Strongman Rob Kearney, affectionately known in strength circles as “The World’s Strongest Gay,” has announced he will retire from competitive strongman following the conclusion of the 2024 World’s Strongest Man (WSM) contest, scheduled for May 1-5, 2024, in Myrtle Beach, SC. Kearney made the announcement on social media:
I announce today that the 2024 World’s Strongest Man will be my final competition.
Kearney’s post can be seen below:
View this post on Instagram
Kearney’s announcement was received with many good wishes and comments of support from throughout the strength community, including fellow strongman Bobby Thompson and Laurence Shahlaei, two-time Fittest Man on Earth Justin Medeiros, and retired powerlifter Mark Bell, among others.
Kearney will be one of 30 athletes competing in the longest-running strongman contest in history on the week of May 1-5, 2024, in Myrtle Beach, SC. It will be the conclusion of Kearney’s career, which has spanned 15 years. At 5 feet, 10 inches tall, and weighing around 280 pounds, he was usually one of the smaller men in the lineup for his competitions.
Rob Kearney’s Journey
Kearney started competing in strongman in 2009. He went to the WSM stage three more times in the years since. He hopes to make the WSM Final for the first time in his fifth and last WSM. In 2020, Kearney won the “Pound for Pound Strongest Man in the World” title through Official Strongman.
Kearney has been successful in other strongman competitions throughout his career. His first international win came at the 2017 Giants Live North American Open on July 29, 2017, in Martinsville, IN. He competed in the Arnold Strongman Classic (ASC) thrice, finishing as high as fifth in 2022.
Kearney’s most notable victory came at the 2019 Arnold Australia event in Melbourne, Australia, on March 15-16, 2019. The 32-year-old married his husband, Joey, that same weekend, celebrating his win and his marriage with Arnold Schwarzenegger in Melbourne.
Kearney’s biggest contribution as an athlete may not be on the platform, but rather as an advocate and inspiration for others around the world by openly sharing his life as “The World’s Strongest Gay” as well as a survivor of testicular cancer. Kearney authored the children’s book “Strong,” released in May 2022.
Kearney did not elaborate on his future plans but invited fans and supporters to greet him and be a part of his final competition experience in Myrtle Beach through the first week of May.
Featured image: Rich Storry / World’s Strongest Man
