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Game of Thrones star smashes weightlifting record

Weightlifting - Level 4

A man set a world record by lifting 501kg. Hafthor Bjornsson, 31, set the deadlifting* record. This is raising weights above the head with the arms extended. Bjornsson broke the record at his gym in Iceland. He lifted the weights for two seconds and roared in delight. His feat of strength was streamed by the sports broadcaster ESPN. 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 appeared in the hit series Game of Thrones. He is 2.05m tall and weighs 195kg. People call him a "man mountain". He was very happy and "speechless" at breaking the record. He said: "I'm extremely proud....There's nothing better than proving people wrong....People didn't believe in me....People said, '501kg is never going to go up.'"

* ERROR: A deadlift is from the floor to the level of the hips, not above the head.

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Weightlifting - Level 5

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.

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11 online activities    |    8-page printable   (PDF)

Weightlifting - Level 6

The Game of Thrones actor Hafthor Bjornsson has set a world weightlifting record by lifting 501kg. Mr Bjornsson, 31, set the record for deadlifting*. This is pulling weights from the floor to the chest, and then raising the weights above the head with the arms fully extended. The actor broke the record at his personal gym in his native Iceland. He lifted the barbell for two seconds and then dropped the weights. He roared in delight at his achievement. His feat of power and strength was streamed by the sports broadcaster ESPN and posted on Bjornsson's YouTube channel. The record was previously held by a British man called Eddie Hall. In 2016, Mr Hall became the first man ever to lift 500kg.

Besides being an actor, Hafthor Bjornsson is a powerlifter. In 2018, he won the World's Strongest Man competition. He shot to fame when he portrayed Ser Gregor "The Mountain" Clegane in the hit series Game of Thrones. He is 2.05m tall and weighs 195kg, so people have dubbed him a "man mountain". Bjornsson explained how happy he was after breaking the deadlift record. He said: "I'm extremely proud, you know. I'm extremely happy....There's nothing better than proving people wrong. So many people didn't believe in me. So many 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.

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25 online activities    |    27-page printable    |    2-page mini-lesson