Hafthor Julius Bjornsson: Game of Thrones star breaks deadlift world record

He lifted two pounds more than previous world record holder to earn the feat

The actor who played the Mountain in Game of Thrones has successfully deadlifted more than any other human in history.

Icelandic star Hafthor Júlíus Björnsson, who won fans for his portrayal of the towering Clegane brother in the HBO series, deadlifted 1,104 pounds live – that’s 501 kilograms – live on ESPN.

The previous record was 500 kilograms (1,102 pounds), which was lifted by Eddie Hall in 2016.

Following the attempt, Björnsson admitted he “could have done more”.

Björnsson​ has been sharing his experience of training for the attempt on his YouTube channel.

In 2018, he was named the World’s Strongest Man. He finished silver at the contest in the past two years.

In 2017, Björnsson​ told Entertainment Weekly about the bizarre requests he kept receiving from fans of Game of Thrones.

One fan asked him to “squeeze [their] eyes out” in reference to a famous season four scene in which his character is shown doing exactly this to another.

“That’s very popular,” he added. “Or pick them up over my head. But the most popular is to squeeze their eyes out.”

You can stream Björnsson’s world record attempt here.