fbpx
Wikipedia

Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson

Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson (Icelandic: [ˈhafθour ˈjuːlijʏs ˈpjœr̥sɔn] (listen); transliterated as Hafthor in English, born 26 November 1988), is an Icelandic professional strongman who is widely regarded as one of the greatest strength athletes of all time.[2][3] He is the first and only person to have won the Arnold Strongman Classic, the Europe's Strongest Man, and the World's Strongest Man competitions in the same calendar year[4][5] and holds numerous Strongman titles from multiple strength federations, including multiple world records.[6] With 30 international competition wins, he is the third most decorated strongman in history, behind Lithuania's Žydrūnas Savickas and Poland's Mariusz Pudzianowski,[7] and in terms of pure brute strength, many strength analysts and strongman experts regard Hafþór as "the strongest man to have ever lived".[8][9][2]

Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson
Hafþór in 2017
Born
Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson

(1988-11-26) 26 November 1988 (age 34)
Reykjavík, Iceland
Other names
  • The Mountain
  • Thor
  • Ljónið
  • Fjallið
Occupations
  • Strongman
  • actor
  • boxer
Years active2010–2020 (strongman)
Height206 cm (6 ft 9 in)[1]
Spouse
Kelsey Henson
(m. 2018)
Children2
Websitehafthorbjornsson.com

Hafþór has also appeared in television as an actor, portraying "The Mountain" Ser Gregor Clegane in the HBO series Game of Thrones for five seasons. He is often simply referred to as "Thor" or "The Mountain", as the latter has been closely identified with that character due to his own massive size.[10]

Early life

Hafþór was born on 26 November 1988 in Reykjavík, Iceland.[11] When he was eleven years old, his family moved to Kópavogur. He received his primary education at Grundaskóli and then Hjallaskóli hill school, but due to high levels of energy as a child, he had difficulty sitting in a classroom or concentrating on his studies.[12] As a student at the polytechnic school in Breiðholt,[citation needed] he was enthusiastic about sports and played soccer and did gymnastics, before discovering his passion for basketball in eighth grade. He was also a chess player, with a Blitz rating of 800.[13] He also loved playing video games.[14]

A lanky teenager, Hafþór gained size and strength through daily exercise, combining basic movements (push-ups, chin-ups, and sit-ups) with working at his grandfather's farm during summers and lifting natural stones in the wilderness.[15][11] His imposing height of 205 cm (6 ft 9 in)[16] is credited to his 203 cm (6 ft 8 in) father, Björn Þor Reynisson,[17] and his mother, Ragnheiður Juliusdottir, who is also of tall stature.[11] Hafþór's grandfather Reynir Ásgeirsson is also very tall and just as broad across the chest.[17] Hafþór has two sisters: Bryndís Björg Björnsdóttir and Hafdís Lind Björnsdóttir.[18]

Basketball career

Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson
Personal information
Height205 cm (6 ft 9 in)[1]
Weight105 kg (231 lb)
Sport
SportBasketball
PositionCenter
Club2004–2005 Breiðablik
2005–2006 FSu
2006–2007 KR
2007–2008 FSu

Hafþór began his athletic career as a basketball player, playing as a center with a bodyweight of around 105 kg (231 lb). He started his senior team career for the Icelandic 1. deild karla club Breiðablik in 2004.[19] The following season, he transferred to FSu Selfoss, but after about ten games, it was discovered that he had been playing with a broken bone in his ankle and required surgery. After recovering, in 2006, Hafþór moved to KR in the Icelandic top-tier Úrvalsdeild.[20][21] However, after a screw in his ankle shattered, he had to undergo a second surgery in November, forcing him to miss the rest of the season.[22]

To commence the 2007–2008 season, Hafþór moved back to play for FSu Selfoss and averaged 6.7 points per game,[23] helping the team to achieve a promotion to the Úrvalsdeild.[24] Unfortunately, the troublesome ankle continued and ultimately forced him to retire from basketball at the age of nineteen, shattering his dream of making it to the NBA one day.[25][12]

Between 2004 and 2006, Hafþór played 32 games for the Icelandic junior national basketball teams[26] and 8 with Iceland's U-18 national team in Division A of the U18 European Championship.[27] In May 2004, he won the Nordic championship with the U-16 team.[28] During the 2004 FIBA Europe Under-16 Championship Division B, he helped Iceland achieve promotion to Division A.[29] In 2006, he won the Nordic championship again, this time with the U-18 team.[30]

Strongman career

Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson
 
At the 2015 Caledonian Club Highland Games, trying the 12 kg Scottish Stone Put.
Personal information
Height205 cm (6 ft 9 in)[1]
Weight180–210 kg (397–463 lb)[31][32]
Sport
SportStrongman
Medal record
Representing   Iceland
World's Strongest Man
6th 2011 World's Strongest Man
3rd 2012 World's Strongest Man
3rd 2013 World's Strongest Man
2nd 2014 World's Strongest Man
3rd 2015 World's Strongest Man
2nd 2016 World's Strongest Man
2nd 2017 World's Strongest Man
1st 2018 World's Strongest Man
3rd 2019 World's Strongest Man
Arnold Strongman Classic
2nd 2017 Arnold Strongman Classic
1st 2018 Arnold Strongman Classic
1st 2019 Arnold Strongman Classic
1st 2020 Arnold Strongman Classic
Europe's Strongest Man
1st 2014 Europe's Strongest Man
1st 2015 Europe's Strongest Man
2nd 2016 Europe's Strongest Man
1st 2017 Europe's Strongest Man
1st 2018 Europe's Strongest Man
1st 2019 Europe's Strongest Man
Giants Live
1st 2014 FitX Australia
1st 2014 World's Strongest Viking
1st 2015 World's Strongest Viking
1st 2015 Sweden
World's Ultimate Strongman
1st 2018 World's Ultimate Strongman
Strongman Champions League
1st 2013 Latvia
2nd 2013 FIBO Germany
2nd 2013 Netherlands
2nd 2013 China
3rd 2013 Russia
3rd 2013 Brazil
1st 2014 Serbia
1st 2014 Finland
1st 2014 Netherlands
1st 2014 Malaysia
1st 2015 Norway
1st 2015 Bulgaria
1st 2015 Croatia
Arnold Pro Strongman World Series
3rd 2014 Brazil
1st 2016 Brazil
1st 2016 Australia
1st 2016 South Africa
1st 2017 Forts de Warwick
Jón Páll Sigmarsson Classic
2nd 2010 Jón Páll Sigmarsson Classic
1st 2012 Jón Páll Sigmarsson Classic
Força Bruta
2nd 2013 Força Bruta
3rd 2014 Força Bruta
Iceland's Strongest Man
3rd 2010
1st 2011
1st 2012
1st 2013
1st 2014
1st 2015
1st 2016
1st 2017
1st 2018
1st 2019
1st 2020
Strongest Man in Iceland
1st 2010
1st 2011
1st 2012
1st 2016
1st 2017
Iceland's Strongest Viking
1st 2010
1st 2011
1st 2012
Westfjord's Viking
1st 2010
1st 2011
1st 2012
Grundarfjord Viking
3rd 2009
Highland Viking
3rd 2009
1st 2010
Eastfjord Strongman Championships
2nd 2009
1st 2010
1st 2012
OK Budar Strongman Championships
1st 2010
Akranes Strength Challenge
1st 2011
WoW Stronger
1st 2017
King of the Castle
1st 2012
Battle of the North
1st 2014
This list contains only the podium finishes. A full list is given under Competitive record

After recovering from the ankle injury, and inspired by Ronnie Coleman and Dorian Yates, Hafþór trained like a bodybuilder.[33] One day, when four-time World's Strongest Man champion Magnús Ver Magnússon spotted the twenty-year-old, 6 ft 9 in, 140 kg (308 lb) Hafþór deadlifting in his gym, "Jakaból", he immediately realized his potential as a good prospect for strongman,[34] which paved the way for Hafþór to train with Stefán Sölvi Pétursson, Benedikt Magnússon, Páll Logason, and Ari Gunnarsson.

The following year, while training at the "Strongman Base" gym, Hafþór was nicknamed Ljónið (the Lion) by Stefán Sölvi Pétursson,[35] because he continuously grew bigger and got stronger, eventually reaching his heaviest body weight ever, of 210 kg (463 lb), in 2012.[32]

Iceland's Strongest Man

With his newfound friendships and guidance, Hafþór progressed in the sport and went on to win several strongman contests in Iceland multiple times from 2009 onwards, including Westfjord's Viking, Eastfjord Strongman Championships, Highland Viking,[36] Iceland's Strongest Viking, OK Badur Strongman Championships,[17] Akranes Strength Challenge, and Strongest Man in Iceland.[37][38] After placing third behind his friends Pétursson and Magnússon in 2010, Hafþór won his first Iceland's Strongest Man title (Iceland's most prestigious) in 2011,[39] becoming the ninth Icelander to win the title since its inception, in 1985. His winning streak continued, and in August 2020, Hafþór won the Iceland's Strongest Man for the tenth consecutive time.

Strongman Champions League

Hailing from its IFSA roots, the Strongman Champions League organized several Grand Prix events, which attracted many athletes from around the world.[40] It gave Hafþór the opportunity for international exposure, competing against the best strongmen in the world. From 2013 to 2015, he competed prolifically (up to fourteen competitions in a single year) throughout many Grand Prix competitions in Germany, Netherlands, Finland, Norway, Serbia, Croatia, Bulgaria, Latvia, Russia, China, Malaysia, and Brazil, winning eight international titles, three silver medals, and two bronze medals.[41]

In January 2015, at the World's Strongest Viking competition, held in Norway, Hafþór carried a 10-metre-long (33 ft), 650 kg (1,433 lb) log for five steps, thus breaking a legendary 1,000-year-old record, set by Orm Storolfsson.[42]

Europe's Strongest Man

After placing fifth and fourth in 2012 and 2013, respectively, Hafþór won the 2014 Europe's Strongest Man competition in Leeds, organized by Giants Live. During the competition, after setting a new world record in the Atlas stones event, he famously answered the reporter, "I'm the future of strength, and I'm king of the stones!"[43] Hafþór successfully defended his title in 2015, but in 2016, despite doing well in other events, he made a mistake at the car walk by gripping the apparatus from the center instead of the sides, which compromised his balance; he eventually lost the title to Englishman Laurence Shahlaei. He regained it in 2017, after an iconic battle with Eddie Hall, and famously answered Bill Kazmaier, "This is not a beauty contest, this is Strongman!" He successfully defended the crown again in 2018 and 2019, becoming a five-time Europe's Strongest Man Champion.[44]

In addition to his five titles, Hafþór has also won the 2014 Giants Live FitX Melbourne, 2014 World's Strongest Viking, 2015 Giants Live Viking, and 2015 Giants Live Sweden, making him the greatest Giants Live champion of all time, with nine wins.[45]

World's Strongest Man

Hafþór took part in World's Strongest Man after earning a wild card invitation to the 2011 contest[46] and placed sixth. At 22 years and 300 days, he is the fourth-youngest WSM finalist in history. Taking part again in ensuing years, he placed third in 2012, 2013, and 2015, and finished runner-up in 2014 to Žydrūnas Savickas[47] by half a point, again in 2016 to Brian Shaw[48] by two points, and finally in 2017 to Eddie Hall[49] by one point, before becoming the World's Strongest Man in 2018,[4][5] winning the competition by six-and-a-half points over the runner-up, Mateusz Kieliszkowski. Hafþór was also the third Icelander to win the title, after Jón Páll Sigmarsson and Magnús Ver Magnússon.[50]

In his attempt to defend the title, Hafþór suffered a torn plantar fascia during the group stages and emerged in third place overall, behind Martins Licis and Mateusz Kieliszkowski, after doing all the events of the final while suffering from the injury,[51] thus achieving the longest continuous podium streak in World's Strongest Man history with eight (2012–2019). Hafþór has also won more vehicle pulls,[52] stone events,[53] and medleys and loading races[54] than any other competitor in the history of the competition. Among the past winners who have managed to qualify for the finals at a 100% ratio, Hafþór and Mariusz Pudzianowski top the list, with nine finals out of nine appearances. In May 2020, Hafþór stated that he would not return to Giants Live or World's Strongest Man competitions.[55]

Arnold Strongman Classic

Hafþór entered the Arnold Sports Festival's limelight after winning second place in the 2011 Arnold Amateur competition, which was also his first-ever competition abroad. This paved the way for him to qualify for the Arnold Pro Strongman World Series, eventually winning the Arnold Brazil, Arnold Australia, Arnold South Africa, and Arnold Canada competitions.

Widely recognized as the heaviest and most difficult strongman contest in the world,[56][57] Hafþór first participated in the Arnold Strongman Classic finals, held annually in Columbus, Ohio, in 2012, placing tenth (last place). But after a continuous progression, placing eighth in 2013, fifth in 2014, seventh in 2015, fifth in 2016, and second in 2017, Hafþór defeated the defending champion, Brian Shaw, and won the 2018 Arnold Strongman Classic, becoming only the seventh person to win the prestigious title. In the fourth event, Hafþór broke the elephant bar deadlift world record with 472 kg (1,041 lb), beating Jerry Pritchett's 467.7 kg (1,031 lb), established the previous year.[58][59]

Hafþór successfully defended his title at the 2019 Arnold Strongman Classic in dominant fashion and improved on his elephant bar deadlift world record, increasing it to 474 kg (1,045 lb) in only his second attempt out of the three allowed.[60][61]

After successfully defending his crown again in 2020, Hafþór became only the second person in history to win the Arnold Strongman Classic three times in a row, after Žydrūnas Savickas.

World's Ultimate Strongman

In 2018, Hafþór won the inaugural World's Ultimate Strongman, held in Dubai, in a stacked field of twelve athletes.[62] This year also marked the most dominant calendar year in strongman history, with Hafþór winning the Iceland's Strongest Man, Europe's Strongest Man, World's Strongest Man, World's Ultimate Strongman, and the Arnold Strongman Classic.

Also from 2018 onwards, Hafþór significantly increased his static strength under the mentoring of his strength coach since 2016, Sebastian Oreb,[63] and increased his squat to 445 kilograms (981 lb) during training and 460 kilograms (1,014 lb) during Thor's Powerlifting Challenge. In February 2020, Hafþór deadlifted 455 kilograms (1,003 lb) for two reps and became the first person in history to deadlift 1,000 lb for two reps. Two weeks later, he deadlifted an unofficial world record on the elephant bar, with 480 kilograms (1,058 lb). All of the lifts were performed raw (only wraps for squats and straps for deadlifts).

On 2 May 2020, Hafþór deadlifted 501 kilograms (1,105 lb) under strongman rules (standard bar with figure-eight straps and single-ply suit) at Thor's Power Gym, Kópavogur, Iceland, while being refereed by Magnús Ver Magnússon under the sanctioning of World's Ultimate Strongman, and broke the near-four-year strongman deadlift world record of 500 kilograms (1,102 lb), by Eddie Hall.[64] The lift was globally televised live by ESPN, and the Guinness World Records verified it as 'the Heaviest Deadlift of all time'.[65]

In August 2020, Hafþór announced his retirement from strongman competitions.[66][67]

Rogue Invitational and comeback

After a two-and-a-half-year hiatus from competitive strongman, Hafþór announced his retirement from boxing,[68] having already gone back to strength training. A couple of weeks later, on 30 October 2022, he participated in the 2022 Rogue Invitational in Austin, Texas, and threw the 25.5 kg (56 lb) Scottish Highland Games weight over 6.17 metres (20 ft 3 in), using one arm for a new world record. He also indicated his comeback to competitive strongman and powerlifting.[69]

Competitive record

Strongman
Placements: 56 x 1st places, 12 x 2nd places and 11 x 3rd places = 79 x podium finishes from 96 total competitions.[41][70][71]
Winning percentage: 46.1% in International circuit & 84% at National circuit
Podium percentage: 75.4% in International circuit & 97% at National circuit
Top 5 percentage: 92.3% in International circuit & 100% at National circuit

1st 2nd 3rd Podium 4th 5th Top 5 6th 7th 8th 9th 10th Total
International 30 11 8 49 4 7 60 1 2 1 1 65
National 26 1 3 30 1 31 31
Combined 56 12 11 79 5 7 91 1 2 1 1 96

Powerlifting
Despite the fact that Hafþór never trained specifically for powerlifting, he did two full competitions during his strongman career and another post-retirement. In the 2011 Íslandsmót tournament, at the age of 22, he totaled 930 kg (2,050 lb) raw, winning second place overall, behind Páll Logason.[72] During the 2018 Thor's Powerlifting Challenge (sanctioned by the 'World Raw Powerlifting Federation'), with only five weeks of casual preparation, Hafþór totaled 1,100 kg (2,425 lb) raw, which was at the time the fifth-highest raw superheavyweight powerlifting total of all time.[73] He won second place for highest bench press, behind Kirill Sarychev, and won first place for the highest squat, highest deadlift, highest total, and highest Wilks score, winning the overall competition. After a two-and-a-half-year hiatus from strength training, Hafþór competed in Thor's Powerlifting Meet 2022 with six weeks of preparation and totaled 970 kg (2,138 lb) raw.

On 13 February 2023, Hafþór officially announced his return to strength sports, stating he will attempt to break the all-time powerlifting total world record at the end of the year.[74]

Personal records

Legacy

During his ten-year international strongman career, Hafþór won all the major strongman competitions and titles that were available at that time, including World's Strongest Man, Arnold Strongman Classic, Europe's Strongest Man, Strongman Champions League, Giants Live, and World's Ultimate Strongman, and his thirty international wins rank him as the third most decorated strongman of all time.[7] Even though he was noted primarily for his strength in the moving events during the initial years of his career (for example, medleys and loading races, keg-tossing, power stairs, vehicle pulls, and natural stones, which require good stamina and athleticism), Hafþór kept on improving and upscaled his brute strength, which helped him excel in static events, such as deadlifts, squats, log presses, axle presses, circus dumbbells, etc. This made him a well-rounded strongman by the year 2018. Experts consider the three years from that point onwards as the "highest peak performance" of any strongman in history, due to Hafþór's dominance and having no weaknesses at any event.[87] During these three years, the only time Hafþór failed to win a competition was due to an injury,[51] and apart from it, he remained unbeaten. Hafþór's international accolades and winning everything there is in the sport cemented his legacy as one of the greatest strongmen of all time,[3] and due to numerous world records and feats involving brute strength and static lifts, many analysts and strongman experts regard Hafþór as "the strongest man to have ever walked the earth".[8][88][89]

Boxing career

Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson
Personal information
Height205 cm (6 ft 9 in)[1]
Weight145–152 kg (320–335 lb)[90][91]
Sport
SportBoxing
Weight classTitanweight

On 2 May 2020, after breaking the Deadlift World Record, Hafþór challenged its previous record holder, Eddie Hall, to a boxing match.[92] Despite having no boxing experience whatsoever, Hafþór learned the fundamentals of the sport and made commendable progress[93] under the guidance of his coaches, Billy Nelson[94] and Vilhjálmur Hernandez, and support from his two main sparring partners, Skúli Ármansson and Bill Hodgson. With a stricter diet that differed from his strongman days, Hafþór also transformed himself to suit the new sport, losing 60 kg (132 lb) in the process.[95][90] He started training twice a day (up to five hours per day), with a weekly routine that was segmented into fourteen sessions. They consisted of six boxing training sessions, four strength training sessions (two each for upper and lower body), and four endurance training sessions.[96]

Hafþór's first exhibition match was against ex-WBO European light-heavyweight champion Steven Ward, in January 2021.[97] For his second exhibition match, he faced the 2010 Commonwealth Games Heavyweight Gold Medalist, Simon Vallily, in May 2021.[98] The two fights provided him his first real ring experience. On 18 September 2021, Hafþór faced Canadian professional arm-wrestler Devon Larratt in his first non-exhibition boxing match. Larratt volunteered for the fight when Eddie Hall withdrew, after sustaining a biceps tear during training.[99] Within the first round, the referee was forced to stop the fight, awarding Hafþór the win via TKO (technical knockout).[100][101]

The Mountain vs. The Beast

On 19 March 2022, after almost two years since its announcement, Hafþór and Hall finally faced each other in Dubai in a fight taglined The Heaviest Boxing Match in History. Hall started the first round with continuous haymakers, but Hafþór kept his composure and stuck to the basics, focusing on a solid jab and better footwork. Once he realized Hall's game plan, Hafþór took control of the fight by bludgeoning and knocking Hall down twice, in rounds three and six. Hall sustained bleeding lacerations on top of both eyes, and Hafþór won the fight via unanimous decision.[102][103][104]

Boxing record

4 fights 2 wins 0 losses
By knockout 1 0
By decision 1 0
Draws 2
No. Result Record Opponent Type Round, time Date Location
4 Win 2–0–2   Eddie Hall UD 6 19 March 2022 Dubai
3 Win 1–0–2   Devon Larratt TKO 1 (6), 2:00 18 September 2021 Dubai
2 Draw 0–0–2   Simon Vallily D 4 28 May 2021 Dubai
1 Draw 0–0–1   Steven Ward D 3 16 January 2021 Dubai

Acting career

Hafþór was cast as Ser Gregor "The Mountain" Clegane for the fourth season of the HBO series Game of Thrones in August 2013.[105] This was his first main acting role, and he is the third person to depict the character after Conan Stevens played the role in season 1 and Ian Whyte in season 2, but the first actor to portray Clegane in more than one continuous season, with his appearances in seasons four through eight.[106] He was also cast for the lead role in the Philadelphia Renaissance Faire during their debut season, in 2015. He appeared as 'King Thor', the leader of a Viking raiding party intent on capturing the city of Amman.[107]

In 2018, Hafþór played Mongkut, the main villain in Kickboxer: Retaliation, opposite Alain Moussi and Jean-Claude Van Damme, in a story about a kickboxer (Moussi) who is sedated and taken to a prison in Bangkok, where he is forced to fight a giant for freedom and a large sum of money.[108] In the same year, he also played Big John in the film Operation Ragnarok, about a town in the south of Sweden isolated after a viral outbreak and the trapped Swedes and immigrants uniting to survive an onslaught.[109]

The next year, he starred with Mike Tyson in the action film Pharaoh's War, about a former soldier (Tyson) with a mysterious past leading a group of Egyptian refugees through the desert to protect them from a group of evil mercenaries.[110]

In 2022, Hafþór had a minor role as Thorfinnr the Tooth-Gnasher in the historical epic fantasy The Northman, which starred Alexander Skarsgård, Nicole Kidman, Ethan Hawke, Claes Bang, Anya Taylor-Joy, and Willem Dafoe.[111]

Filmography

Film

List of film appearances, with year, title, and role shown
Year Title Role Notes
2015 Eddie: Strongman Himself
2017 Devilish Deeds Psycho Phil Bell
2018 Kickboxer: Retaliation Mongkut
2018 Operation Ragnarok Big John
2019 Pharaoh's War Frank
2022 The Northman Thorfinnr

Television

List of television appearances, with year, title, and role shown
Duration Title Role Notes
2011–2019 The World's Strongest Man Himself
2014–2019 Game of Thrones The Mountain Recurring role
2015 A League of Their Own Himself Series 9, Episode 7
2016 "Heavy Bubbles" Himself Commercial
2017 Born Strong Himself Documentary film
2018 Keith Lemon: Coming to America Himself Series 1, Episode 6
2019 E:60 – "How the World's Strongest Man became 'The Mountain' on Game of Thrones" Himself Original air date; 14 April 2019

Other ventures

Martial arts

Since beginning with boxing, Hafþór has stayed involved in a range of martial arts. In 2020, he appeared on episode ten of Karate Combat, with Bas Rutten and Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt Josh Palmer, prior to having a training session with Palmer that was released to the public.[112] He then visited Mjolnir MMA to train with UFC veteran Gunnar Nelson in May 2021 and was filmed grappling with the professional fighter.[113] In December 2022, Hafþór met Gordon Ryan prior to his match with Nicky Rodriguez at UFC FightPass Invitational 3 and was filmed having a sparring match with him.[114]

Personal life

Family and relationships

Hafþór has been accused by several ex-girlfriends of domestic violence,[115][116] including Thelma Björk Steimann[117] (the mother of his daughter), who feared for her life once during a vacation.[118] She pressed charges, but the police investigation found no grounds for action;[119] Hafþór later charged her with slander.[120][121][122] However, things escalated to a point where Hafþór was not allowed to see his daughter for three years.[123] The situation settled over the years, and he frequently visits his daughter, Theresa Líf, who resides in Denmark with her mother.[124][125]

In late 2017, Hafþór began dating Canadian fitness model Kelsey Morgan Henson, whom he met in Alberta during a promotional event for Icelandic Mountain Vodka and touring for the Warwick Strongman Festival. The couple garnered media attention because of their height difference.[125][126][127] They married in August 2018,[128][129] and on 26 September 2020, welcomed a son, Stormur Magni Hafþórsson.[130]

Nutrition

During his Strongman days, Hafþór had to constantly force-feed himself to maintain his size and strength.[9] He used to consume up to 8,000 calories a day during 2012–2017 to maintain a 180–190 kg (397–419 lb) physique and increased it up to 10,000 calories a day in his prime (2018–2020) to maintain a 200–205 kg (441–452 lb) body.[131] As a general rule, his macro balance was 2:2:1 carbs-to-protein-to-fat ratio.[132] A typical breakfast could consist of eggs, bacon, and french toast while a typical lunch may consist of rice, steak (or ground bison or salmon), potatoes, spinach, carrots, and chicken stock. He had six to eight healthy meals a day, with the occasional exception: "one cheat meal once in a while is fine as long as you stay on track the rest of the time".[133]

From mid-2020, Hafþór downsized his caloric intake to around 5,000 calories a day, with a much stricter diet that helped him with his body transformation, to suit boxing.[95]

Health concerns

Hafþór has had occasional sleep troubles in the past after heavy meals, due to his large body weight.[134][135] In March 2017, he was diagnosed with Bell's palsy, which paralysed half of his face.[136][127] In an interview, when asked if he had ever used steroids, Hafþór answered: "Yes, I have. When you want to be the best, you do whatever it takes". Hafþór did not provide further information related to the cycles or whether his use of the substances was ongoing;[137][138][139] however, he has never failed a drug test during his entire career.[140] Hafþór recovered from Bell's palsy later that year; however, he still has a slight facial droop on the right side.[141]

Endorsements

In 2016, Hafþór co-founded the spirits brand Icelandic Mountain Vodka, which is a seven-time distilled Icelandic vodka. The company also produces gin.[142]

Together with Unnar Helgi Danielsson and Dylan Sprouse, Hafþór is also a co-founder and brand ambassador of 'Thor's Skyr', a traditional Icelandic high-protein cultured dairy product high in probiotics and low in sugar.[143]

Hafþór also owns 'Thor's Power Apparel', a family business retailing branded merchandise via an online shop, and is also a brand ambassador for SodaStream.[144][145]

References

  1. ^ a b c d . theworldsstrongestman.com. Archived from the original on 9 March 2018. Retrieved 4 March 2018.
  2. ^ a b "Who is the World's Strongest Man? Ranking the top five Strongest Men in History". Sportskeeda.com. Retrieved 2 November 2022.
  3. ^ a b "Top 10: Greatest Worlds Strongest Man". Laurence Shahlaei. 15 September 2019. Retrieved 21 September 2022.
  4. ^ a b BarBend Team (6 May 2018). "Breaking News: Hafthor Bjornsson Wins 2018 World's Strongest Man in Manila". BarBend. Retrieved 6 May 2018.
  5. ^ a b Tom Sunderland. "'The Mountain' Hafthor Bjornsson Crowned 2018 World's Strongest Man". Bleacher Report. Retrieved 6 May 2018.
  6. ^ "The Year Thor Bjornsson Completed Strongman". YouTube. Retrieved 25 March 2022.
  7. ^ a b "Strongman Archives - Athletes". Strongman Archives. 5 April 2022. Retrieved 6 April 2022.
  8. ^ a b "The Greatest Strongman of All Time Vs. The Strongest Man Ever". Barbend.com. 11 March 2019. Retrieved 8 April 2022.
  9. ^ a b "Hafthor Björnsson: Daily Routine – Discover the habits and routines of 50 of the world's most successful people". Balancethegrind.co. 25 October 2022. Retrieved 9 November 2022.
  10. ^ Wertheim, Jon. "Coming Down from The Mountain". SI.com. Meredith Corporation. Retrieved 21 August 2022.
  11. ^ a b c Borden, Sam (1 November 2014). "Icelandic Strongman Does Heavy Lifting on a Second Career as an Actor". The New York Times. Retrieved 4 March 2018.
  12. ^ a b Editorial(DV) (11 April 2017). "Hafþór Júlíus: Ofvirki Skagastrákurinn sem breyttist í vöðvafjall" (in Icelandic). DV. Retrieved 4 March 2018.
  13. ^ Michael Zaghi (10 January 2021). "The Five Most Unexpected Chess Players". Retrieved 10 April 2022.
  14. ^ Kyle Campbell (15 August 2022). "Hafthor 'The Mountain' Bjornsson says Counter-Strike is his all-time favorite game". Retrieved 21 September 2022.
  15. ^ "Thor's Origin Story". YouTube. Retrieved 14 August 2022.
  16. ^ . www.strongman.org. Strongman. Archived from the original on 11 June 2015. Retrieved 18 February 2018.
  17. ^ a b c Randall J. Strossen (10 August 2010). . IronMind. Archived from the original on 10 December 2011.
  18. ^ Hafthorjulius, Twitch broadcast (17 November 2022). "Training at Thor's Power Gym and behind the scenes – meet my family". twitch.tv.
  19. ^ "1. deild karla - Breiðablik". kki.is (in Icelandic). Icelandic Basketball Association. Retrieved 2 May 2022.
  20. ^ "Hafþór til KR". Fréttablaðið (in Icelandic). 13 July 2006. p. 50. Retrieved 2 May 2022.
  21. ^ Körfuknattleiksdeild (11 July 2006). "Hafþór Björnsson genginn til liðs við KR" (in Icelandic). Retrieved 4 March 2018.
  22. ^ Drengjaflokkur, Körfuknattleiksdeild (12 November 2006). "Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson leikur ekki meira á þessari leiktíð" (in Icelandic). Retrieved 4 March 2018.
  23. ^ "FSu 2007–2008 statistics" (in Icelandic). Retrieved 4 March 2018.
  24. ^ "FSu í úrvalsdeildina í körfu karla". Morgunblaðið (in Icelandic). 2 April 2008. Retrieved 4 March 2018.
  25. ^ "About Hafþór". hafthorbjornsson.com. Retrieved 4 March 2018.
  26. ^ "Landslið unglinga- og drengja". Icelandic Basketball Federation. Retrieved 4 March 2018.
  27. ^ "FIBA Europe – Hafthor Bjornsson". FIBA Europe. Retrieved 4 March 2018.
  28. ^ Óskar Ófeigur Jónsson (24 May 2004). "3 íslenskir Norðurlandameistarar". Dagblaðið Vísir (in Icelandic). p. 19. Retrieved 2 May 2022.
  29. ^ Skúli Unnar Sveinsson (18 August 2004). "Hálfgerður bjarnargreiði". Morgunblaðið (in Icelandic). p. 6B. Retrieved 2 May 2022 – via Tímarit.is.  
  30. ^ Óskar Ófeigur Jónsson (2 June 2006). "Heilluðu alla í Solna-höllinni". Dagblaðið Vísir (in Icelandic). p. 44. Retrieved 2 May 2022.
  31. ^ Zoe Szathmary (7 May 2018). "'Game of Thrones' star named 2018 World's Strongest Man". Fox News. Retrieved 16 November 2018.
  32. ^ a b "When EDDIE & HAFTHOR couldn't DEADLIFT over 400Kg!". YouTube.com. 19 September 2021. Retrieved 21 September 2022.
  33. ^ Metcalfe, Charlie (28 March 2022). "MF Meets Strongman Turned Boxer Hafþór 'Thor' Björnsson". Retrieved 21 September 2022.
  34. ^ Randall J. Strossen (29 May 2010). "Magnus Ver Magnusson: Icelandic Strongman Scout". IronMind. Retrieved 4 March 2018.
  35. ^ "THOR TRAINS TO BECOME 3X CHAMPION! Episode 6". YouTube.com. 19 November 2019. Retrieved 20 September 2022.
  36. ^ . vodvafikn.net. Archived from the original on 6 July 2010.
  37. ^ "Hafþór Júlíus sterkasti maður á Íslandi". Vefsíðan Grindavíkurbæjar (in Icelandic). 8 June 2010. Retrieved 5 April 2018.
  38. ^ Randall J. Strossen (6 June 2011). "Hafthor Julius Bjornsson Wins the Strongest Man in Iceland". IronMind. Retrieved 4 March 2018.
  39. ^ Randall J. Strossen (19 June 2011). "Hafthor Julius Bjornsson Wins Iceland's Strongest Man". IronMind. Retrieved 4 March 2018.
  40. ^ "Strongman Champions League". Randall J. Strossen, IronMind Enterprises, Inc. 8 April 2019. Retrieved 26 February 2008.
  41. ^ a b "Strongman Archives - Hafthór Júlíus Björnsson". Strongman Archives. 10 April 2022. Retrieved 10 April 2022.
  42. ^ Randall J. Strossen (1 January 2015). "Hafthor Wins World's Strongest Viking, Sets Sights on World's Strongest Man". IronMind. Retrieved 4 March 2018.
  43. ^ "The Mountain from 'Game of Thrones' Wins Europe's Strongest Man Competition". DAN CARSON. 12 April 2019. Retrieved 19 August 2014.
  44. ^ "The Mountain Just Proved That He's Europe's Strongest Man—Again". menshealth.com. 8 April 2019. Retrieved 10 April 2022.
  45. ^ Laurence Shahlaei – Big Loz Official (YouTube.com). "Giants Lives Most Successful Strongmen". YouTube. Retrieved 24 February 2022.
  46. ^ Randall J. Strossen (8 August 2011). "Giants Live–Poland: Radzikowski, Jenkins and Baron Make WSM Cut . . . Bjornsson Gets Wild Card". IronMind. Retrieved 7 March 2018.
  47. ^ Cindy Boren (19 May 2014). "'Game of Thrones' villain is second-strongest man in the world". The Washington Post. Retrieved 19 May 2014.
  48. ^ Páll Stefánsson (1 April 2014). . Iceland Review. Archived from the original on 8 April 2016. Retrieved 7 March 2018.
  49. ^ BarBend Team (27 May 2017). "Breaking: Eddie Hall Wins 2017 World's Strongest Man in Botswana". BarBend. Retrieved 4 March 2018.
  50. ^ Mather, Victor (7 May 2018). "The Mountain from Game of Thrones Wins World's Strongest Man Title". The New York Times.
  51. ^ a b Salmon, Jonathan (17 June 2019). "Did Hafthor Bjornsson Lose World's Strongest Man Competition Because of Injury?". Generation Iron Fitness & Bodybuilding Network. Retrieved 16 March 2022.
  52. ^ "Most Successful Athletes: Vehicle Pull". strongmanarchives.com. 10 April 2022. Retrieved 10 April 2022.
  53. ^ "Most Successful Athletes: Stones". Strongman Archives. 5 April 2022. Retrieved 6 April 2022.
  54. ^ "Most Successful Athletes: Loading Race". Strongman Archives. 3 April 2022. Retrieved 26 May 2022.
  55. ^ Matthew Magnante (21 May 2020). "Hafthor Bjornsson Say's He'll Never Compete for Giants Live and Probably Not World's Strongest Man Ever Again". Fitness Volt.
  56. ^ "Which Event Really Finds the World's Top Strongman?". Christo Bland for Barbend.com. 6 February 2017. Retrieved 12 April 2022.
  57. ^ "BRUTE STRENGTH / THE COMMISSIONER OF POWER". Rogue Fitness. 4 May 2021. Retrieved 1 August 2022.
  58. ^ "Game of Thrones' 'The Mountain' sets new strongman record". Canoe.com. 7 March 2018. Retrieved 8 March 2018.
  59. ^ "2018 Arnold Strongman Classic – Rogue Elephant Bar Deadlift – Full Live Stream Event 4". YouTube. Rogue Fitness. 4 March 2018. Archived from the original on 21 December 2021. Retrieved 25 March 2018.
  60. ^ Hafthor Bjornsson Wins 2019 Arnold Strongman Classic (Plus Final Results) Barbend
  61. ^ Game of Thrones star Hafthor Julius Bjornsson, aka 'The Mountain', breaks his own deadlift world record ABC
  62. ^ "2018 WUS Dubai". Strongman Archives. 26 October 2018. Retrieved 10 April 2022.
  63. ^ "Sebastian Oreb Became Hafthor Bjornsson's Coach After Just One Tip". barbend.com. 29 October 2020. Retrieved 10 April 2022.
  64. ^ a b "Weightlifting: 'The Mountain' Bjornsson deadlifts 501 kg to set official world record". Reuters. 2 May 2020.
  65. ^ a b Guinness World Records (10 May 2020). "Heaviest Deadlift". guinnessworldrecords.com. Retrieved 25 March 2022.
  66. ^ Shiffer, Emily (10 August 2020). "Hafthor Björnsson Just Announced His Retirement from Strongman". Men's Health. Retrieved 26 March 2022.
  67. ^ "Hafthor Bjornsson Details Why He Chose to Retire from Strongman". Fitness Volt. 27 November 2020. Retrieved 26 March 2022.
  68. ^ Jason Serafino (18 October 2022). "Hafþór Björnsson Announces Plan to Break His Weight Over Bar World Record at the 2022 Rogue Invitational". Barbend.com. Retrieved 31 October 2022.
  69. ^ Andrew Gutman for Barbend.com (30 October 2022). "Hafthor Björnsson Sets New Weight Over Bar World Record of 20 Feet, 3 Inches; Teases Competitive Return to Strongman". Barbend.com. Retrieved 31 October 2022.
  70. ^ "Results". Strongman Champions League. 18 December 2015. Retrieved 14 April 2022.
  71. ^ "About Hafþór". Thor's Power Apparel. 30 May 2019. Retrieved 19 March 2022.
  72. ^ Nil (3 June 2011). "2011 RAW-Iceland Íslandsmót". Openpowerlifting.org. Retrieved 4 April 2022.
  73. ^ a b c Jake Boly (17 December 2018). "Hafthor Bjornsson Puts Up Big Total At Powerlifting Meet". BarBend. Retrieved 21 December 2018.
  74. ^ Vedad Tabakovic for Fitnessvolt.com (13 February 2023). "Hafthor Björnsson Aims to Break ATWR in Powerlifting Before His Strongman Comeback in 2024". Fitnessvolt.com. Retrieved 19 February 2023.
  75. ^ "Good Lifts That Got Red lights". Lifting Vault. 17 July 2020. Retrieved 24 March 2021.
  76. ^ "Europe's Strongest Man 2018". YouTube. Retrieved 25 March 2022.
  77. ^ "Europe's Strongest Man 2018 – Log Lift 213kg – Thor". YouTube. Europe's Strongest Man. 7 April 2018. Archived from the original on 21 December 2021. Retrieved 8 April 2018.
  78. ^ a b "Europe's Strongest Man 2017". YouTube. Retrieved 25 March 2022.
  79. ^ "Europe's strongest man 2017 with hafthor bjornsson and eddie hall". GL. 4 January 2019. Retrieved 30 May 2019.
  80. ^ "100KG/220LBS PB Incline dumbbell press for 6 reps!". YouTube. Retrieved 26 September 2022.
  81. ^ liftingstones.org (24 March 2022). "Húsafell Stone". liftingstones.org. Retrieved 24 March 2022.
  82. ^ "Iceland's Strongest Man 2019". YouTube. Retrieved 25 March 2022.
  83. ^ GiantsLive (29 November 2019). "The GIANTS: Thor Bjornsson v Eddie Hall, that FAMOUS NIGHT!". Youtube.com. Retrieved 24 March 2022.
  84. ^ "2014 World's Strongest Man Final". YouTube. Retrieved 25 March 2022.
  85. ^ "World's Strongest Man 2014". Strongman.org. 19 March 2014. Retrieved 9 May 2018.
  86. ^ Andrew Gutman for Barbend.com (30 October 2022). "Hafthor Björnsson Sets New Weight Over Bar World Record of 20 Feet, 3 Inches; Teases Competitive Return to Strongman". Barbend.com. Retrieved 31 October 2022.
  87. ^ "The Year Thor Bjornsson Completed Strongman". Matt Rhodes Sport. Retrieved 21 September 2022.
  88. ^ "Hafthor Björnsson: Daily Routine – Discover the habits and routines of 50 of the world's most successful people". Balancethegrind.co. 25 October 2022. Retrieved 9 November 2022.
  89. ^ "Who is The World's Strongest Man? Ranking the top five Strongest Men in History". Sportskeeda.com. Retrieved 2 November 2022.
  90. ^ a b Corby, Donagh (4 February 2022). "Thor Bjornsson photos hailed as "two different people" after 120lb weight loss". Insider. Retrieved 21 March 2022.
  91. ^ Fordham, Josh (19 March 2022). "SCALES Eddie Hall and Hafthor Bjornsson weigh combined 295kg". Retrieved 25 March 2022.
  92. ^ "How Eddie Hall vs Hafthor Bjornsson rivalry started as pair set for boxing clash". talkSPORT. 19 March 2022. Retrieved 26 March 2022.
  93. ^ Corrick, Lewis (18 March 2022). "Joe Rogan gives his verdict on Thor Bjornsson's boxing ability". sporf.com. Retrieved 1 December 2022.
  94. ^ Williams, Craig (9 December 2021). "Game of Thrones star The Mountain goes daft for steaks from Airdrie butchers while training in town". Glasgowlive.co.uk. Retrieved 22 March 2022.
  95. ^ a b Hosie, Rachel (7 September 2021). "'The Mountain' says he lost 120 pounds by eating 5 high-protein meals a day. Here's what he dishes up". Insider. Retrieved 21 March 2022.
  96. ^ "Hafthor Björnsson: Daily Routine – Discover the habits and routines of 50 of the world's most successful people". Balancethegrind.co. 25 October 2022. Retrieved 9 November 2022.
  97. ^ "Steven Ward vs Hafthor Bjornsson results". Britishboxingnews.co.uk. 17 January 2021. Retrieved 23 March 2022.
  98. ^ Benson, Michael (29 May 2021). "Hafthor Bjornsson vs Simon Vallily: 'The Mountain' staggered in final exhibition fight before Eddie Hall bout as both men touch canvas but no knockdowns are given". Talksport.com. Retrieved 24 March 2022.
  99. ^ Ellis, Philip (26 July 2021). "Eddie Hall Just Detached His Bicep During a Sparring Session". Menshealth. Retrieved 24 March 2022.
  100. ^ Dick, Jeremy (21 September 2021). "Game of Thrones Mountain Actor Thor Bjornsson Obliterates Opponent in Boxing Match". MovieWeb. Retrieved 21 March 2022.
  101. ^ Roy, Neelabhra (19 September 2021). "Hafthor Bjornsson vs Devon Larratt full highlights as Thor batters arm wrestler". Givemesport.com. Retrieved 23 March 2022.
  102. ^ Davies, Harry (25 February 2022). "Eddie Hall fans convinced Thor Bjornsson looks "unhealthy" after weight loss". Mirror. Retrieved 20 March 2022.
  103. ^ "Thor smashes Strongman rival in brutal boxing fight". Fox Sports. 20 March 2022. Retrieved 20 March 2022.
  104. ^ "Thor wins boxing's heaviest match as he sends Eddie Hall to the floor twice". talkSPORT. 20 March 2022. Retrieved 20 March 2022.
  105. ^ Ours is the Fury (30 August 2013). "Mountain Recast". WinterIsComing.net. Retrieved 30 August 2013.
  106. ^ "The Mountain in Belfast, and Game of Thrones filming in Split continues despite flooding". Watchers on the Wall. 13 September 2014. Retrieved 10 October 2014.
  107. ^ Dan McQuade (8 April 2015). "Mountain Comes to Philly Ren Faire". Philadelphia Magazine. Retrieved 7 March 2018.
  108. ^ Mancuso, Vinnie (26 January 2018). "Watch 'The Mountain' Becomes a 400-Pound Killing Machine in This Clip from 'Kickboxer: Retaliation'". Men's Health. Retrieved 12 April 2022.
  109. ^ Miska, Brad (30 May 2017). "'Operation Ragnarok' Trailer Survives a Viral Outbreak". Bloody Disgusting!. Retrieved 12 April 2022.
  110. ^ Mutuc, Peter (9 March 2022). "God of War: Casting Kratos for Amazon's Show". ScreenRant. Retrieved 12 April 2022.
  111. ^ Bulten, Izak (18 January 2022). "The Northman: 10 Movies & TV Shows Where You've Seen the Cast". ScreenRant. Retrieved 12 April 2022.
  112. ^ "Watch 'The Mountain' Hafthor Bjornsson Grapple with a BJJ Black Belt". 6 December 2020.
  113. ^ "Watch 'The Mountain' Hafthor Bjornsson Grapple with Gunnar Nelson". 10 May 2021.
  114. ^ "Watch Gordon Ryan and 'The Mountain' Hafthor Bjornsson Rolling Together". 15 December 2022.
  115. ^ Sindradóttir, Snærós (9 June 2017). "Lögreglan kölluð að heimili Fjallsins – Vísir". Visir. Retrieved 18 March 2021.
  116. ^ Sindradóttir, Snærós (15 June 2017). "Hafþór Júlíus kærður til lögreglu af fyrrverandi kærustu". Vísir. Retrieved 19 February 2021.
  117. ^ Sindradóttir, Snærós (24 June 2017). "Barnsmóðir Fjallsins stígur fram: Óttaðist um líf sitt við fyrstu árás". Vísir. Retrieved 18 March 2021.
  118. ^ "Strongman "The Mountain" facing new serious accusations of dramatic violence". Icelandmag. Retrieved 30 September 2018.
  119. ^ WERTHEIM, Jon (5 July 2022). "Coming Down from The Mountain". S.I. Retrieved 1 September 2022.
  120. ^ Sindradóttir, Snærós (15 June 2017). "Hafþór Júlíus kærður til lögreglu af fyrrverandi kærustu". Vísir. Retrieved 18 March 2021.
  121. ^ "Strongman "The Mountain" denies accusations of domestic violence, threatens suing for libel". Icelandmag. Retrieved 30 September 2018.
  122. ^ Gestsdóttir, Ragna (7 February 2019). "Hafþór Júlíus hyggst lögsækja konur vegna ærumeiðinga". DV. Retrieved 19 February 2021.
  123. ^ Hafthor Bjornsson – Story of 'The Mountain' | One of the Most Compelling & Emotional Interviews EVER, retrieved 7 January 2020
  124. ^ "Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson on Instagram: "My daughter Theresa Líf – beautiful design from her mother :) repost via @instarepost20 from @thelmasteimann All about the maxi dress…"". Instagram. Archived from the original on 23 December 2021. Retrieved 30 September 2018.
  125. ^ a b "Everything you don't know about The Mountain". Looper.com. 21 February 2018. Retrieved 30 September 2018.
  126. ^ "These photos of The Mountain from 'Game of Thrones' and his tiny girlfriend have baffled Instagram users". Business Insider. Retrieved 30 September 2018.
  127. ^ a b . www.journalpost.com. 9 April 2018. Archived from the original on 10 July 2018. Retrieved 30 September 2018.
  128. ^ Björnsson, Hafþór (21 October 2018). "It is with great pleasure..." Instagram. Archived from the original on 23 December 2021. Retrieved 21 October 2018.
  129. ^ Rendon, Christine (22 October 2018). "Enormous Game of Thrones star Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson ties the knot with girlfriend". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 23 October 2018.
  130. ^ "'Game of Thrones' star Hafthor Bjornsson, wife Kelsey Henson welcome baby boy". Outlook India. 28 September 2020. Retrieved 28 September 2020.[obsolete source]
  131. ^ "Strongman Hafthor Bjornsson Shares How He Sticks to His 10,000 Calorie Meal Plan While Traveling". menshealth.com. 11 March 2020. Retrieved 10 April 2022.
  132. ^ "Thor Bjornsson Diet: What 'The Mountain' Eats for His Strongman Training". mensjournal.com. 10 May 2018. Retrieved 11 April 2022.
  133. ^ "Check Out Hafthor Bjornsson's Training Diet, 10,000 Calories Per Day". barbend.com. 6 March 2020. Retrieved 6 April 2022.
  134. ^ "Twenty-Four Hours with The Mountain". Men's Health. 2 March 2017. Retrieved 30 September 2018.
  135. ^ Men's Health (20 April 2017), 24 Hours with The Mountain, archived from the original on 21 December 2021, retrieved 30 September 2018
  136. ^ "'The Mountain' Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson has Bell's palsy". theconversation.com. 6 April 2017. Retrieved 4 March 2018.
  137. ^ "GoT's strongman champ admits to steroid use". ESPN. 14 April 2019. Retrieved 8 December 2020.
  138. ^ "Game of Thrones star and World's Strongest Man admits steroid use played part in dramatic transformation". Stuff. 18 April 2019. Retrieved 8 December 2020.
  139. ^ McMillen, Gabrielle (15 April 2019). "'Game of Thrones' actor, World's Strongest Man Hafthor Bjornsson admits to steroid use". www.sportingnews.com. Retrieved 8 December 2020.
  140. ^ Metcalfe, Charlie (28 March 2022). "MF Meets Strongman Turned Boxer Hafþór 'Thor' Björnsson". Retrieved 21 September 2022.
  141. ^ "Facial droop 8/8/22". YouTube. Retrieved 11 August 2022.
  142. ^ Jake Cappuccino (17 July 2016). "The Mountain's Amazing New Alcohol Is Basically a 'Game of Thrones' Vodka". Elite Daily. Retrieved 4 March 2018.
  143. ^ forbes.com (7 September 2021), Viking Invasion: Icelandic Strongman Hafþór Björnsson and Dylan Sprouse Backed Thor's Skyr Promises More Protein and Less Sugar, retrieved 11 April 2022
  144. ^ "HeavyBubbles™ – Uncut". YouTube. Retrieved 1 June 2022.
  145. ^ "SodaStream's Join the Revolution". YouTube. Retrieved 1 June 2022.

External links

hafþór, júlíus, björnsson, this, icelandic, name, last, name, patronymic, family, name, this, person, referred, given, name, hafþór, icelandic, ˈhafθour, ˈjuːlijʏs, ˈpjœr, sɔn, listen, transliterated, hafthor, english, born, november, 1988, icelandic, professi. This is an Icelandic name The last name is patronymic not a family name this person is referred to by the given name Hafthor Hafthor Julius Bjornsson Icelandic ˈhaf8our ˈjuːlijʏs ˈpjœr sɔn listen transliterated as Hafthor in English born 26 November 1988 is an Icelandic professional strongman who is widely regarded as one of the greatest strength athletes of all time 2 3 He is the first and only person to have won the Arnold Strongman Classic the Europe s Strongest Man and the World s Strongest Man competitions in the same calendar year 4 5 and holds numerous Strongman titles from multiple strength federations including multiple world records 6 With 30 international competition wins he is the third most decorated strongman in history behind Lithuania s Zydrunas Savickas and Poland s Mariusz Pudzianowski 7 and in terms of pure brute strength many strength analysts and strongman experts regard Hafthor as the strongest man to have ever lived 8 9 2 Hafthor Julius BjornssonHafthor in 2017BornHafthor Julius Bjornsson 1988 11 26 26 November 1988 age 34 Reykjavik IcelandOther namesThe MountainThorLjonidFjallidOccupationsStrongmanactorboxerYears active2010 2020 strongman Height206 cm 6 ft 9 in 1 SpouseKelsey Henson m 2018 wbr Children2Websitehafthorbjornsson wbr comHafthor has also appeared in television as an actor portraying The Mountain Ser Gregor Clegane in the HBO series Game of Thrones for five seasons He is often simply referred to as Thor or The Mountain as the latter has been closely identified with that character due to his own massive size 10 Contents 1 Early life 2 Basketball career 3 Strongman career 3 1 Iceland s Strongest Man 3 2 Strongman Champions League 3 3 Europe s Strongest Man 3 4 World s Strongest Man 3 5 Arnold Strongman Classic 3 6 World s Ultimate Strongman 3 7 Rogue Invitational and comeback 3 8 Competitive record 3 9 Personal records 3 10 Legacy 4 Boxing career 4 1 The Mountain vs The Beast 4 2 Boxing record 5 Acting career 5 1 Filmography 5 2 Film 5 3 Television 6 Other ventures 6 1 Martial arts 7 Personal life 7 1 Family and relationships 7 2 Nutrition 7 3 Health concerns 7 4 Endorsements 8 References 9 External linksEarly life EditHafthor was born on 26 November 1988 in Reykjavik Iceland 11 When he was eleven years old his family moved to Kopavogur He received his primary education at Grundaskoli and then Hjallaskoli hill school but due to high levels of energy as a child he had difficulty sitting in a classroom or concentrating on his studies 12 As a student at the polytechnic school in Breidholt citation needed he was enthusiastic about sports and played soccer and did gymnastics before discovering his passion for basketball in eighth grade He was also a chess player with a Blitz rating of 800 13 He also loved playing video games 14 A lanky teenager Hafthor gained size and strength through daily exercise combining basic movements push ups chin ups and sit ups with working at his grandfather s farm during summers and lifting natural stones in the wilderness 15 11 His imposing height of 205 cm 6 ft 9 in 16 is credited to his 203 cm 6 ft 8 in father Bjorn THor Reynisson 17 and his mother Ragnheidur Juliusdottir who is also of tall stature 11 Hafthor s grandfather Reynir Asgeirsson is also very tall and just as broad across the chest 17 Hafthor has two sisters Bryndis Bjorg Bjornsdottir and Hafdis Lind Bjornsdottir 18 Basketball career EditHafthor Julius BjornssonPersonal informationHeight205 cm 6 ft 9 in 1 Weight105 kg 231 lb SportSportBasketballPositionCenterClub2004 2005 Breidablik2005 2006 FSu2006 2007 KR2007 2008 FSuHafthor began his athletic career as a basketball player playing as a center with a bodyweight of around 105 kg 231 lb He started his senior team career for the Icelandic 1 deild karla club Breidablik in 2004 19 The following season he transferred to FSu Selfoss but after about ten games it was discovered that he had been playing with a broken bone in his ankle and required surgery After recovering in 2006 Hafthor moved to KR in the Icelandic top tier Urvalsdeild 20 21 However after a screw in his ankle shattered he had to undergo a second surgery in November forcing him to miss the rest of the season 22 To commence the 2007 2008 season Hafthor moved back to play for FSu Selfoss and averaged 6 7 points per game 23 helping the team to achieve a promotion to the Urvalsdeild 24 Unfortunately the troublesome ankle continued and ultimately forced him to retire from basketball at the age of nineteen shattering his dream of making it to the NBA one day 25 12 Between 2004 and 2006 Hafthor played 32 games for the Icelandic junior national basketball teams 26 and 8 with Iceland s U 18 national team in Division A of the U18 European Championship 27 In May 2004 he won the Nordic championship with the U 16 team 28 During the 2004 FIBA Europe Under 16 Championship Division B he helped Iceland achieve promotion to Division A 29 In 2006 he won the Nordic championship again this time with the U 18 team 30 Strongman career EditHafthor Julius Bjornsson At the 2015 Caledonian Club Highland Games trying the 12 kg Scottish Stone Put Personal informationHeight205 cm 6 ft 9 in 1 Weight180 210 kg 397 463 lb 31 32 SportSportStrongmanMedal record Representing IcelandWorld s Strongest Man6th 2011 World s Strongest Man3rd 2012 World s Strongest Man3rd 2013 World s Strongest Man2nd 2014 World s Strongest Man3rd 2015 World s Strongest Man2nd 2016 World s Strongest Man2nd 2017 World s Strongest Man1st 2018 World s Strongest Man3rd 2019 World s Strongest ManArnold Strongman Classic2nd 2017 Arnold Strongman Classic1st 2018 Arnold Strongman Classic1st 2019 Arnold Strongman Classic1st 2020 Arnold Strongman ClassicEurope s Strongest Man1st 2014 Europe s Strongest Man1st 2015 Europe s Strongest Man2nd 2016 Europe s Strongest Man1st 2017 Europe s Strongest Man1st 2018 Europe s Strongest Man1st 2019 Europe s Strongest ManGiants Live1st 2014 FitX Australia1st 2014 World s Strongest Viking1st 2015 World s Strongest Viking1st 2015 SwedenWorld s Ultimate Strongman1st 2018 World s Ultimate StrongmanStrongman Champions League1st 2013 Latvia2nd 2013 FIBO Germany2nd 2013 Netherlands2nd 2013 China3rd 2013 Russia3rd 2013 Brazil1st 2014 Serbia1st 2014 Finland1st 2014 Netherlands1st 2014 Malaysia1st 2015 Norway1st 2015 Bulgaria1st 2015 CroatiaArnold Pro Strongman World Series3rd 2014 Brazil1st 2016 Brazil1st 2016 Australia1st 2016 South Africa1st 2017 Forts de WarwickJon Pall Sigmarsson Classic2nd 2010 Jon Pall Sigmarsson Classic1st 2012 Jon Pall Sigmarsson ClassicForca Bruta2nd 2013 Forca Bruta3rd 2014 Forca BrutaIceland s Strongest Man3rd 20101st 20111st 20121st 20131st 20141st 20151st 20161st 20171st 20181st 20191st 2020Strongest Man in Iceland1st 20101st 20111st 20121st 20161st 2017Iceland s Strongest Viking1st 20101st 20111st 2012Westfjord s Viking1st 20101st 20111st 2012Grundarfjord Viking3rd 2009Highland Viking3rd 20091st 2010Eastfjord Strongman Championships2nd 20091st 20101st 2012OK Budar Strongman Championships1st 2010Akranes Strength Challenge1st 2011WoW Stronger1st 2017King of the Castle1st 2012Battle of the North1st 2014This list contains only the podium finishes A full list is given under Competitive recordAfter recovering from the ankle injury and inspired by Ronnie Coleman and Dorian Yates Hafthor trained like a bodybuilder 33 One day when four time World s Strongest Man champion Magnus Ver Magnusson spotted the twenty year old 6 ft 9 in 140 kg 308 lb Hafthor deadlifting in his gym Jakabol he immediately realized his potential as a good prospect for strongman 34 which paved the way for Hafthor to train with Stefan Solvi Petursson Benedikt Magnusson Pall Logason and Ari Gunnarsson The following year while training at the Strongman Base gym Hafthor was nicknamed Ljonid the Lion by Stefan Solvi Petursson 35 because he continuously grew bigger and got stronger eventually reaching his heaviest body weight ever of 210 kg 463 lb in 2012 32 Iceland s Strongest Man Edit With his newfound friendships and guidance Hafthor progressed in the sport and went on to win several strongman contests in Iceland multiple times from 2009 onwards including Westfjord s Viking Eastfjord Strongman Championships Highland Viking 36 Iceland s Strongest Viking OK Badur Strongman Championships 17 Akranes Strength Challenge and Strongest Man in Iceland 37 38 After placing third behind his friends Petursson and Magnusson in 2010 Hafthor won his first Iceland s Strongest Man title Iceland s most prestigious in 2011 39 becoming the ninth Icelander to win the title since its inception in 1985 His winning streak continued and in August 2020 Hafthor won the Iceland s Strongest Man for the tenth consecutive time Strongman Champions League Edit Hailing from its IFSA roots the Strongman Champions League organized several Grand Prix events which attracted many athletes from around the world 40 It gave Hafthor the opportunity for international exposure competing against the best strongmen in the world From 2013 to 2015 he competed prolifically up to fourteen competitions in a single year throughout many Grand Prix competitions in Germany Netherlands Finland Norway Serbia Croatia Bulgaria Latvia Russia China Malaysia and Brazil winning eight international titles three silver medals and two bronze medals 41 In January 2015 at the World s Strongest Viking competition held in Norway Hafthor carried a 10 metre long 33 ft 650 kg 1 433 lb log for five steps thus breaking a legendary 1 000 year old record set by Orm Storolfsson 42 Europe s Strongest Man Edit After placing fifth and fourth in 2012 and 2013 respectively Hafthor won the 2014 Europe s Strongest Man competition in Leeds organized by Giants Live During the competition after setting a new world record in the Atlas stones event he famously answered the reporter I m the future of strength and I m king of the stones 43 Hafthor successfully defended his title in 2015 but in 2016 despite doing well in other events he made a mistake at the car walk by gripping the apparatus from the center instead of the sides which compromised his balance he eventually lost the title to Englishman Laurence Shahlaei He regained it in 2017 after an iconic battle with Eddie Hall and famously answered Bill Kazmaier This is not a beauty contest this is Strongman He successfully defended the crown again in 2018 and 2019 becoming a five time Europe s Strongest Man Champion 44 In addition to his five titles Hafthor has also won the 2014 Giants Live FitX Melbourne 2014 World s Strongest Viking 2015 Giants Live Viking and 2015 Giants Live Sweden making him the greatest Giants Live champion of all time with nine wins 45 World s Strongest Man Edit Hafthor took part in World s Strongest Man after earning a wild card invitation to the 2011 contest 46 and placed sixth At 22 years and 300 days he is the fourth youngest WSM finalist in history Taking part again in ensuing years he placed third in 2012 2013 and 2015 and finished runner up in 2014 to Zydrunas Savickas 47 by half a point again in 2016 to Brian Shaw 48 by two points and finally in 2017 to Eddie Hall 49 by one point before becoming the World s Strongest Man in 2018 4 5 winning the competition by six and a half points over the runner up Mateusz Kieliszkowski Hafthor was also the third Icelander to win the title after Jon Pall Sigmarsson and Magnus Ver Magnusson 50 In his attempt to defend the title Hafthor suffered a torn plantar fascia during the group stages and emerged in third place overall behind Martins Licis and Mateusz Kieliszkowski after doing all the events of the final while suffering from the injury 51 thus achieving the longest continuous podium streak in World s Strongest Man history with eight 2012 2019 Hafthor has also won more vehicle pulls 52 stone events 53 and medleys and loading races 54 than any other competitor in the history of the competition Among the past winners who have managed to qualify for the finals at a 100 ratio Hafthor and Mariusz Pudzianowski top the list with nine finals out of nine appearances In May 2020 Hafthor stated that he would not return to Giants Live or World s Strongest Man competitions 55 Arnold Strongman Classic Edit Hafthor entered the Arnold Sports Festival s limelight after winning second place in the 2011 Arnold Amateur competition which was also his first ever competition abroad This paved the way for him to qualify for the Arnold Pro Strongman World Series eventually winning the Arnold Brazil Arnold Australia Arnold South Africa and Arnold Canada competitions Widely recognized as the heaviest and most difficult strongman contest in the world 56 57 Hafthor first participated in the Arnold Strongman Classic finals held annually in Columbus Ohio in 2012 placing tenth last place But after a continuous progression placing eighth in 2013 fifth in 2014 seventh in 2015 fifth in 2016 and second in 2017 Hafthor defeated the defending champion Brian Shaw and won the 2018 Arnold Strongman Classic becoming only the seventh person to win the prestigious title In the fourth event Hafthor broke the elephant bar deadlift world record with 472 kg 1 041 lb beating Jerry Pritchett s 467 7 kg 1 031 lb established the previous year 58 59 Hafthor successfully defended his title at the 2019 Arnold Strongman Classic in dominant fashion and improved on his elephant bar deadlift world record increasing it to 474 kg 1 045 lb in only his second attempt out of the three allowed 60 61 After successfully defending his crown again in 2020 Hafthor became only the second person in history to win the Arnold Strongman Classic three times in a row after Zydrunas Savickas World s Ultimate Strongman Edit In 2018 Hafthor won the inaugural World s Ultimate Strongman held in Dubai in a stacked field of twelve athletes 62 This year also marked the most dominant calendar year in strongman history with Hafthor winning the Iceland s Strongest Man Europe s Strongest Man World s Strongest Man World s Ultimate Strongman and the Arnold Strongman Classic Also from 2018 onwards Hafthor significantly increased his static strength under the mentoring of his strength coach since 2016 Sebastian Oreb 63 and increased his squat to 445 kilograms 981 lb during training and 460 kilograms 1 014 lb during Thor s Powerlifting Challenge In February 2020 Hafthor deadlifted 455 kilograms 1 003 lb for two reps and became the first person in history to deadlift 1 000 lb for two reps Two weeks later he deadlifted an unofficial world record on the elephant bar with 480 kilograms 1 058 lb All of the lifts were performed raw only wraps for squats and straps for deadlifts On 2 May 2020 Hafthor deadlifted 501 kilograms 1 105 lb under strongman rules standard bar with figure eight straps and single ply suit at Thor s Power Gym Kopavogur Iceland while being refereed by Magnus Ver Magnusson under the sanctioning of World s Ultimate Strongman and broke the near four year strongman deadlift world record of 500 kilograms 1 102 lb by Eddie Hall 64 The lift was globally televised live by ESPN and the Guinness World Records verified it as the Heaviest Deadlift of all time 65 In August 2020 Hafthor announced his retirement from strongman competitions 66 67 Rogue Invitational and comeback Edit After a two and a half year hiatus from competitive strongman Hafthor announced his retirement from boxing 68 having already gone back to strength training A couple of weeks later on 30 October 2022 he participated in the 2022 Rogue Invitational in Austin Texas and threw the 25 5 kg 56 lb Scottish Highland Games weight over 6 17 metres 20 ft 3 in using one arm for a new world record He also indicated his comeback to competitive strongman and powerlifting 69 Competitive record Edit Main article Competitive Strongman Record of Hafthor Julius Bjornsson Strongman Placements 56 x 1st places 12 x 2nd places and 11 x 3rd places 79 x podium finishes from 96 total competitions 41 70 71 Winning percentage 46 1 in International circuit amp 84 at National circuit Podium percentage 75 4 in International circuit amp 97 at National circuit Top 5 percentage 92 3 in International circuit amp 100 at National circuit 1st 2nd 3rd Podium 4th 5th Top 5 6th 7th 8th 9th 10th TotalInternational 30 11 8 49 4 7 60 1 2 1 1 65National 26 1 3 30 1 31 31Combined 56 12 11 79 5 7 91 1 2 1 1 96Powerlifting Despite the fact that Hafthor never trained specifically for powerlifting he did two full competitions during his strongman career and another post retirement In the 2011 Islandsmot tournament at the age of 22 he totaled 930 kg 2 050 lb raw winning second place overall behind Pall Logason 72 During the 2018 Thor s Powerlifting Challenge sanctioned by the World Raw Powerlifting Federation with only five weeks of casual preparation Hafthor totaled 1 100 kg 2 425 lb raw which was at the time the fifth highest raw superheavyweight powerlifting total of all time 73 He won second place for highest bench press behind Kirill Sarychev and won first place for the highest squat highest deadlift highest total and highest Wilks score winning the overall competition After a two and a half year hiatus from strength training Hafthor competed in Thor s Powerlifting Meet 2022 with six weeks of preparation and totaled 970 kg 2 138 lb raw On 13 February 2023 Hafthor officially announced his return to strength sports stating he will attempt to break the all time powerlifting total world record at the end of the year 74 Personal records Edit Main article List of World Records and feats of strength by Hafthor Julius Bjornsson Deadlift 501 kg 1 105 lb 65 64 Squat 460 kg 1 014 lb 73 75 Log press 213 kg 470 lb 76 77 Axle press 206 kg 454 lb 78 79 Bench press 250 kg 551 lb 73 Cyr Dumbbell 146 kg 322 lb 80 Husafell Stone 186 kg 410 lb for 98 16 metres 322 ft 1 in 81 82 Atlas Stones 5 Stones weighing 120 200 kg 264 441 lb in 17 54 seconds 78 83 Keg toss 8 kegs 18 25 kg 40 55 lb over 4 90 metres 16 ft 1 in in 16 35 seconds 84 85 One arm Weight over bar 25 5 kg 56 lb over 6 17 metres 20 ft 3 in 86 Legacy Edit During his ten year international strongman career Hafthor won all the major strongman competitions and titles that were available at that time including World s Strongest Man Arnold Strongman Classic Europe s Strongest Man Strongman Champions League Giants Live and World s Ultimate Strongman and his thirty international wins rank him as the third most decorated strongman of all time 7 Even though he was noted primarily for his strength in the moving events during the initial years of his career for example medleys and loading races keg tossing power stairs vehicle pulls and natural stones which require good stamina and athleticism Hafthor kept on improving and upscaled his brute strength which helped him excel in static events such as deadlifts squats log presses axle presses circus dumbbells etc This made him a well rounded strongman by the year 2018 Experts consider the three years from that point onwards as the highest peak performance of any strongman in history due to Hafthor s dominance and having no weaknesses at any event 87 During these three years the only time Hafthor failed to win a competition was due to an injury 51 and apart from it he remained unbeaten Hafthor s international accolades and winning everything there is in the sport cemented his legacy as one of the greatest strongmen of all time 3 and due to numerous world records and feats involving brute strength and static lifts many analysts and strongman experts regard Hafthor as the strongest man to have ever walked the earth 8 88 89 Boxing career EditHafthor Julius BjornssonPersonal informationHeight205 cm 6 ft 9 in 1 Weight145 152 kg 320 335 lb 90 91 SportSportBoxingWeight classTitanweightOn 2 May 2020 after breaking the Deadlift World Record Hafthor challenged its previous record holder Eddie Hall to a boxing match 92 Despite having no boxing experience whatsoever Hafthor learned the fundamentals of the sport and made commendable progress 93 under the guidance of his coaches Billy Nelson 94 and Vilhjalmur Hernandez and support from his two main sparring partners Skuli Armansson and Bill Hodgson With a stricter diet that differed from his strongman days Hafthor also transformed himself to suit the new sport losing 60 kg 132 lb in the process 95 90 He started training twice a day up to five hours per day with a weekly routine that was segmented into fourteen sessions They consisted of six boxing training sessions four strength training sessions two each for upper and lower body and four endurance training sessions 96 Hafthor s first exhibition match was against ex WBO European light heavyweight champion Steven Ward in January 2021 97 For his second exhibition match he faced the 2010 Commonwealth Games Heavyweight Gold Medalist Simon Vallily in May 2021 98 The two fights provided him his first real ring experience On 18 September 2021 Hafthor faced Canadian professional arm wrestler Devon Larratt in his first non exhibition boxing match Larratt volunteered for the fight when Eddie Hall withdrew after sustaining a biceps tear during training 99 Within the first round the referee was forced to stop the fight awarding Hafthor the win via TKO technical knockout 100 101 The Mountain vs The Beast Edit On 19 March 2022 after almost two years since its announcement Hafthor and Hall finally faced each other in Dubai in a fight taglined The Heaviest Boxing Match in History Hall started the first round with continuous haymakers but Hafthor kept his composure and stuck to the basics focusing on a solid jab and better footwork Once he realized Hall s game plan Hafthor took control of the fight by bludgeoning and knocking Hall down twice in rounds three and six Hall sustained bleeding lacerations on top of both eyes and Hafthor won the fight via unanimous decision 102 103 104 Boxing record Edit 4 fights 2 wins 0 lossesBy knockout 1 0By decision 1 0Draws 2No Result Record Opponent Type Round time Date Location4 Win 2 0 2 Eddie Hall UD 6 19 March 2022 Dubai3 Win 1 0 2 Devon Larratt TKO 1 6 2 00 18 September 2021 Dubai2 Draw 0 0 2 Simon Vallily D 4 28 May 2021 Dubai1 Draw 0 0 1 Steven Ward D 3 16 January 2021 DubaiActing career EditHafthor was cast as Ser Gregor The Mountain Clegane for the fourth season of the HBO series Game of Thrones in August 2013 105 This was his first main acting role and he is the third person to depict the character after Conan Stevens played the role in season 1 and Ian Whyte in season 2 but the first actor to portray Clegane in more than one continuous season with his appearances in seasons four through eight 106 He was also cast for the lead role in the Philadelphia Renaissance Faire during their debut season in 2015 He appeared as King Thor the leader of a Viking raiding party intent on capturing the city of Amman 107 In 2018 Hafthor played Mongkut the main villain in Kickboxer Retaliation opposite Alain Moussi and Jean Claude Van Damme in a story about a kickboxer Moussi who is sedated and taken to a prison in Bangkok where he is forced to fight a giant for freedom and a large sum of money 108 In the same year he also played Big John in the film Operation Ragnarok about a town in the south of Sweden isolated after a viral outbreak and the trapped Swedes and immigrants uniting to survive an onslaught 109 The next year he starred with Mike Tyson in the action film Pharaoh s War about a former soldier Tyson with a mysterious past leading a group of Egyptian refugees through the desert to protect them from a group of evil mercenaries 110 In 2022 Hafthor had a minor role as Thorfinnr the Tooth Gnasher in the historical epic fantasy The Northman which starred Alexander Skarsgard Nicole Kidman Ethan Hawke Claes Bang Anya Taylor Joy and Willem Dafoe 111 Filmography Edit Film Edit List of film appearances with year title and role shown Year Title Role Notes2015 Eddie Strongman Himself2017 Devilish Deeds Psycho Phil Bell2018 Kickboxer Retaliation Mongkut2018 Operation Ragnarok Big John2019 Pharaoh s War Frank2022 The Northman ThorfinnrTelevision Edit List of television appearances with year title and role shown Duration Title Role Notes2011 2019 The World s Strongest Man Himself2014 2019 Game of Thrones The Mountain Recurring role2015 A League of Their Own Himself Series 9 Episode 72016 Heavy Bubbles Himself Commercial2017 Born Strong Himself Documentary film2018 Keith Lemon Coming to America Himself Series 1 Episode 62019 E 60 How the World s Strongest Man became The Mountain on Game of Thrones Himself Original air date 14 April 2019Other ventures EditMartial arts Edit Since beginning with boxing Hafthor has stayed involved in a range of martial arts In 2020 he appeared on episode ten of Karate Combat with Bas Rutten and Brazilian jiu jitsu black belt Josh Palmer prior to having a training session with Palmer that was released to the public 112 He then visited Mjolnir MMA to train with UFC veteran Gunnar Nelson in May 2021 and was filmed grappling with the professional fighter 113 In December 2022 Hafthor met Gordon Ryan prior to his match with Nicky Rodriguez at UFC FightPass Invitational 3 and was filmed having a sparring match with him 114 Personal life EditFamily and relationships Edit Hafthor has been accused by several ex girlfriends of domestic violence 115 116 including Thelma Bjork Steimann 117 the mother of his daughter who feared for her life once during a vacation 118 She pressed charges but the police investigation found no grounds for action 119 Hafthor later charged her with slander 120 121 122 However things escalated to a point where Hafthor was not allowed to see his daughter for three years 123 The situation settled over the years and he frequently visits his daughter Theresa Lif who resides in Denmark with her mother 124 125 In late 2017 Hafthor began dating Canadian fitness model Kelsey Morgan Henson whom he met in Alberta during a promotional event for Icelandic Mountain Vodka and touring for the Warwick Strongman Festival The couple garnered media attention because of their height difference 125 126 127 They married in August 2018 128 129 and on 26 September 2020 welcomed a son Stormur Magni Hafthorsson 130 Nutrition Edit During his Strongman days Hafthor had to constantly force feed himself to maintain his size and strength 9 He used to consume up to 8 000 calories a day during 2012 2017 to maintain a 180 190 kg 397 419 lb physique and increased it up to 10 000 calories a day in his prime 2018 2020 to maintain a 200 205 kg 441 452 lb body 131 As a general rule his macro balance was 2 2 1 carbs to protein to fat ratio 132 A typical breakfast could consist of eggs bacon and french toast while a typical lunch may consist of rice steak or ground bison or salmon potatoes spinach carrots and chicken stock He had six to eight healthy meals a day with the occasional exception one cheat meal once in a while is fine as long as you stay on track the rest of the time 133 From mid 2020 Hafthor downsized his caloric intake to around 5 000 calories a day with a much stricter diet that helped him with his body transformation to suit boxing 95 Health concerns Edit Hafthor has had occasional sleep troubles in the past after heavy meals due to his large body weight 134 135 In March 2017 he was diagnosed with Bell s palsy which paralysed half of his face 136 127 In an interview when asked if he had ever used steroids Hafthor answered Yes I have When you want to be the best you do whatever it takes Hafthor did not provide further information related to the cycles or whether his use of the substances was ongoing 137 138 139 however he has never failed a drug test during his entire career 140 Hafthor recovered from Bell s palsy later that year however he still has a slight facial droop on the right side 141 Endorsements Edit In 2016 Hafthor co founded the spirits brand Icelandic Mountain Vodka which is a seven time distilled Icelandic vodka The company also produces gin 142 Together with Unnar Helgi Danielsson and Dylan Sprouse Hafthor is also a co founder and brand ambassador of Thor s Skyr a traditional Icelandic high protein cultured dairy product high in probiotics and low in sugar 143 Hafthor also owns Thor s Power Apparel a family business retailing branded merchandise via an online shop and is also a brand ambassador for SodaStream 144 145 References Edit a b c d Hafthor Bjornsson theworldsstrongestman com Archived from the original on 9 March 2018 Retrieved 4 March 2018 a b Who is the World s Strongest Man Ranking the top five Strongest Men in History Sportskeeda com Retrieved 2 November 2022 a b Top 10 Greatest Worlds Strongest Man Laurence Shahlaei 15 September 2019 Retrieved 21 September 2022 a b BarBend Team 6 May 2018 Breaking News Hafthor Bjornsson Wins 2018 World s Strongest Man in Manila BarBend Retrieved 6 May 2018 a b Tom Sunderland The Mountain Hafthor Bjornsson Crowned 2018 World s Strongest Man Bleacher Report Retrieved 6 May 2018 The Year Thor Bjornsson Completed Strongman YouTube Retrieved 25 March 2022 a b Strongman Archives Athletes Strongman Archives 5 April 2022 Retrieved 6 April 2022 a b The Greatest Strongman of All Time Vs The Strongest Man Ever Barbend com 11 March 2019 Retrieved 8 April 2022 a b Hafthor Bjornsson Daily Routine Discover the habits and routines of 50 of the world s most successful people Balancethegrind co 25 October 2022 Retrieved 9 November 2022 Wertheim Jon Coming Down from The Mountain SI com Meredith Corporation Retrieved 21 August 2022 a b c Borden Sam 1 November 2014 Icelandic Strongman Does Heavy Lifting on a Second Career as an Actor The New York Times Retrieved 4 March 2018 a b Editorial DV 11 April 2017 Hafthor Julius Ofvirki Skagastrakurinn sem breyttist i vodvafjall in Icelandic DV Retrieved 4 March 2018 Michael Zaghi 10 January 2021 The Five Most Unexpected Chess Players Retrieved 10 April 2022 Kyle Campbell 15 August 2022 Hafthor The Mountain Bjornsson says Counter Strike is his all time favorite game Retrieved 21 September 2022 Thor s Origin Story YouTube Retrieved 14 August 2022 Hafthor Bjornsson www strongman org Strongman Archived from the original on 11 June 2015 Retrieved 18 February 2018 a b c Randall J Strossen 10 August 2010 Haffthor sic Juliusson Bjornsson wins Iceland s OK Budar Strongman Contest IronMind Archived from the original on 10 December 2011 Hafthorjulius Twitch broadcast 17 November 2022 Training at Thor s Power Gym and behind the scenes meet my family twitch tv 1 deild karla Breidablik kki is in Icelandic Icelandic Basketball Association Retrieved 2 May 2022 Hafthor til KR Frettabladid in Icelandic 13 July 2006 p 50 Retrieved 2 May 2022 Korfuknattleiksdeild 11 July 2006 Hafthor Bjornsson genginn til lids vid KR in Icelandic Retrieved 4 March 2018 Drengjaflokkur Korfuknattleiksdeild 12 November 2006 Hafthor Julius Bjornsson leikur ekki meira a thessari leiktid in Icelandic Retrieved 4 March 2018 FSu 2007 2008 statistics in Icelandic Retrieved 4 March 2018 FSu i urvalsdeildina i korfu karla Morgunbladid in Icelandic 2 April 2008 Retrieved 4 March 2018 About Hafthor hafthorbjornsson com Retrieved 4 March 2018 Landslid unglinga og drengja Icelandic Basketball Federation Retrieved 4 March 2018 FIBA Europe Hafthor Bjornsson FIBA Europe Retrieved 4 March 2018 oskar ofeigur Jonsson 24 May 2004 3 islenskir Nordurlandameistarar Dagbladid Visir in Icelandic p 19 Retrieved 2 May 2022 Skuli Unnar Sveinsson 18 August 2004 Halfgerdur bjarnargreidi Morgunbladid in Icelandic p 6B Retrieved 2 May 2022 via Timarit is oskar ofeigur Jonsson 2 June 2006 Heilludu alla i Solna hollinni Dagbladid Visir in Icelandic p 44 Retrieved 2 May 2022 Zoe Szathmary 7 May 2018 Game of Thrones star named 2018 World s Strongest Man Fox News Retrieved 16 November 2018 a b When EDDIE amp HAFTHOR couldn t DEADLIFT over 400Kg YouTube com 19 September 2021 Retrieved 21 September 2022 Metcalfe Charlie 28 March 2022 MF Meets Strongman Turned Boxer Hafthor Thor Bjornsson Retrieved 21 September 2022 Randall J Strossen 29 May 2010 Magnus Ver Magnusson Icelandic Strongman Scout IronMind Retrieved 4 March 2018 THOR TRAINS TO BECOME 3X CHAMPION Episode 6 YouTube com 19 November 2019 Retrieved 20 September 2022 Hafthor Julius Bjornsson vodvafikn net Archived from the original on 6 July 2010 Hafthor Julius sterkasti madur a Islandi Vefsidan Grindavikurbaejar in Icelandic 8 June 2010 Retrieved 5 April 2018 Randall J Strossen 6 June 2011 Hafthor Julius Bjornsson Wins the Strongest Man in Iceland IronMind Retrieved 4 March 2018 Randall J Strossen 19 June 2011 Hafthor Julius Bjornsson Wins Iceland s Strongest Man IronMind Retrieved 4 March 2018 Strongman Champions League Randall J Strossen IronMind Enterprises Inc 8 April 2019 Retrieved 26 February 2008 a b Strongman Archives Hafthor Julius Bjornsson Strongman Archives 10 April 2022 Retrieved 10 April 2022 Randall J Strossen 1 January 2015 Hafthor Wins World s Strongest Viking Sets Sights on World s Strongest Man IronMind Retrieved 4 March 2018 The Mountain from Game of Thrones Wins Europe s Strongest Man Competition DAN CARSON 12 April 2019 Retrieved 19 August 2014 The Mountain Just Proved That He s Europe s Strongest Man Again menshealth com 8 April 2019 Retrieved 10 April 2022 Laurence Shahlaei Big Loz Official YouTube com Giants Lives Most Successful Strongmen YouTube Retrieved 24 February 2022 Randall J Strossen 8 August 2011 Giants Live Poland Radzikowski Jenkins and Baron Make WSM Cut Bjornsson Gets Wild Card IronMind Retrieved 7 March 2018 Cindy Boren 19 May 2014 Game of Thrones villain is second strongest man in the world The Washington Post Retrieved 19 May 2014 Pall Stefansson 1 April 2014 Hafthor Julius Runner up in World s Strongest Man Comp Iceland Review Archived from the original on 8 April 2016 Retrieved 7 March 2018 BarBend Team 27 May 2017 Breaking Eddie Hall Wins 2017 World s Strongest Man in Botswana BarBend Retrieved 4 March 2018 Mather Victor 7 May 2018 The Mountain from Game of Thrones Wins World s Strongest Man Title The New York Times a b Salmon Jonathan 17 June 2019 Did Hafthor Bjornsson Lose World s Strongest Man Competition Because of Injury Generation Iron Fitness amp Bodybuilding Network Retrieved 16 March 2022 Most Successful Athletes Vehicle Pull strongmanarchives com 10 April 2022 Retrieved 10 April 2022 Most Successful Athletes Stones Strongman Archives 5 April 2022 Retrieved 6 April 2022 Most Successful Athletes Loading Race Strongman Archives 3 April 2022 Retrieved 26 May 2022 Matthew Magnante 21 May 2020 Hafthor Bjornsson Say s He ll Never Compete for Giants Live and Probably Not World s Strongest Man Ever Again Fitness Volt Which Event Really Finds the World s Top Strongman Christo Bland for Barbend com 6 February 2017 Retrieved 12 April 2022 BRUTE STRENGTH THE COMMISSIONER OF POWER Rogue Fitness 4 May 2021 Retrieved 1 August 2022 Game of Thrones The Mountain sets new strongman record Canoe com 7 March 2018 Retrieved 8 March 2018 2018 Arnold Strongman Classic Rogue Elephant Bar Deadlift Full Live Stream Event 4 YouTube Rogue Fitness 4 March 2018 Archived from the original on 21 December 2021 Retrieved 25 March 2018 Hafthor Bjornsson Wins 2019 Arnold Strongman Classic Plus Final Results Barbend Game of Thrones star Hafthor Julius Bjornsson aka The Mountain breaks his own deadlift world record ABC 2018 WUS Dubai Strongman Archives 26 October 2018 Retrieved 10 April 2022 Sebastian Oreb Became Hafthor Bjornsson s Coach After Just One Tip barbend com 29 October 2020 Retrieved 10 April 2022 a b Weightlifting The Mountain Bjornsson deadlifts 501 kg to set official world record Reuters 2 May 2020 a b Guinness World Records 10 May 2020 Heaviest Deadlift guinnessworldrecords com Retrieved 25 March 2022 Shiffer Emily 10 August 2020 Hafthor Bjornsson Just Announced His Retirement from Strongman Men s Health Retrieved 26 March 2022 Hafthor Bjornsson Details Why He Chose to Retire from Strongman Fitness Volt 27 November 2020 Retrieved 26 March 2022 Jason Serafino 18 October 2022 Hafthor Bjornsson Announces Plan to Break His Weight Over Bar World Record at the 2022 Rogue Invitational Barbend com Retrieved 31 October 2022 Andrew Gutman for Barbend com 30 October 2022 Hafthor Bjornsson Sets New Weight Over Bar World Record of 20 Feet 3 Inches Teases Competitive Return to Strongman Barbend com Retrieved 31 October 2022 Results Strongman Champions League 18 December 2015 Retrieved 14 April 2022 About Hafthor Thor s Power Apparel 30 May 2019 Retrieved 19 March 2022 Nil 3 June 2011 2011 RAW Iceland Islandsmot Openpowerlifting org Retrieved 4 April 2022 a b c Jake Boly 17 December 2018 Hafthor Bjornsson Puts Up Big Total At Powerlifting Meet BarBend Retrieved 21 December 2018 Vedad Tabakovic for Fitnessvolt com 13 February 2023 Hafthor Bjornsson Aims to Break ATWR in Powerlifting Before His Strongman Comeback in 2024 Fitnessvolt com Retrieved 19 February 2023 Good Lifts That Got Red lights Lifting Vault 17 July 2020 Retrieved 24 March 2021 Europe s Strongest Man 2018 YouTube Retrieved 25 March 2022 Europe s Strongest Man 2018 Log Lift 213kg Thor YouTube Europe s Strongest Man 7 April 2018 Archived from the original on 21 December 2021 Retrieved 8 April 2018 a b Europe s Strongest Man 2017 YouTube Retrieved 25 March 2022 Europe s strongest man 2017 with hafthor bjornsson and eddie hall GL 4 January 2019 Retrieved 30 May 2019 100KG 220LBS PB Incline dumbbell press for 6 reps YouTube Retrieved 26 September 2022 liftingstones org 24 March 2022 Husafell Stone liftingstones org Retrieved 24 March 2022 Iceland s Strongest Man 2019 YouTube Retrieved 25 March 2022 GiantsLive 29 November 2019 The GIANTS Thor Bjornsson v Eddie Hall that FAMOUS NIGHT Youtube com Retrieved 24 March 2022 2014 World s Strongest Man Final YouTube Retrieved 25 March 2022 World s Strongest Man 2014 Strongman org 19 March 2014 Retrieved 9 May 2018 Andrew Gutman for Barbend com 30 October 2022 Hafthor Bjornsson Sets New Weight Over Bar World Record of 20 Feet 3 Inches Teases Competitive Return to Strongman Barbend com Retrieved 31 October 2022 The Year Thor Bjornsson Completed Strongman Matt Rhodes Sport Retrieved 21 September 2022 Hafthor Bjornsson Daily Routine Discover the habits and routines of 50 of the world s most successful people Balancethegrind co 25 October 2022 Retrieved 9 November 2022 Who is The World s Strongest Man Ranking the top five Strongest Men in History Sportskeeda com Retrieved 2 November 2022 a b Corby Donagh 4 February 2022 Thor Bjornsson photos hailed as two different people after 120lb weight loss Insider Retrieved 21 March 2022 Fordham Josh 19 March 2022 SCALES Eddie Hall and Hafthor Bjornsson weigh combined 295kg Retrieved 25 March 2022 How Eddie Hall vs Hafthor Bjornsson rivalry started as pair set for boxing clash talkSPORT 19 March 2022 Retrieved 26 March 2022 Corrick Lewis 18 March 2022 Joe Rogan gives his verdict on Thor Bjornsson s boxing ability sporf com Retrieved 1 December 2022 Williams Craig 9 December 2021 Game of Thrones star The Mountain goes daft for steaks from Airdrie butchers while training in town Glasgowlive co uk Retrieved 22 March 2022 a b Hosie Rachel 7 September 2021 The Mountain says he lost 120 pounds by eating 5 high protein meals a day Here s what he dishes up Insider Retrieved 21 March 2022 Hafthor Bjornsson Daily Routine Discover the habits and routines of 50 of the world s most successful people Balancethegrind co 25 October 2022 Retrieved 9 November 2022 Steven Ward vs Hafthor Bjornsson results Britishboxingnews co uk 17 January 2021 Retrieved 23 March 2022 Benson Michael 29 May 2021 Hafthor Bjornsson vs Simon Vallily The Mountain staggered in final exhibition fight before Eddie Hall bout as both men touch canvas but no knockdowns are given Talksport com Retrieved 24 March 2022 Ellis Philip 26 July 2021 Eddie Hall Just Detached His Bicep During a Sparring Session Menshealth Retrieved 24 March 2022 Dick Jeremy 21 September 2021 Game of Thrones Mountain Actor Thor Bjornsson Obliterates Opponent in Boxing Match MovieWeb Retrieved 21 March 2022 Roy Neelabhra 19 September 2021 Hafthor Bjornsson vs Devon Larratt full highlights as Thor batters arm wrestler Givemesport com Retrieved 23 March 2022 Davies Harry 25 February 2022 Eddie Hall fans convinced Thor Bjornsson looks unhealthy after weight loss Mirror Retrieved 20 March 2022 Thor smashes Strongman rival in brutal boxing fight Fox Sports 20 March 2022 Retrieved 20 March 2022 Thor wins boxing s heaviest match as he sends Eddie Hall to the floor twice talkSPORT 20 March 2022 Retrieved 20 March 2022 Ours is the Fury 30 August 2013 Mountain Recast WinterIsComing net Retrieved 30 August 2013 The Mountain in Belfast and Game of Thrones filming in Split continues despite flooding Watchers on the Wall 13 September 2014 Retrieved 10 October 2014 Dan McQuade 8 April 2015 Mountain Comes to Philly Ren Faire Philadelphia Magazine Retrieved 7 March 2018 Mancuso Vinnie 26 January 2018 Watch The Mountain Becomes a 400 Pound Killing Machine in This Clip from Kickboxer Retaliation Men s Health Retrieved 12 April 2022 Miska Brad 30 May 2017 Operation Ragnarok Trailer Survives a Viral Outbreak Bloody Disgusting Retrieved 12 April 2022 Mutuc Peter 9 March 2022 God of War Casting Kratos for Amazon s Show ScreenRant Retrieved 12 April 2022 Bulten Izak 18 January 2022 The Northman 10 Movies amp TV Shows Where You ve Seen the Cast ScreenRant Retrieved 12 April 2022 Watch The Mountain Hafthor Bjornsson Grapple with a BJJ Black Belt 6 December 2020 Watch The Mountain Hafthor Bjornsson Grapple with Gunnar Nelson 10 May 2021 Watch Gordon Ryan and The Mountain Hafthor Bjornsson Rolling Together 15 December 2022 Sindradottir Snaeros 9 June 2017 Logreglan kollud ad heimili Fjallsins Visir Visir Retrieved 18 March 2021 Sindradottir Snaeros 15 June 2017 Hafthor Julius kaerdur til logreglu af fyrrverandi kaerustu Visir Retrieved 19 February 2021 Sindradottir Snaeros 24 June 2017 Barnsmodir Fjallsins stigur fram ottadist um lif sitt vid fyrstu aras Visir Retrieved 18 March 2021 Strongman The Mountain facing new serious accusations of dramatic violence Icelandmag Retrieved 30 September 2018 WERTHEIM Jon 5 July 2022 Coming Down from The Mountain S I Retrieved 1 September 2022 Sindradottir Snaeros 15 June 2017 Hafthor Julius kaerdur til logreglu af fyrrverandi kaerustu Visir Retrieved 18 March 2021 Strongman The Mountain denies accusations of domestic violence threatens suing for libel Icelandmag Retrieved 30 September 2018 Gestsdottir Ragna 7 February 2019 Hafthor Julius hyggst logsaekja konur vegna aerumeidinga DV Retrieved 19 February 2021 Hafthor Bjornsson Story of The Mountain One of the Most Compelling amp Emotional Interviews EVER retrieved 7 January 2020 Hafthor Julius Bjornsson on Instagram My daughter Theresa Lif beautiful design from her mother repost via instarepost20 from thelmasteimann All about the maxi dress Instagram Archived from the original on 23 December 2021 Retrieved 30 September 2018 a b Everything you don t know about The Mountain Looper com 21 February 2018 Retrieved 30 September 2018 These photos of The Mountain from Game of Thrones and his tiny girlfriend have baffled Instagram users Business Insider Retrieved 30 September 2018 a b Kelsey Henson the Mountain s Girlfriend Tells Her Fans How She Kisses Him www journalpost com 9 April 2018 Archived from the original on 10 July 2018 Retrieved 30 September 2018 Bjornsson Hafthor 21 October 2018 It is with great pleasure Instagram Archived from the original on 23 December 2021 Retrieved 21 October 2018 Rendon Christine 22 October 2018 Enormous Game of Thrones star Hafthor Julius Bjornsson ties the knot with girlfriend The New Zealand Herald Retrieved 23 October 2018 Game of Thrones star Hafthor Bjornsson wife Kelsey Henson welcome baby boy Outlook India 28 September 2020 Retrieved 28 September 2020 obsolete source Strongman Hafthor Bjornsson Shares How He Sticks to His 10 000 Calorie Meal Plan While Traveling menshealth com 11 March 2020 Retrieved 10 April 2022 Thor Bjornsson Diet What The Mountain Eats for His Strongman Training mensjournal com 10 May 2018 Retrieved 11 April 2022 Check Out Hafthor Bjornsson s Training Diet 10 000 Calories Per Day barbend com 6 March 2020 Retrieved 6 April 2022 Twenty Four Hours with The Mountain Men s Health 2 March 2017 Retrieved 30 September 2018 Men s Health 20 April 2017 24 Hours with The Mountain archived from the original on 21 December 2021 retrieved 30 September 2018 The Mountain Hafthor Julius Bjornsson has Bell s palsy theconversation com 6 April 2017 Retrieved 4 March 2018 GoT s strongman champ admits to steroid use ESPN 14 April 2019 Retrieved 8 December 2020 Game of Thrones star and World s Strongest Man admits steroid use played part in dramatic transformation Stuff 18 April 2019 Retrieved 8 December 2020 McMillen Gabrielle 15 April 2019 Game of Thrones actor World s Strongest Man Hafthor Bjornsson admits to steroid use www sportingnews com Retrieved 8 December 2020 Metcalfe Charlie 28 March 2022 MF Meets Strongman Turned Boxer Hafthor Thor Bjornsson Retrieved 21 September 2022 Facial droop 8 8 22 YouTube Retrieved 11 August 2022 Jake Cappuccino 17 July 2016 The Mountain s Amazing New Alcohol Is Basically a Game of Thrones Vodka Elite Daily Retrieved 4 March 2018 forbes com 7 September 2021 Viking Invasion Icelandic Strongman Hafthor Bjornsson and Dylan Sprouse Backed Thor s Skyr Promises More Protein and Less Sugar retrieved 11 April 2022 HeavyBubbles Uncut YouTube Retrieved 1 June 2022 SodaStream s Join the Revolution YouTube Retrieved 1 June 2022 External links Edit Wikimedia Commons has media related to Hafthor Julius Bjornsson Official website Hafthor Julius Bjornsson at IMDb Hafthor Bjornsson at Eurobasket com Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Hafthor Julius Bjornsson amp oldid 1144291166, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

article

, read, download, free, free download, mp3, video, mp4, 3gp, jpg, jpeg, gif, png, picture, music, song, movie, book, game, games.