Day 2 has been full of surprises at the Arnold Strongman Classic UK. The second event was the David Webster Memorial Weight Throw, and Hafthor Bjornsson won with flying colors. Out of his three attempts, he successfully launched his bag of weight at over 19 feet, where the rest couldn’t.
The event involves throwing a 56-pound weight over different heights in under a minute. The participant gets three attempts at every bar to get their weights over and beyond the bar. In a last-man-standing situation, the height of the bar is progressively increased until the maximum throw height is determined for all athletes.
Last round’s winning champion, Lucas Hatton, took a hit at this round when he couldn’t get his weight to go across the 15-foot bar. Other strongmen like Oskar Ziółkowski and Maxime Boudreault shone brightly in this round, with their weights going up to 18 ft.
Despite sustaining injuries in the previous round, Gavin Bilton made it to this competition and reached up to 17 feet before tapping out.
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In the end, Bjornsson beat his competitors, including Canadian strongman Mitchell Hooper, to win this round. His throws over the bar were effortless, so much so that they went above the set height. The 6’9 strongman used his massive height to his advantage, smoking others with his strong throws.
Currently, the scoreboard has witnessed a wild shift after this round. Rookie Hatton pushed to third place with 19.5 points, while Bjornsson scaled up to second place with 24.5 points. Hooper remains at the top with 28.5 points.
Hafthor Bjornsson marks his epic return to the Arnold Strongman Classic UK and Ohio after his downfall
The Icelandic athlete suffered a massive pec tear while attempting a bench press. Two surgeries and months worth of recovery later, fans were impressed when he returned to the Arnold Classic in Ohio with massive strength. While he hasn’t been able to reach the top in all events, his performance has still been commendable.
Bjornsson’s horrific injury came courtesy of a world-record attempt. He aimed to bench press 556 pounds but gave up midway when a sharp pain coursed through his torso. The huge tear needed immediate medical attention and more than one surgery after it got infected. Yet, he was a sport through it all and gained back most of his strength to lock horns with the ones on top.
