Hartbeespoort athlete wins extreme Red Bull ranch obstacle race in Texas
The Red Bull website states: 'The seven course obstacles have been designed around actions you would endure on your everyday ranch but with a fitness spin to them.'
Kormorant reports that, bringing together the worlds of fitness and agricultural life, Red Bull Rancher Strong features an adrenaline-fuelled course of eight ranch-inspired obstacles – from cattle roping and hay hauling to fence jumping – all designed to push strength, stamina and speed.
'It was not an easy race by any means. It was a super tough event, and with the injury to my arm, it was really tough, but I managed to push through and win. This event exceeded all my expectations. What a vibe!' Van Tonder says.
In this first-of-its-kind event, athletes went head-to-head in timed heats on a course as intense as it was unique. They swung from monkey bars, hauled feed sacks, pushed trailers, climbed hay bales, tiptoed over stumps, and dragged a weighted bull sled while riding a stationary horse. The course ended with a final climb back to the barn balcony.
Van Tonder told the Red Bull website that he's been doing obstacle races for over 10 years.
'I've been doing it professionally since 2017. So it's almost like I've been training for this for a good decade. I have had my setbacks — I broke my arm in February in a big competition in Dubai, and it was really a struggle from there to rebuild and come back into form. So being able to come here to the heart of Texas and take a win.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
IOL News
16 hours ago
- IOL News
Broken bones, unbroken spirit: Moodley races on to make bold return
South Africa's Ruchè Moodley returned from serious injury to finish 17th at the Austrian Grand Prix after a crash at Mugello left him with broken bones earlier this season. Photo: Red Bull Image: Supplied For most teenagers, a severe crash that breaks bones would be enough to step away from the sport they love. For Ruchè Moodley, it was simply another challenge to overcome on his journey in motorcycle racing. The 18-year-old, Eastern Cape-born racer made his return at Spielberg's Red Bull Ring in Austria this past weekend following a harrowing crash at Mugello, Italy, in late June, and the mid-season summer break. At Mugello, Moodley went down and was struck by riders behind him, breaking his scapula and a vertebra. Yet, the teenager displayed immense determination to return after a short recovery, completing the Austrian Grand Prix in P17, after starting in P19, in the Moto3 category. Moodley admitted that regaining confidence was a challenge, but said he now feels fit again in body, even though the mind might still take some time to fully recover. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Next Stay Close ✕ 'I feel 100% physically, but I lost a lot of time on the bike — I think about three races and a few tests — so it took me a while to get the confidence back,' he explained. 'I don't really think about the injury from before. I've also had quite a few injuries, so I'm used to coming back and learning how to forget it.' Recently, Red Bull released another episode of their YouTube series Born Racers, featuring Moodley and his family. In it, his parents, Chanelle and Arushen, spoke about the trauma they endured after their son's life-threatening crash, which nearly ended his career. After Mugello, they spent 10 days at his hospital bedside. 'It is obviously quite difficult for them to see me injured,' Moodley said. 'They've always been supportive, even with the injuries, but I think it's really difficult for them to see me hurting. They also know it's part of the sport. "I can't really think about the danger. When you're out there and start overthinking, it becomes more dangerous. If you lose focus for half a second, you will crash.' During the summer break, Moodley returned to South Africa to spend time with his family and focus on recovery. While confined to the house, he played the MotoGP video game to familiarise himself with upcoming Asian circuits, which will be new territory after mainly racing in Europe. 'Because of the crash, I missed some races and have a lot of catching up to do. Also, a lot of new tracks are coming up, so I'm looking forward to that,' he said. 'The climate in Asia is quite different — hotter, with the bike behaving differently, and the weather is less predictable. Learning the new tracks as quickly as possible is important.' The Asian leg of the MotoGP season starts in late September in Japan. Before that, Moodley will test his confidence in Hungary this weekend, followed by the Catalan and San Marino GPs. Nevertheless, Moodley's comeback at Spielberg this past weekend is a testament not just to his skill on the bike, but to his courage and determination as a young athlete. Overcoming serious injuries and returning to compete at the highest level shows that he has both the talent and the mindset to keep pushing boundaries — a rider clearly destined for a bright future in the sport. Ruche Moodley is back on the bike after a serious crash at Mugello left him with a broken Scapula and Vertebrae. Photo: Red Bull Image: Supplied
The Citizen
a day ago
- The Citizen
SA ringtennis teams tour Germany, gain experience
POLOKWANE – The Protea National ringtennis team and the u/23 Protea team toured Germany from July 1–16 for two test matches, aimed at strengthening ties with German clubs and exposing players to their distinctive style of play. 'The main purpose of the tour was to build relationships with the Germans and give our players valuable exposure to their 'German' style of play,' said club member Emelia Olley. The teams were hosted by three different German clubs during their stay. For the first leg, they stayed in Kieselbronn at the TV Kieselbronn Ringtennis Club, where they trained, learned new techniques, and played warm-up matches in preparation for the first test. The u/23 Protea team, unfamiliar with their German counterparts, fielded all members to give everyone test-match experience. Each test consisted of 10 games: two men's singles, two women's singles, two mixed doubles, two men's doubles, and two women's doubles, all worth a total of 20 points. The u/23s lost their first test 18-2. The Protea National team followed, losing 15-5, though club members Richter van Tonder and Olley managed a draw in mixed doubles, and Van Tonder won his doubles match. An open singles championship that weekend saw strong performances: • Carla Craig secured a second spot in the u/21 division. • Ilze Olley obtained a fifth place. The next stop was Rossdorf, where the teams continued training and played against Gross Karben and Rossdorf clubs, winning both encounters. In the second u/23 test in Gross Karben, changes in combinations paid off, with the team narrowly losing 11-9. The Protea National team lost their second test 16-4, though Van Tonder drew his singles match and won his mixed doubles with Olley. The tour concluded with an open mixed doubles and doubles tournament: • Richter and Rowan van Tonder – second place (doubles). • Carla Craig – first place (u/21 doubles) and second place (mixed doubles). • Ilze Olley – third place (mixed doubles). 'All our matches were played on tartan surfaces, which is new for us as South Africans since we usually play on hard courts,' said Olley. 'Overall, it was a great tour with lots of new friendships made and experience gained.'
IOL News
2 days ago
- IOL News
Binder finds his wings at the Red Bull Ring
Brad Binder finished a solid seventh at the Austrian MotoGP this past Sunday. Photo: Red Bull Image: Red Bull Brad Binder rediscovered some of his form at the Red Bull Ring this past Sunday, soaring beneath Austrian skies in a performance that turned a difficult season into a weekend of promise. Binder's season has been a series of ups and downs, and he entered the summer break with more questions than solutions. Yet his performances since the restart hint that the latter half of the year could still produce some of his strongest showings. The weekend in Austria demonstrated noticeable improvement. His sprint race in particular caught the eye, with a fifth-place finish on Saturday marking his best result in a sprint this season. The summer break seems to have worked wonders for the South African, who returned refreshed and focused. Although he didn't crack the top ten in qualifying, he fought his way up from 11th on the grid to finish seventh in Sunday's main race. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ad loading Binder left Austria with a solid 14 points, bringing his season total to 82 and placing him 11th in the standings. Despite the result, he still felt there were moments when he could have done more. '(Sunday) could have been much better,' Binder admitted, after the race. 'I didn't get a good start but made some moves and was up to 5th. I was then sent into the fans by another rider! I lost a few seconds there and one of my wings. 'It was tough from then on because it was hard here for the wheelie without the aero and the bike was wobbling more. It was a long race! 🇿🇦 @BradBinder_33 had us at the edge of our seats with that one 😬 Stunning fight ⚡️ — RED BULL KTM FACTORY RACING (@KTM_Racing) August 17, 2025
