‘The Mountain’ Set A New Deadlift World Record At 1,041 Pounds While Winning 2018 Arnold Classic

COLUMBUS, OH - MARCH 03: Hafthor Bjornsson (Iceland) salutes the crowd after winning the Arnold Strongman Classic as part of the Arnold Sports Festival on March 3, 2018, at the Greater Columbus Convention Center in Columbus, OH.

Getty Image / Frank Jansky/Icon Sportswire


In addition to being one of the strongest men alive, Hafthor Julius Bjornsson is widely recognized for playing The Mountain on HBO’s Game of Thrones. He’s broken countless records while competing on the Strongman circuit and he just won the 2018 Arnold Strongman Classic which took place last weekend.

It was the first time in his weightlifting career that he’s won The Arnold Classic (he finished 2nd last year and has finished 5th twice). Hafthor Bjornsson swept the competition in commanding fashion en route to the title while also setting a new deadlifting world record at 1,041-pounds with the elephant bar. I can all but guarantee that this Instagram footage of The Mountain setting a new deadlifting world record will get you jacked up:

On Day 1 of the 2018 Arnold Strongman Classic, Hafthor Julius Bjornsson aka The Mountain finished 1st in Bag Over Bar (10pts) and 3rd in Stone Lift (8pts) for a total of 18 points heading into Day 2, just a one-point lead over Mikhail Shivlyakov.

On Day 2, The Mountain started off by finishing 3rd in the Timber Carry 900lbs no straps but then he finished 1st in the Elephant Bar Deadlift with a new world record of 1,041-pounds. He closed out Day 2 by finishing first in Apollons Axle 400lbs (4 presses) for a two-day point total of 46 points which was enough to beat out 2nd place Brian Shaw (41.5 points) and Mikhail Shivlyakov tied for third with 29 points.

One of the strangest incidents at the 2018 Arnold Classic came when this Russian strongman’s nose began uncontrollably spewing blood while trying to deadlift 963-pounds. If you don’t do well with the sight of blood then you might want to avoid clicking that link but if you want to see one of the more peculiar moments in weightlifting in 2018 then check it out.

For a complete list of the 2018 Arnold Strongman Classic Results you can follow that link.

And, if you’ve got 49 minutes to burn you can watch a full video of the 2018 Arnold Strongman Classic finals right here: