While he fell wanting his goal, Björnsson successfully dipped his toes back into the powerlifting waters.
It’s been an eventful fall for strength sports living legend Hafthor Björnsson. After some years away from Atlas stones and other heavy implements, the Icelandic athlete had announced he’d be making an eventual strongman comeback. First on his agenda, though, was a foray back into powerlifting, an effort he seems to have maximized.
On Dec. 3, 2022, Björnsson captured first place within the 140-kilogram-plus weight class on the 2022 Thor’s Christmas Powerlifting Meet. On the time of this writing, it’s unclear if the competition was under the jurisdiction of a proper powerlifting organized body, though the event was held with dozens of athletes lifting in front of judges adhering to strict powerlifting standards. The competition took place at Björnsson’s home facility, Thor’s Power Gym, in Kópavogur, Iceland.
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Björnsson didn’t have his eyes on notching any powerlifting records in his weight class, but he had ambitions of amassing no less than a 1,000-kilogram (2,204.6-pound) total. The athlete fell wanting that goal at 970 kilograms (2,138.5 kilos). He got here close, nearly completing a 400-kilogram (881.8-pound) squat that would’ve helped his case, but he was unable to attain lockout.
The all-time deadlift World Record holder (501 kilograms/1,104.5 kilos) also couldn’t reach knee-level with a final attempt of 410 kilograms (903.9 kilos) to seal the deal. Along with his last powerlifting meet occurring in December 2018, Björnsson is probably going more accustomed to using a deadlift suit and lifting straps in a strongman context, but didn’t have that setup here — using only a lifting belt for his pulls.
Per a video of the complete competition on his YouTube channel, Björnsson got here down with an undisclosed illness just days before the competition, purportedly losing five kilograms (11 kilos) of body weight in a brief timeframe. That situation likely might also have played a component in his strength and power not being where he wanted it to be. Nonetheless, he still took home a victory.
Along with his belt-only deadlift, Björnsson accomplished his back squat with wrist wraps and knee wraps, in addition to a belt, and had wrist wraps and a belt adorned for his bench press. Here’s an summary of the highest stats from the powerlifter/strongman’s performance:
Hafthor Björnsson | 2022 Thor’s Christmas Powerlifting Meet
- Squat (w/Wraps) — 380 kilograms (837.7 kilos)
- Bench Press — 210 kilograms (463 kilos)
- Deadlift — 380 kilograms (837.7 kilos)
- Total — 970 kilograms (2,138.5 kilos)
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Björnsson’s immediate plans for the long run are unclear at the moment. While he may dabble and keep his training up through the remaining of the 2022 calendar yr, it seems fair to assume he’ll otherwise not compete again until 2023. By that point, there could also be more clarity on when this usual strongman will probably be back to doing things like pressing logs and carrying automotive frames again.
Featured image: @gpa_ipo_ipl on Instagram