As Game of Thrones’ Hafthor ‘The Mountain’ Bjornsson gears up to break Eddie ‘The Beast’ Hall’s deadlift world record with 501 kg, the pair have locked horns over social media and fellow Strongman Robert Oberst has weighed in with his say.
In 2016, Eddie Hall shattered the previous equipped deadlift world record by becoming the first man in history to pull 500kg from the floor with a conventional barbell.
Since then, many have tried – but have failed – to repeat Eddie’s historic lift in a competition. Stepping up next to the platform is Hafthor Bjornsson on May 2 — and with five Europe’s Strongest Man titles and eight World’s Strongest Man podium finishes under his belt, he’s definitely cut-out for the job.
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Eddie “doesn’t trust the Icelandics”
After catching wind that Bjorsson’s upcoming attempt to beat his record would be set outside of the traditional competitive environment, Eddie addressed this during his April 5 livestream Q&A.
The Brit labeled the Icelandics as untrustworthy (later clarifying that he was only referring to Hafthor and his team), by citing his 2017 WSM win, where he referenced Bjornsson’s alleged “intimidation” tactics after being overruled by a judge during the Viking Press event.
All of the above and more was later cleared up in an April 11 Instagram post by Hall, where he called Hafthor out for “hypocrisy,” stating that “he’ll drag his name through mud or place it upon a pedestal to suit his objective.”
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The Beast vs. The Mountain
Of course, Eddie’s comments sparked outrage in the Icelandic camp, with Hafthor himself using his Instagram story to call out the current world record holder — specifically referring to him as an “arrogant a**hole.”
As you’d expect, the pair have locked horns since April 5 and have been toing and froing via their Instagram stories. Bjornsson even claimed that Hall was “obsessed” with him and has been attempting to undermine his 501kg attempt, while stating that Hall had failed to win anything else internationally.
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Oberst has his say: World record should not stand
With both camps setting up shop, fellow American Strongman, Robert Oberst, weighed in with his say in his April 12 YouTube video.
As a neutral, Oberst arrived at the conclusion that the attempt should not stand as an official world record, given that Bjorsson will not have to deal with the strains and pressures of an official competition.
Dealing with other lifters, the equipment used and the pressures of the crowd are all factors which an athlete usually has to consider. Whereas Thor will get to deadlift from his home gym, with fellow Icelandic and former Strongman Magnús Ver Magnússon as the referee.
However, with all that being said, Hafthor has his eyes set on one goal: to be the first man to pull 501 kg from the ground on a conventional barbell. But only time will tell whether it stands as an official world record.
