“The American Monster” Robert Oberst took to YouTube to share a vlog expressing his thoughts on what happened between Eddie Hall and Hafthor Bjornsson.
If you thought the beef between Eddie Hall and Hafthor Bjornsson was just a recent thing, think again. Robert Oberst weighed in on some truly ancient tension that exists between them, going all the way back to a controversy stemming from Hall’s victory over Bjornsson at the 2017 World’s Strongest Man.
Hall infamously defeated Bjornsson at the 2017 World’s Strongest Man by only a single point. However, Bjornsson was docked a point by officials for “double-dipping” when he did the Viking Press — a term that means he bent his knees twice to catch the weight of the press: technically, an illegal move. Ever since then, Bjornsson has been adamant that he was unfairly penalized, and that Hall’s victory is the result of cheating.
However, recent footage has come to light that has shown that Hafthor Bjornsson did double-dip on the Viking Press — and not only did he double-dip, but he was specifically warned by the referee prior to the competition not to do that! He also dropped the weight before the referee even gave the down signal. It was an all-around sloppy job not befitting the World’s Strongest Man competition. Oberst weighed in on the situation, coming down firmly on the side of justice: it’s Bjornsson’s responsibility to practice his lifts effectively and within the rules, and his sloppiness does not mean that Hall ever cheated or interfered with him intentionally.
“When I go into a viking press, I don’t think I’m going to lose to anybody. I’m not worried about it. I don’t do magic tricks, I don’t bend my knees, I don’t do anything cheap. Not that it’s cheap — I don’t cut any corners on a press, I do a very strict job. As far as competition goes, when I go into a press, I don’t have any questions, it’s just who is going to come in second place.
“When we go into a squat, I do pay attention to those things. When we deadlift I make sure our depth is exactly where we both agree, all that kind of stuff. So I’m very familiar with the bone yard and the process that happens when you’re preparing the week before the World’s Strongest Man, and actually at the event.”
Oberst’s point is that technique actually counts for a lot when you’re on the competitive stage and Bjornsson’s failings are his own. It was an honest mistake from a strong competitor who clearly needs to own up to his own failures. Bjornsson will never improve if he continues to cast all his failings on Hall’s back; he needs to recognize that he has a problem with form and technique, bring that out in the open and conquer those fears himself.
You can check out the full video here.
*All images and media courtesy of YouTube.
