Hafthor Bjornsson is focused.
Hafthor Bjornsson and Brian Shaw are two of the strongest men on the planet. With both of them capturing the title of World’s Strongest Man, they are clearly in a class all their own.
With Hafthor Bjornsson set to attempt the deadlift world record challenge on May 2, Brian Shaw conducting an interview with the popular strongman. The two discussed a number of topics as well as the news that Bjornsson is expecting a son.
But it can’t be denied that perhaps the most intriguing news of late is the beef between Hafthor Bjornsson and 2017 World’s Strongest Man Eddie Hall.
Eddie Hall has said a number of times that he wouldn’t consider Bjornsson breaking the deadlift record as legit. During his Q and A interview with Bjornsson, the question arose about his beef with Eddie Hall.
Brian Shaw: “Does the beef with Eddie fuel Thor more than it drags him down?”
Hafthor Bjornsson: Definitely it fuels me more. I try not to let other people’s opinions or words drag me down. I’ve been through more than that and letting people get into my nerves, even though it looks like that, I don’t really think about it. I’m just trying to focus on myself. I’m doing this for myself, that’s number one.
Many other strongman competitors have also had this opinion. They agree that the deadlift attempt should only be counted in competition. However, since the quarantine is still in effect, competitions are simply not an option.
Another fan question brought to light that Hafthor Bjornsson could be pulling much more than 501 kg on May 2.
Brian Shaw: “Is Thor pulling 520 kg on May 2?” Just to give you an introduction, I’ve heard that you said something about getting more Twitch subscribers.
Hafthor Bjornsson: I basically started using Twitch about a month ago. When this difficult situation happened I decided to buy myself a new computer. When I was younger I played a lot of video games, 14, 15, 16. But then I just stopped. Because of this situation in the world, I’m spending much more time at home.
On Twitch I told my people there that if I could get 200,000 followers I will go for 520 kg. If I can get to 200,000, which is not difficult, I will pull 520.
That’s a major shift from 501 kg to 520. With such a massive weight increase, Hafthor Bjornsson could put a lot of arguments against his challenge to bed. Not only would he break a world record but would to so by 19 kg (41.8 lbs). Now it appears Bjornsson is going a step further.
In a recent interview with Mark Bell’s Power Project, Hafthor Bjornsson said he would attempt a 530 kg deadlift!
There would be no arguing that the record should be his affords, in competition or not. But even if some refuse to acknowledge it, there’s no arguing that it would be an exceptional feat of strength.
Do you think Hafthor Bjornsson will pull 520 kg on May 2? Should it be considered legit?
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Managing Editor at Generation Iron, Jonathan Salmon is a writer, martial arts instructor, and geek culture enthusiast. Check out his YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and Sound Cloud for in-depth MMA analysis.
Header image courtesy of Instagram
