© Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK
In the early 2010s, Hafthor Bjornsson became a star in the U.S. when he played the role of the “The Mountain” in the hit HBO show “Game of Thrones.”
But to those in the weightlifting and strongman world, Bjornsson had long been famous. The Icelander, who stands at a jaw-dropping 6-foot-9 and approximately 400 pounds (making it easy to see why he was cast in the role), has been on the strongman scene since 2009.
His first appearance in the World’s Strongest Man competition came in 2011, when he finished sixth. Since then, Bjornsson has finished on the podium of the competition eight times and was crowned the world’s strongest man in 2018.
He also took first place in the famed Arnold Strongman Classic three straight times from 2018 to 2020.
Hafthor Bjornsson Sets Incredible World Deadlift Record
Bjornsson has a shockingly long list of world records, but his most impressive one came Saturday when he broke the world deadlift record for the third time.
He first set the mark at the 2020 World’s Ultimate Strongman event with a lift of 501 kilograms (1,105 lbs). Bjornsson then broke his own record in July with a lift of 505 kilos, or just over 1,113 pounds, and now he’s broken it again.
Look at how SMOOTHLY Hafthor Bjornsson deadlifts a world record 510kg (~1124lbs).
That is absurd. pic.twitter.com/ubgXqukKQM
— Luke Thomas🏋️♀️ (@lthomasnews) September 6, 2025
Bjornsson completed a jaw-dropping lift of 510 kilograms, or 1,124 pounds, at the World Deadlift Championship. Now, the lift alone is preposterous. But look how easy he made it look!
Bjornsson lifted 1,124 pounds like it was a sack of potatoes. Nobody is supposed to be able to do that!
The superstar strongman and actor has dabbled in other ventures, including boxing, in recent years. But maybe it’s time he sticks to the thing that he’s really, REALLY good at: making extremely heavy things look not all that heavy.
Because he does that better than seemingly anyone else on the planet.