Game of Thrones actor breaks 501kg deadlift record

Game of Thrones actor Hafthor Bjornsson has set a world deadlifting record by lifting 501kg. Bjornsson, a powerlifter who portrayed Ser Gregor “The Mountain” Clegane in the HBO series, broke the record at his gym in his native Iceland. He lifted the barbell for two seconds, before dropping the weights and roaring in delight. The event was streamed by sports broadcaster ESPN and filmed for Bjornsson’s YouTube channel.

Bjornsson, who is 2.05m tall (6ft 9in), previously won the World’s Strongest Man competition in 2018. Speaking in a “behind-the-scenes” video posted on YouTube, Bjornsson said: “I’m extremely proud, you know. I’m extremely happy. “It’s great – there’s nothing better than proving people wrong. So many people didn’t believe in me, so many people that said, ‘501kg is never going to go up’… But I also had a lot of support.” He added: “I feel healthy, I feel god. I’m just absolutely speechless, even though I’m talking a lot now. But I’m excited, super excited – this is huge for me.” The record was previously held by Eddie Hall, a British man who in 2016 became the first man to lift 500 kg.