Ocean Grove strongman bound for world stage

OCEAN Grove strongman Dan Abdoo has turned strength into a craft – and it is a craft now taking him to Scotland for the Natural World’s Strongest Man competition.

Abdoo stepped into strongman competition three years ago, following a background in powerlifting where him competed at both national and international level.

His shift into the sport was sparked by a serious back injury.

“For six months, I could barely even bend over to pick up a pencil off the floor without a stabbing sensation in my back,” Abdoo said.

“I wanted to make sure that it didn’t happen again by really making my back as robust and as strong as possible by putting it through the test.

“The way I decided to do that at the time was to sign up for a novice powerlifting comp.

“I really enjoyed it, and that was my catalyst. Over the last couple of years, I started doing state comps, which then eventually meant I qualified for some national comps, and then through that, qualified for some international comps in powerlifting as well.”

 

 

But the routine eventually lost its appeal.

“I got bored of powerlifting, and around 2023, 2024, I started exploring other strength sports like calisthenics, gymnastics and then stumbled into strongman, and really enjoyed the experience of competing,” Abdoo said.

“I just slowly worked my way up to a national level from there and then qualified for international last month.”

Strongman competitions test more than brute strength, combining endurance, adaptability and technique across unpredictable events.

“Each competition is different,” Abdoo said. “You might have some more conventional stuff, like squats and deadlifts…and you also sometimes have to lift up some really weird things.

“I’ve had competitions where we’ve got to pick up concrete stones, or atlas stones, up to the shoulder. I’ve done competitions where I’ve had to pull a tractor.

“It can be just weird, random objects that you won’t find anywhere but at the competition itself. You never really know what you’re getting yourself into.”

Abdoo will compete in Glasgow, Scotland in August.

To prepare for the event, he blends heavy lifting with conditioning, skill work and even yin yoga to support recovery.

Despite qualifying for the world stage, the reality of the opportunity is still sinking in.

“It’s still pretty surreal,” Abdoo said. “Once we get a little bit closer to the day, it will become a bit more real.

“I’ve never been over to Europe before, so to experience the culture while trying to mentally stay focused…is probably where I’m a little bit more apprehensive.”

Support from home has been a major driver.

“It’s been everything,” Abdoo said. “It’s been really cool, the amount of support and encouragement I’ve received from local community, from my local cafe to gym.

“I’m incredibly grateful. It definitely makes me feel confident going over there, knowing that there are people back home, behind me, supporting me, wanting me to do well.”

Over the two-day strongman event, competitors accumulate points across multiple disciplines, with the highest overall score deciding the winner.

 

 

For Abdoo, expectations remain grounded. His goal is to complete every event and enjoy the atmosphere of the competition.

“An Ocean Grove local from a small beach country town, winning a world championship, that would be pretty surreal,” Abdoo said.

“It’s a lot of hard work, it’s a lot of hard training, it’s a lot of sacrifice to make it happen. So it’d be really validating to all of that.”

Beyond Scotland, there is one milestone he is chasing above all others: lifting Iceland’s legendary Húsafell Stone.

“In a lot of these European, Scandinavian countries, strength was a rite of passage,” Abdoo said.

“To become a man and to contribute with the community in the village, you have to go and lift up these specific manhood stones.

“Scotland’s got a couple; I’m excited to go and lift a couple of those. But if I can go and pick up [the Húsafell Stone], that’s my rite of passage of strength complete. I’ve achieved enough strength and I’d be happy with what I’ve done.”

For now, that goal remains just out of reach.

“I had a chat with my coach, and I was like, ‘Just be honest with me. Am I going to be strong enough to lift this stone or not?’ He was like, ‘Nah, you’re going to need a bit more time’.

“So I’ll come back to Australia, train a bit more, get a bit stronger, and then fingers crossed, in the next year, maybe two years, I’ll head down and tick that off the bucket list.”