MOUNT Gambier strong man Robert Povey has just returned victorious from the South Australian Strongman titles, winning in a tie break to claim the honours.
Povey defeated Denham Van Heer in the final, after both were locked on points from the competition rounds.
Not only that, Povey was carrying an injury, with a strained oblique, but pushed through to finish on top.
As a result Povey qualified for the upcoming Arnold Strongman Australia competition on March 15, 16 and 17, 2019, but despite the achievement he was low-key in victory.
“I had set myself goals for personal bests, but I got a niggle the week leading into it so I just wanted to be competitive,” he said.
“I was not 100pc fit but was happy with how it all went.
“To get the win was a bonus.”
Povey competes in the Under 80kg class, but big weights were the order of the competition.
“They had the numbers quite high which could have scared a few off,” he said.
“They had a 300kg yoke, where the Arnolds is 290kg.”
Povey also faced the Axle Clean and Press, where competitors had to lift and press 85kg above their head, a grip test, plus Stones, which consisted of lifting and placing over a bar as many 95kg balls as possible in one minute.
After all the tough challenges, both competitors had to hold a 15kg plate in front of their body to break the dead lock.
While Povey said he enjoyed the competition, he said it was taxing and tactics came into play.
“You start to feel it, but I was pretty tactical,” he said.
“I was trying to get points on the board.
“When I had a win I stopped and left it there.
“I had a strain in my oblique, so if I was feeling that I would get an many points as possible and stop.
“The strain knocked me around for a while, but I knew I could do it.
“There was a lot of doubt around from others, but I have been injured worse so it really was not much of an issue for me.
“I was smart about what I did, but on the stones I went hard and the plate hold I went hard at the end.”
Between now and the Arnold competition, Povey heads to Beechworth in Victoria for the North East strongest man and woman on January 4, but said he can now afford to take that competition a bit
easier.
“That is an Arnold qualifier too, but because I am already qualified I can have a bit of fun with it,” he said.
Povey said he began strong man training as a way to keep fit and strong for karate and other sport, but now at 36 years of age has decided to concentrate on this competition.
“I like training and pushing myself,” he said.
“You are up against yourself, then you get in the environment of competition and put it all together.”
Povey’s immediate plans are to condition himself to peak at the right time for the Arnolds and take that competition as it comes.
