Throughout his career in strength sports, Hafthor Bjornsson has rightfully earned the title of one of the strongest men on Earth. The Icelandic athlete rose to popularity after his stint in the hit series ‘Game of Thrones’. And now, after trying out several competitive sports, Bjornsson aims to get back to competing at Strongman.
The 2023 World’s Strongest Man championship saw Canadian Hulk Mitchell Hooper bag the crown. However, the upcoming Arnold Sports will witness these two beasts go head-to-head, as Bjornsson made a public call out. In an Instagram post, the 6’9 giant challenged Hooper to be prepared for his return.
“@mitchellhooper Step up your game. I’m here to win!”
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In the video, Bjornsson lifts an extremely heavy-looking weight and performs a few reps. While music blasts in the background, he points towards the camera and playfully warns:
“Mitch Hooper! I’m coming for you!”
Playing along, the 6’3 strongman champion accepted the challenge, and declared in the comments section:
“I’ll be ready”
While this playful banter might last up until the Arnold Classic 2024, there’s no denying that Bjornsson’s return to the arena is an exciting prospect. Now with the Icelandic beast bringing in his record-best, it will be intriguing to see how he fares after suffering from one of his worst injuries.
How a gnarly injury brought down Hafthor Bjornsson
Despite his sheer strength, Bjornsson couldn’t escape the chances of a mid-workout accident. His recent injury, however, was termed as one of his worst due to its severity. Back in April, the Strongman icon attempted to lift and squat a bunch of weights at his gym. He did well till he got to the bench with heavy weights on.
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The 35-year-old was all pumped up and decided to bench 556lbs, a new PR. All hell broke loose when he tried lowering the bar. An audible pop echoed and after shrieks of pain from the champion, the crew realized what happened. Bjornsson tore his pec and needed medical attention. A surgery, an infection, and some more care later, the athlete finally got back on track. And now, with sufficient training, Bjornsson is all set to grab the title of the World’s Strongest Man.
