys — 122 kilograms
5. Colton Sloan — 112 kilograms
6. Stefán Karel Torfason — 112 kilograms (T-fifth)
7. Mika Törrö — 112 kilograms (T-fifth)
8. James Jeffers — 112 kilograms (T-fifth)
9. Kristján Jón Haraldsson — 112 kilograms (T-fifth)
10. Maxime Boudreault — 100 kilograms (T-10th)
11. Ervin Toots — 100 kilograms (T-10th)
12. Kim Ujarak Lorentzen — 100 kilograms (T-10th)
13. Pierre Motal — 100 kilograms (T-10th)
14. Ryan England — 100 kilograms (T-10th)

Event Two – Natural Stones

This is the competition’s version of the Atlas Stones. The athletes had to lift four stones onto a cable spool, which served as their platform, in the fastest time possible. The stones weighed 130 to 185 kilograms (286 to 408 pounds).

Kristján Jón Haraldsson quickly moved through all four stones and finished in less than 27 seconds to take first place. He was the only athlete to finish in less than 30 seconds. Melsted took silver, and Boudreault rounded out the top three.

1. Kristján Jón Haraldsson — 26.73 seconds
2. Eythór Ingólfsson Melsted — 32.17 seconds
3. Maxime Boudreault — 33.21 seconds
4. Ervin Toots — 34.13 seconds
5. James Jeffers — 38.79 seconds
6. Stefán Karel Torfason — 45.41 seconds
7. Vilius Jokužys — three in 16.33 seconds
8. Rongo Keene — three in 19.39 seconds
9. Jacob Finerty — three in 21.74 seconds
10. Mika Törrö — three in 24.97 seconds
11. Colton Sloan — three in 25.12 seconds
12. Pierre Motal — three in 25.96 seconds
13. Kim Ujarak Lorentzen — three in 33.68 seconds
14. Ryan England — two in 19.9 seconds

Event Three – Hammer Throw

The final event of Day One was the Hammer Throw, and the goal for this event was simple. They had to throw the 21-kilogram (46.3-pound) hammer as far as possible. Each strongman had three attempts, and the best toss was counted. The furthest distance determined the winner.

Stefán Karel Torfason of Iceland won his first event by throwing the hammer close to 10 meters. He, Vilius Jokužys, and Boudreault were the only strongmen to throw the hammer past nine meters.

1. Stefán Karel Torfason — 9.9 meters
2. Vilius Jokužys — 9.22 meters
3. Maxime Boudreault — 9.14 meters
4. Ervin Toots — 8.78 meters
5. Mika Törrö — 8.43 meters
6. Rongo Keene — 8.32 meters
7. Kim Ujarak Lorentzen — 8.03 meters
8. Jacob Finerty — 7.94 meters
9. James Jeffers — 7.81 meters
10. Ryan England — 7.55 meters
11. Kristján Jón Haraldsson — 7.41 meters
12. Eythór Ingólfsson Melsted — 7.19 meters
13. Colton Sloan — 6.62 meters
14. Pierre Motal — 6.47 meters

Event Four — Husafell Stone Carry

The first event of Day Two is an Icelandic classic: the Husafell Stone Carry. The contestants had to carry the original Husafell Stone, weighing 186 kilograms (410 pounds), around a circle of rocks. Total distance was measured, and the athlete with the longest distance won. One revolution around the rocks equaled 35 meters.

Going into the event, no one had completed two circles (70 meters) with the stone. Canadian Colton Sloan became the first to do it. Lithuania’s Vilius Jokužys completed two revolutions and then some to take the win. Boudreault and Sloan rounded out the top three.

1. Vilius Jokužys — 83.9 meters
2. Maxime Boudreault — 80 meters
3. Colton Sloan — 75.3 meters
4. Stefán Karel Torfason — 70.9 meters
5. Ervin Toots — 67.2 meters
6. Kristján Jón Haraldsson — 58.9 meters
7. Rongo Keene — 51.4 meters
8. James Jeffers — 51.2 meters
9. Mika Törrö — 49.6 meters
10. Eythór Ingólfsson Melsted — 48.9 meters
11. Pierre Motal — 48.7 meters
12. Kim Ujarak Lorentzen — 45.4 meters
13. Jacob Finerty — 36 meters
14. Ryan England — 35.9 meters

[Related: Justin Medeiros Teaches the Buttery Bros How to Log Lift]

Event Five – Stone-to-Shoulder Medley

The second event on Day Two was the Stone-to-Shoulder Medley. The strongmen had to lift each of four stones, weighing 100 to 145 kilograms (220 to 319.7 pounds), off the ground and to either shoulder.

They then had to control it with one arm before receiving a down command from a judge. The strongman that completed all four stones would be the winner.

Keene managed to lift all four stones in 34 seconds to take his second event win. Melsted and Boudreault took second and third, respectively. 

1. Rongo Keene — 34.16 seconds
2. Eythór Ingólfsson Melsted — 36.2 seconds
3. Maxime Boudreault — 36.91 seconds
4. Colton Sloan — 52.07 seconds
5. Kim Ujarak Lorentzen — 54.77 seconds
6. Ervin Toots — 1:01.89 seconds
7. Vilius Jokužys — three in 22.69 seconds
8. James Jeffers — three in 22.73 seconds
9. Kristján Jón Haraldsson — three in 26.69 seconds
10. Jacob Finerty — three in 30.02 seconds
11. Pierre Motal — three in 31.35 seconds
12. Ryan England — three in 35.66 seconds
13. Mika Törrö — three in 38.91 seconds
14. Stefán Karel Torfason — two in 12.39 seconds

Event Six – Farmer’s Walk

Day Two’s final event was the Farmer’s Walk, but it was with a twist. The men had to carry two stones with handles that were different weights. One stone weighed 137 kilograms (302 pounds), and the other weighed 142 kilograms (312 pounds). They had to carry them around a circle. The athlete who could carry them for the longest distance took first-place points.

Finland’s Mika Törrö made it almost 36 meters with the stones before dropping them, and he won first place by over one meter. Keene took second place, and Torfason rounded out the top three. 

1. Mika Törrö — 35.88 meters
2. Rongo Keene — 34.77 meters
3. Stefán Karel Torfason — 29.4 meters
4. Maxime Boudreault — 27.95 meters
5. Vilius Jokužys — 25.44 meters
6. Colton Sloan — 18.6 meters
7. Kristján Jón Haraldsson — 15.42 meters
8. Ervin Toots — 15.3 meters
9. Jacob Finerty — 13.78 meters
10. Eythór Ingólfsson Melsted — 10.1 meters
11. Pierre Motal — 8.21 meters
12. James Jeffers — 5.53 meters
13. Ryan England — 4.55 meters
14. Kim Ujarak Lorentzen — 1.13 meters

Event Seven – Axle Deadlift for Reps

The final day of the competition started with the Axle Deadlift for Reps. The athletes had 75 seconds to deadlift 325 kilograms (716.6 pounds) for as many reps as possible.

Melsted is well-known for his deadlift prowess, and he applied it here to lift a massive weight for seven reps. That gave him first place in this event.

Keene, Sloan, Pierre Motal, and Kim Ujarak Lorentzen all got five reps, and they split second through fifth place points evenly.

1. Eythór Ingólfsson Melsted — seven reps
2. Rongo Keene — five reps (T-second)
3. Colton Sloan — five reps (T-second)
4. Pierre Motal — five reps (T-second)
5. Kim Ujarak Lorentzen — five reps (T-second)
6. Jacob Finerty — four reps (T-sixth)
7. James Jeffers — four reps (T-sixth)
8. Mika Törrö — three reps (T-eighth)
9. Stefán Karel Torfason — three reps (T-eighth)
10. Maxime Boudreault — two reps (T-10th)
11. Ervin Toots — two reps (T-10th)
12. Vilius Jokužys — one rep (T-12th)
13. Ryan England — one rep (T-12th)
14. Kristján Jón Haraldsson — no reps

Event Eight – Log Press Medley

The championship was determined with the final event — the Log Press Medley. Four logs that weighed between 110 and 165 kilograms (242 and 363.8 pounds) had to be lifted overhead successfully in succession in the fastest time possible.

Boudreault and Melsted were the only two men to complete all four logs, but Keene completed three in 24 seconds to secure third-place points and the overall victory.

1. Maxime Boudreault— 30.63 seconds
2. Eythór Ingólfsson Melsted — 38.28 seconds
3. Rongo Keene — three in 24.09 seconds
4. Colton Sloan — three in 30.63 seconds
5. Ervin Toots — three in 31.97 seconds
6. Ryan England — three in 32.36 seconds
7. Kim Ujarak Lorentzen — three in 36.37 seconds
8. Jacob Finerty — three in 1:00.86 seconds
9. Vilius Jokužys — two in 14.72 seconds
10. Mika Törrö — two in 17.54 seconds
11. Stefán Karel Torfason — two in 19.46 seconds
12. Pierre Motal — two in 19.8 seconds
13. James Jeffers — two in 20.86 seconds
14. Kristján Jón Haraldsson — two in 29.58 seconds

The streams for all three days of the competition are available for replay on the Rogue Fitness YouTube channel.

Featured image: @magnus_classic on Instagram