Thor Bjornsson
Strongman, Actor, Boxer
Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson is a professional strongman and
actor. He is the 2018 World’s Strongest Man, the 2018 and 2019 Arnold
Strongman Classic winner, a multiple world record holder, and arguably
the strongest man to ever life. Born on 26 November 1988 in Akranes,
Iceland, Hafþór developed strength early, working on the familial farm
owned by his grandfather, Reynir Ásgeirsson. The latter, an imposing
presence himself at 206cm, has said that, “Even when Hafþór was not yet
tall, he was big and strong.”Thor started his athletic career playing
basketball as a center for several Division I teams in Iceland. He was a
promising prospect, even playing for the Icelandic National Team in
2006. However, recurrent ankle injuries forced him into early
retirement.
From 2008 on, Hafþór began training for strength for
the first time, at the legendary Jakaból gym (the Giant’s Nest). He soon
distinguished himself in the sport and, by 2010, was the dominant force
in Icelandic strongman. Thor has since won Iceland’s Strongest Man for
nine consecutive years.
Internationally, Thor has won Europe’s
Strongest Man five times since 2014. He has won the Arnold Strongman
Classic–widely regarded as the most difficult major strongman
competition–twice. In 2018, he was the first man to take first in all
three major competitions: World’s Strongest Man, The Arnold Strongman
Classic, and World’s Ultimate Strongman.
Thor began working with Transcend in 2022 to focus on both performance and recovery.
If I could go back in time, I would have done this at the beginning of
my strongman career and without a doubt would’ve been able to push
myself even harder and further than I have.
