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Home / Sport

Hafthor 'The Mountain' Bjornsson is no normal human

By James Matthey
news.com.au·
3 Mar, 2019 04:00 PM3 mins to read

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Hafthor Bjornsson - AKA The Mountain from Game of Thrones. Photo / Instagram

Hafthor Bjornsson - AKA The Mountain from Game of Thrones. Photo / Instagram

Hafthor Bjornsson must really tuck into his Weet-Bix of a morning.

The 2.06m tall, 193kg freak of nature — who became a household name around the globe when he starred as The Mountain on hit TV show Game of Thrones — went to absurd new heights as he pulled off a feat of strength humankind has never seen before.

The winner of last year's World's Strongest Man competition in the Philippines has only added strength to his enormous frame since then and it's paid off, helping him achieve a stunning world record, reports news.com.au.

At the Arnold Strongman Classic — an event founded by the one and only Arnold Schwarzenegger where the biggest beefcakes on the planet come together to fight it out for bragging rights — a bloody-minded Bjornsson went to another level.

The 30-year-old from Iceland was taking part in the first event of the competition — the elephant bar deadlift — when he set his sights on a place no man has gone before.

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It would have seemed crazy to some, but not Bjornsson, as he attempted to lift 474kg worth of metal. Well, he didn't just attempt it, he actually did it.

The Mountain broke his own world record, set last year at 472kg, to cement his status as the premier strongman in the world. And boy did it mean something.

Bjornsson posted a video of the accomplishment to his Instagram page, showing him roaring with pride and raising his arms to an appreciative crowd.

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View this post on Instagram

Pretty casual new WR Elephant Bar Deadlift 474kg/1044.9lbs Very happy with day 1 here at The Arnold Strongman Classic even though 501 will have to wait for another day. Looking forward to day 2. I appreciate all the support guys, thank you! @roguefitness @nuunhydration @sbdapparel @legionath @stanefferding @theverticaldiet @australianstrengthcoach @stefansolvi @andrireyr @kelc33 @dianahrund @bjornthorr @ragnheidurmj @valthecoach

A post shared by Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson (@thorbjornsson) on Mar 1, 2019 at 3:30pm PST

"Pretty casual new WR Elephant Bar Deadlift 474kg/1044.9lbs," he wrote.

"Very happy with day 1 here at The Arnold Strongman Classic even though 501 will have to wait for another day. Looking forward to day 2. I appreciate all the support guys, thank you!"

Bjornsson tried to go even further, lifting up 501kg — which would have earned him a cool $50,000 — but that proved a bridge too far for the beast. He got it up to his thighs but couldn't lock in the lift and was forced to wave goodbye to the cash bonanza.

Bjornsson was in a battle with Brian Shaw — winner of the 2016 World's Strongest Man competition — for the top two spots in the elephant bar deadlift and the American tried desperately to better the famous actor with a lift of 476kg but it proved to be too heavy.

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Making Bjornsson's effort even more spectacular is two competitors, JF Caron and Jerry Pritchett, had to pull out of the event with injury because it's so insanely physically demanding.

The Arnold Strongman Classic is taking place in Ohio, America, and continues today.

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