Complex sentence: The first strongman contest he competed in was the "Sterkste man van Oost-Nederland" (Strongest man of east Netherlands) in 1996 where he finished third after this he followed some trainings lessons from Berend Veneberg then the Strongest man of the Netherlands.
Split into simpler sentences: The first strongman contest he competed in was the "Sterkste man van Oost-Nederland" (Strongest man of east Netherlands) in 1996 where he finished third. After this he followed some trainings lessons from Berend Veneberg then the Strongest man of the Netherlands.