Rob Kearney

Rob Kearney is a retired American professional strongman competitor. He won the Giants Live North American Open in 2017 and the Arnold International World Series Australia in 2019. He is also a four time qualifier for the World's Strongest Man competition, and a three time participant in the Arnold Strongman Classic. He is also a one-time American log lift record holder, lifting 475 lbs (215.8 kg) in 2020.

Kearney retired after the 2024 World's Strongest Man in May 2024.

Career

Kearney was part of the cheer-leading team in high school, He started training in CrossFit in 2009 at the age of 17 while at school, but found that he was better at heavy lifting, and could deadlift 506 lbs the first time he tried it. Within a few months, he competed in his first strongman competition. He joined a powerlifting team at college and competed as a powerlifter.

When he was 21, Kearney won the 2013 North American Strongman National Championship, and turned professional. He was placed 2nd at 105kg America's Strongest Man in 2014 and 2015. He won the Log Lift World Championships with a lift of 445.5lbs in 2016. Later in 2020, he broke the log lift record with a 475.75 lbs lift. He also once held the 105kg Pro American Record in the Yoke Walk.

Kearney first qualified for the World's Strongest Man competition in 2017 but was eliminated in the heats. He had a major success the same year when he won the 2017 Giants Live North American Open held on July 29, 2017, in Martinsville, Indiana. Kearney also qualified for the 2018, 2019, and 2022 World's Strongest Man competitions.

In 2019, Kearney won the Arnold Australia Strongman event held in Melbourne, Australia.

Kearney qualified for the Arnold Strongman Classic in 2020, finishing in joint 6th place. He also competed in 2022 and 2023, and achieved his best result with a 5th place finish in 2022.

Kearney, at 5 feet 10 inches and weighing under 300 pounds, is one of the smaller competitors in strongman competitions. But in 2020, Kearney was award the title “Pound for Pound Strongest Man in the World” by Official Strongman.

Kearney took part in the 2021 and 2022 Rogue Invitational, finishing in 6th and 8th place respectively.

He was placed third at the America's Strongest Man competition in 2023.

Personal records

• Deadlift (with suit and straps) – 440 kg (970 lb) (2019 World Deadlift Championships)
• Double T Squat (with suit) – 436 kg (961 lb) (2022 Arnold Strongman Classic)
• Log press – 216 kg (476 lb) (2020 World's Ultimate Strongman - Feats of Strength series)
• Axle press – 200 kg (441 lb) (2023 America's Strongest Man)
• Inver Stone press – 136 kg (300 lb) (2020 Arnold Strongman Classic) (Joint-World Record)

Other works

In 2022, Hachette Book Group published Strong, a children's picture book about Kearney's journey and identity. The book was the result of a collaboration with author and LGBTQ+ activist Eric Rosswood.

Kearney is a coach at HWPO Training where he is responsible for its strength training program.

Personal life

Kearney is the first openly gay professional strongman, calling himself the "world's strongest gay". He came out as gay in 2014. He lives near Springfield, Massachusetts with his husband Joey, whom he married in 2019.

Kearney was diagnosed with testicular cancer in 2021, for which he underwent surgery. He also suffered a ruptured triceps tendon in 2020 while attempting a new world record in log lift on World's Ultimate Strongman, which forced him to withdraw from the 2020 World Strongest Man.

Kearney was an ambassador for fitness clothing brand Gymshark.