History was made as the Strongman Open returned to the West Midlands. Game of Thrones star Hafthor Júlíus Björnsson lifted a jaw-dropping 510kg at the Utilita Arena in Birmingham.
Icelander ‘Thor’ Björnsson produced a truly astonishing display as he marked his return to the Giants Live stage on Saturday (September 6). He smashed a new world record of 510kg in the Mutant World Deadlift Championships.
Taking the title by 40kg from runners-up Austin Andrade and Adam Bishop, Thor lifted the 510kg bar effortlessly as if it were just another day in the gym, as opposed to a world record showing. His penultimate effort at 470kg had looked ridiculously easy, leaving no one in the 7,000-strong crowd in any doubt he would add to his own record of 505kg set in July.
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Referee Magnús Ver Magnússon, who had disallowed a 420kg lift by Evan Singleton earlier in the evening, offered one of the easiest down signals of his career as Hafthor ripped the bar from the ground with immaculate technique to complete his second world record in just six weeks.
Björnsson, famous for playing Gregor ‘The Mountain’ Clegane in Game of Thrones, has now added 10kg to the half-tonne record Eddie Hall established back in 2016 and told the crowd that ‘the sky is the limit… I believe I could take this record to 550kg.’ Underlining how little the new record took out of him physically, Thor went on to take victory in the Strongman Open.
Thor completed five more gruelling events at the Utilita Arena, dominating throughout the evening. With a winning margin of eight points over Bryce Johnson, the 6ft 9in Icelander asserted his dominance in the sport and told his Midlands fans it ‘means the world.’
His victory was certainly helped by the early departure of Evan Singleton, who pulled out after his 420kg deadlift, which Magnússon had initially disallowed. Although the decision was overturned, the ‘T-Rex’ was forced to withdraw after sustaining an injury when raising the bar from the ground.
American Bryce Johnson produced a superb performance to clinch the runner-up spot by a single point over Mathew Ragg. Despite leading at the halfway point, Ragg succumbed to the pace of the show and faded in the final few events, allowing Björnsson and Johnson to press ahead, leaving the New Zealander in third.
After an incredible win in the Viking Press, Johnson could have taken the overall victory with the Power Stairs, but Thor was not to be denied, and the American was pushed into second. Having lifted an astonishing 1,000lb, Paddy Haynes, from Oxford, narrowly missed a podium finish by just half a point but said he was ‘beyond happy’ with how he had performed.
Eddie Williams, who has appeared on Americas Got Talent, produced a stunning win in the Farmers Walk and secured fifth place in the Strongman Open, just a point shy of Haynes. He raced past the ‘Highland Oak’ Luke Stoltman, carrying the 150kg implements with blistering speed.
In the World Deadlift Championships, Gavin Bilton was thrilled to extend his own record to 440kg. He produced some very solid results on his way to seventh place and secured an impressive 12 reps in the Viking Press. With 38.5 points, the Welsh ‘Bull’ was a single point clear of Canadas Strongest Man, Tristain Hoath, whose third place in the Hammer Hold was the highlight of his evening.
Brit Adam Bishop had not contested the World Deadlift Championships since 2021, when he lifted a staggering 1,000lb in Manchester. Returning from a disappointing Britains Strongest Man earlier this year, Bish looked comfortable at 453kg and set a new lifetime best of 470kg to share second place with Austin Andrade.
Andrade overbalanced after grounding the weight and, with his hands strapped to the bar, collapsed forward. But the Mexican was much relieved to see a thumbs-up from Magnússon as he recovered.
He was later forced to withdraw from the final event after sustaining an arm injury in the Viking Press. Pavlo Nakonechnyy also succumbed to injury but told the crowd he was proud to be representing Ukraine.
Six relentless events made this Giants Live competition one of the most brutal tests of strength ever held. After setting the heaviest lift ever and securing the overall win, Björnsson had a truly remarkable return that was nothing short of staggering.
Trophy in hand, Thor thanked his family and friends who had flown in from Iceland and said their backing means ‘everything.’ It remains to be seen when he will next be on the Giants Live stage, but his performance in Birmingham and his 510kg lift will undoubtedly be remembered as a defining moment in Strongman.
Tickets can be purchased for the Strongman Open 2026 from just £36.90. It will be held at the Utilita Arena in Birmingham on Saturday, September 5, 2026.
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