The month of March has massive implications for the person often known as “The Mountain.”
Lower than a month after letting the world find out about his decision to step away from powerlifting, Hafthor Björnsson has officially put a timetable on his return to the game that made him a living legend.
Working his way back from a torn pectoral muscle that’s taken several months and lots of patience to rehabilitate, Björnsson unveiled his comeback plan by announcing that his first strongman competition can be in March on the 2024 Arnold Strongman Classic (ASC).
The three-time ASC winner (2018-2020) and 2018 World’s Strongest Man champion delivered more details about his health status and competition schedule in a video posted on his YouTube channel on Oct. 14, 2023.
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Björnsson, who will turn 35 in November of 2023, stated that he’ll make his return on the 2024 Arnold Strongman Classic, which can happen in the course of the weekend of March 1-3 in Columbus, Ohio.
“Lots of you guys might think it’s too soon, too heavy, and that’s okay,” Björnsson explained. “I’m going to the show with the mindset that I’m going to do my best, and I would like to go and take a look at my best against the perfect on the planet … In my view, the Arnold Strongman Classic in Columbus, Ohio is considered one of the hardest shows with the perfect athletes on the planet.”
Although he’s still not fully healed from his pec injury, the 2023 International Sports Hall of Fame inductee said he’s “back to one hundred pc training” and has been performing staple loaded carry movements just like the yoke walk, farmer’s walks, and the frame carry.
“I’m even going to throw in some [log press] soon,” Björnsson said. “So things are definitely moving in the precise direction, and I’m feeling awesome.”
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Along with the Arnold Strongman Classic, “The Mountain” has two more events penciled into his schedule for next yr: the 2024 Arnold Strongman UK and the 2024 Rogue Invitational.
Björnsson won’t get a much of a break once he makes competes on the ASC in early March, because the Birmingham, England-based Arnold Strongman UK competition will happen just two weeks later.
Although the March 15-17 competition won’t be quite as big because the US version, there shouldn’t be any shortage of star power across the pond. Björnsson hinted that 2023 Arnold Strongman Classic champion Mitchell Hooper, who Björnsson currently considers the perfect on the planet, will compete in the competition. That would set the stage for an epic showdown between the long-lasting athlete and the reigning World’s Strongest Man.
Björnsson unsurprisingly also has his sights set on showcasing his strength and power at Rogue’s preeminent event. As a sponsored athlete who completed his goal of setting a record on the 2022 Rogue Invitational by throwing a 25.5-kilogram (56-pound) Scottish Highland Games weight over 6.17 meters (20 feet, 3 inches), he has ample motivation to perform at an elite level again.
“I feel by the point I’ll be competing at Rogue Invitationals I must be back to a superb strength point,” Björnsson said. “So I should find a way to push very hard at that show and I must be very competitive and a great threat. I feel I’d be a great threat on the Arnolds anyhow — with my experience, with my background, I’m a threat at any show, but I’m also giving the fellows competing nowadays huge respect.”
With the 2023 Rogue Strongman Invitational scheduled for Oct. 27-29, Björnsson must have roughly a yr to prepare for an additional record-setting outing. But with 2023 winding down, he faces a pivotal five-month stretch to arrange for a successful showing at his first strongman competition since his last official competitive appearance when he took home the title at Iceland’s Strongest Man in August of 2020.
Featured Image: Hafthor Bjornsson / YouTube