The Mountain is a man of many talents. Not only has he been a hit on Game of Thrones, but he’s also been crowned Europe’s Strongest Man for the past two years.
However, Hafthor Bjornsson had his title of Europe’s Strongest Man taken from him last Sunday by Swindon-based personal trainer Laurence Shahlaei.
‘Big Loz’, as he’s known, stands at 6ft 2in and weighs 22 stone. On his way to victory, he managed to lift a 177kg stone above his head and casually pulled off a 420kg deadlift – although that was overshadowed by Eddie Hall’s near-fatal half a tonne lift.
The 32-year-old, who became the first Englishman to win the title since Jamie Reeves in 1989, spoke about just what the victory means to him after the injuries he’s had to overcome.
Big Loz told the BBC:
I’ve had a rough few years with injuries and to come back and win Europe’s Strongest Man has just meant the world to me.
There’s five different events that you have to do. I did a 420 kilo dead lift, which was good enough for joint second and then we did a frame carry – it’s a race and you’re running a 20-metre course while carrying 450 kilos, which is close to 90 stone, and I won that event.
To be crowned Europe’s Strongest Man after so many injuries is a seriously impressive achievement. Congratulations, Laurence!
