Le Roux crowned SA Champ in master's class

Date: 01 September 2023 By: Andries van Zyl

Louis Trichardt strongman Leon le Roux from AFB Makhado has added another impressive accolade to his long list of achievements. He was crowned the South African U/105kg champion in the master’s class of the past weekend's SA Strongest Man competition held in Rustenburg.

The championships took place over two days (26 and 27 August), with a total of 70 contestants from all classes taking part. Le Roux was the only master's class competitor in his weight group and was therefore forced to compete in the open master's class. In this class, seven competitors entered, of which two withdrew.

Day one of the competition kicked off with the 120kg Viking Press event, where competitors had to complete as many reps as possible in 60 seconds. Here, Le Roux finished fourth. Next up was the Axle Deadlift, with Le Roux managing to lift 250kg to finish fifth. The last event of the day was the Loading Medley, where athletes had to load four 120kg implements over a distance of 10m respectively, one after the other. In this event, Le Roux finished second.

Day two of the championships started off with the 220kg Circle Walk. The event entails holding a 220kg weight against your chest and then walking in a circle to see who can walk the furthest. Again, Le Roux managed to secure second place. Next up was the Fatback Farmer's Walk, where athletes holding a 120kg weight in each hand had to walk 10m, stop, and then do three up-and-down reps, only to repeat the exercise for the best time. Again, Le Roux came in second. The last event of the championship was the 8-ton "Monster" truck pull. Le Roux was the only master to pull the truck.

Despite having to compete in the open master’s category and finishing second overall, the Africa Strongman Union awarded him the title of South African U/105kg champion in the master's class. He is now focused on getting ready for the Africa's Strongest Man & Woman championships scheduled to take place from 27 to 29 October in Zambia.

Le Roux was not the only local strongman to compete in Rustenburg over the weekend. He was accompanied by Niel Swart, who competed in the U/105kg Novice class, and Piet Marakala, who competed in the U/90kg Novice class. "It was a first for both of them, competing at national level. Niel finished fifth in his class, and Piet was third. Both of them did exceptionally well, and I am extremely proud of them," said Le Roux. He thanked his wife, Marihan, for her support and Paul's Body Shop at AFB Makhado for their continued support of the sport. "It was an eye-opener for Niel and Piet, and I am sure they will do much better next year," said Le Roux.

Viewed: 2438

Andries van Zyl

Andries joined the Zoutpansberger and Limpopo Mirror in April 1993 as a darkroom assistant. Within a couple of months he moved over to the production side of the newspaper and eventually doubled as a reporter. In 1995 he left the newspaper group and travelled overseas for a couple of months. In 1996, Andries rejoined the Zoutpansberger as a reporter. In August 2002, he was appointed as News Editor of the Zoutpansberger, a position he holds until today.

More photos...