A man has set a world weightlifting record by lifting 501kg. Hafthor Bjornsson, 31, set the deadlifting* record. This is pulling weights up to the chest and then raising them above the head with the arms extended. Mr Bjornsson broke the record at his gym in his native Iceland. He lifted the barbell for two seconds. He dropped the weights and roared in delight. His feat of strength was streamed by the sports broadcaster ESPN and posted on Bjornsson's YouTube channel. The record was previously held by a British man, who was the first person ever to lift 500kg.
Hafthor Bjornsson is an actor and a powerlifter. In 2018, he won the World's Strongest Man competition. He also played Ser Gregor "The Mountain" Clegane in the hit series Game of Thrones. He is 2.05m tall and weighs 195kg. People call him a "man mountain". He explained how happy he was after breaking the deadlift record. He said: "I'm extremely proud....There's nothing better than proving people wrong. So many people didn't believe in me....People said, '501kg is never going to go up.'" He added: "I'm just absolutely speechless....I'm excited, super excited. This is huge for me."
* ERROR: A deadlift is from the floor to the level of the hips, not above the head.