Hafthor Bjornsson is the World’s Ultimate Strongman.
The Icelandic superstar beat off competition from the very best in the world to lift the inaugural WUS title at the Bab al Shams Arena in Dubai on Friday.
This crowns an incredible 2018 for the man known as the Mountain from Game of Thrones as he adds to his World’s Strongest Man, Arnold Classic, and Europe’s Strongest Man victories.
Along with the prestige of winning the first hosting of the event, Bjornsson collected prize money of $70,000 – the biggest purse ever for a strongman event.
It wasn’t all plain sailing for the man who tips the scales at over 200kg however.
The six-foot eight-inch tall Bjornsson found himself outside the top three after the first two events, but was in devastating form over the final four, eventually taking the title by two and a half points from US-rival, and four-time World’s Strongest Man, Brian Shaw.
Bjornsson had been content with his truck pull, but had slipped out of the placings after the arm over arm pull.
However, it was a spectacular performance in the silver-dollar deadlift that truly sparked his competition into life.
He lifted an incredible 520kg, matched only by eight-time Canada’s Strongest Man, JF Caron.
The feat was just 16kg short of the world record set by Eddie Hall.
Next up was the overhead medley, four devastatingly heavy objects to be pressed above the head – a 160kg log, 100kg dumbbell, a 160kg axel, and a 140kg shield.
Having watched most of his contemporaries struggle to complete the course, Bjornsson powered through it with relative ease to take maximum points and put himself in the box seat.
From here came the 580kg yoke carry. Britain’s Laurence Shahlaei, a yoke carrier of real pedigree, had set the time to beat on the event with a rapid run, as again many of the other competitors struggled to complete the course with such a heavy object.
Bjornsson was up against Poland’s Mateusz Kieliszkowski in the final heat of the event.
Kieliszkowski has placed fourth in the last two World’s Strongest Man events, and is known for his speed and athleticism despite his huge size.
The pair would be neck-and-neck along the course and eventually joined the Englishman Shahlaei in the top three for the event.
This gave Bjornsson effectively an unassailable lead going into the final event – the Atlas Stones.
Again this was the heaviest run of stones ever seen with the heaviest of the five being a monstrous 225kg.
Scotland’s Tom Stoltman was the only man to have completed all five going into the final pair – Bjornsson and Shaw.
While Shaw would rattle through them, the Icelander would take his time knowing four stones would secure the victory.
He duly completed four to lift the title.
