‘The Mountain’ Hafthor Bjornsson is the strongest man on the planet.

Being considered the strongest man on the planet earth is an accomplishment that few can lay claim to. For years, American strongman Brian Shaw had dominated the field and was crowned the World’s Strongest Man on multiple occasions. But right on his heels were other talented strongmen like 2017 winner Eddie Hall and the popular Icelandic competitor Hafthor Bjornsson.

Like anything else, time moves forward and the champions of yesterday are eventually usurped and take a backseat to the young and hungry up and comers. Brian Shaw was unseated by both Eddie Hall and Hafthor Bjornsson in the 2017 competition showing that perhaps his time on top has come to an end. But while it may have been a signaling of a changing of the guard, it was also a culmination of consistent hard work and dedication by the popular European strongmen.

For the star of HBO’s hit series Game of Thrones, Hafthor Bjornsson, who plays ‘The Mountain’ on the popular show, becoming the World’s Strongest Man has become something that had always been just within reach. Yet, year after year, the title slipped through his fingers leaving Hafthor to once again go back to the drawing board and look to improve himself for his next opportunity.

Now, it appears that time has come.

The 2018 World’s Strongest Man competition took place over the weekend crowning a new  champion. While Brian Shaw found himself on the podium, he ultimately took third place once again this year. Ahead of Shaw was Polish strongman Mateusz Kieliszkowski who took second and none other than ‘The Mountain’ himself, Hafthor Bjornsson taking first place. The below Instagram post shows the three strongest men on the planet taking to the podium to receive their trophies.

THE WORLD’S STRONGEST MAN 2018! ?? . . Want to thank all of my family, friends and fans for supporting me along the way. . Special thanks to my coach @australianstrengthcoach and my nutritionist @stanefferding . . Also want to thank my sponsors, @kjotkompani @sbdapparel @roguefitness . . Congratulations to @kieliszkowskimateusz and @shawstrength for their second and third finishes! . #numberone

A post shared by Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson (@thorbjornsson) on May 6, 2018 at 4:11am PDT

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