‘Games of Thrones’ Actor Crushes World Record by Deadlifting a Half-Ton (Video)
Hafthor Bjornsson is best known to “GoT” fans as Ser Gregor “The Mountain” Clegane
Umberto Gonzalez | May 2, 2020 @ 1:29 PM
Last Updated: May 2, 2020 @ 1:30 PM
HBO
“Game of Thrones” actor best known to fans as favorite Ser Gregor “The Mountain” Clegane, Hafthor Björnsson, crushed the world record on Saturday by deadlifting 1,104 lbs. (501kg).
Björnsson, who stands 6 feet, 9 inches tall and weighs 450 pounds, set the new record for deadlifting (a lift made from a standing position in which a loaded barbell or bar is raised off the ground to the level of the hips) at his home gym in Reykjavík, Iceland.
Björnsson warmed up by deadlifting 926 pounds (420kg), then on his next set deadlifted 1,025 pounds (465kg) for his second attempt before the record attempt at 1,104 pound (501kg). He took 15 minutes between each lift.
Former deadlift champion and 2017 World’s Strongest Man winner Eddie Hall — who set the record previously in 2016 — had earlier disputed the event “in [Björnsson’s] home gym with a bunch of [his] pals.”
“I genuinely look forward to having my record broken & seeing what is possible,” Hall wrote in an Instagram post. “I think you are probably the man to do it, there’s no denying that & I’ll still shake your hand afterwards and say well done… if you do it under the appropriate conditions.”
After besting Hall’s record, Björnsson had a message for him: “Eddie, I know I just knocked out your record. Now I’m ready to knock you out in the ring. Time to put your fists where your big mouth is and sign the Core Sports contract.”
To conclude his run as “The Mountain,” whom Björnsson had portrayed since Season 4, on the fifth episode of the show’s eighth and final season, fans finally got the fight they had been waiting for.
Known as “CleganeBowl,” the episode saw The Mountain go mano-a-mano with his brother Sandor, aka “The Hound,” in a brutal action-packed brawl that saw the brothers fighting to the death high atop the Red Keep in Kings Landing. The Hound threw himself onto The Mountain through a cracked stone wall, and they both fell to their deaths in the fiery wreckage below.
43 Most Shocking TV Character Deaths of 2019, From 'Game of Thrones' to 'Stranger Things' (Photos)
If there was one thing 2019 taught us, it's that "shocking" is a truly relative term -- and we're not even talking about real-life instances here. Yes, it's pretty hard to blow anyone's mind these days, including that of TV viewers, making truly gasp-worthy small-screen character deaths few and far between. But that didn't stop several showrunners from doing their worst -- er, best, to totally kill you with these on-screen passings. Click through TheWrap's gallery to see the 43 most shocking TV character deaths of 2019. Obviously, spoilers ahead. And yes, most of these are "Game of Thrones" characters.
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Daenerys Targaryen - "Game of Thrones"
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Sandor ("The Hound") and Gregor ("The Mountain) Clegane - "Game of Thrones"
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Theon Greyjoy - "Game of Thrones"
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Melisandre - "Game of Thrones"
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Varys - "Game of Thrones"
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Lyanna Mormont - "Game of Thrones"
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1 of 44
OK, *most* are “Game of Thrones”
If there was one thing 2019 taught us, it's that "shocking" is a truly relative term -- and we're not even talking about real-life instances here. Yes, it's pretty hard to blow anyone's mind these days, including that of TV viewers, making truly gasp-worthy small-screen character deaths few and far between. But that didn't stop several showrunners from doing their worst -- er, best, to totally kill you with these on-screen passings. Click through TheWrap's gallery to see the 43 most shocking TV character deaths of 2019. Obviously, spoilers ahead. And yes, most of these are "Game of Thrones" characters.