Game of Thrones star Hafthor “The Mountain” Bjornsson became the first person in the world to deadlift 501 kg/1104.5 lbs on a conventional barbell. The amazing feat, which took place during a live Twitch stream, broke the previous world record held by Eddie Hall, who held the record for four years.
Bjornsson is known for his iconic roll as The Mountain in Game of Thrones but is also one of the strongest men in the world. He was titled Europe’s Strongest Man five times and won gold at the Arnold Strongman Classic three times. Before his career as an actor and strongman, he was a professional basketball player in Iceland.
Bjornsson has been determined to break Eddie Hall’s world record since 2016. Hall and Bjornsson have gone back and forth on social media in the past, and Hall has stated that the world record should not count since it is not in a competitive environment. Another American Strongman, Robert Oberst, gave insight into the situation as a neutral party and stated that the world record should not count if not done in a competitive environment.
Despite the controversy surrounding his world record attempt, Bjornsson continued with his workout regimen. He also had a custom stage built for the event and documented all his progress on YouTube.
Bjornssson broke the world record with ease and the judge determined the lift as legitimate. After breaking the world record Bjornsson expressed his excitement and how everything went according to plan. He also believes that he could have lifted more weight but there was no reason to further strain himself.
Bjornsson now holds the conventional and elephant bar deadlift world records and will not likely be challenged anytime soon. Fans are already speculating on what world record he will set his eyes on next.
Published: May 2, 2020 02:42 pm