Nicknamed 'Tiking' - short for tiny Viking - Sergeant Conor Reilly stands at 170cm, shorter than most strongman competitors, but his power-to-size ratio sets him apart.
At 14, tired of being the smallest on the footy field, Sergeant Reilly picked up his first set of weights.
Seventeen years later, he lifts 170kg stones and presses 130kg logs overhead, competing in strongman and powerlifting events.
While Sergeant Reilly enjoys a deadlift, he thrives on moving events, particularly enjoying the farmer's carry and super yoke, where athletes run with weights while being timed.
After a typically busy work day, the Oakey Medical Centre medic still has responsibilities at home as husband and father to four children, all under six years.
Once they are in bed, he trains in his home gym in the garage.
He also records vlogs while deadlifting 300kg, buffalo squatting 215kg, and push pressing 130kg.
At weekends, he alternates disciplines, from sandbag tossing down the driveway, to bicep curls using his children as weights.
"My wife, Tash, is incredibly supportive of my selfish endeavour, so without her help, I wouldn't be in such a good head space; she makes life easier," Sergeant Reilly said.
'I'm drawn to the longevity of a drug-free sport; I want to lift to the day I drop dead.'
Sergeant Reilly's commitment has earned him numerous titles.
He began competing in strongman events in 2019, and last year travelled to London where he won the Static Monsters World Championship, an event that combines strongman and powerlifting.
He set a record with a 400kg deadlift in the U105kg category.
"I attempted that weight at the qualifiers the previous year and the bar hardly moved off the ground," Sergeant Reilly said.
"But on game day, in the amphitheatre, surrounded by hundreds of people with lights shining on me I picked the bar off the ground with ease, I was ecstatic."
Three months later he trimmed down and placed second in the U90 Static Monsters qualifier, breaking Australian records with a 375kg deadlift and a 130kg log press.
Venturing into powerlifting last year, he won the U100 men's classic raw category at the Australian Powerlifting League Drug Tested Nationals, squatting a record 285kg and a record total of 735kg.
This month, he is set to compete in the same category again.
Sergeant Reilly's training regimen involves 90-minute solo sessions and a diet of 3000 to 5000 calories a day, tailored to upcoming competitions.
"I don't have a coach, so if I don't put in the work, it's on me," he said.
Until last year, strongman competitions were not drug-tested.
A pathway has been set for natural athletes to compete and Sergeant Reilly is preparing for the Natural Strongman Worlds in Ireland in August.
"That's the future of the sport - it proves to people you can do some pretty crazy things without having to take drugs," Sergeant Reilly said.
Over two days, athletes will compete in eight gruelling events, including pressing 140kg logs, carrying 150kg stones, throwing sandbags over a 4.1m bar, deadlifting 300kg in repetition, and transporting a 300kg timber frame by hand.
"I'm drawn to the longevity of a drug-free sport; I want to lift to the day I drop dead," he said.
His success stems from resilience, but he admits to feeling anxious at the first attempt at an event.
"I wonder if I've picked the right weight or if I'm prepared enough," he said.
But once he's finished, a sense of calm washes over him.
"I remind myself I know I'm good and just crack on with the plan I put in place," he said.
As a member of the Australian Army Strength Sports Association, Sergeant Reilly is working to gain official recognition for strength sports in Army.
