Live sports are largely at a standstill as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, but "Game of Thrones" star Hafthor Björnsson filled the void admirably Saturday. Björnsson, who played Ser Gregor Clegane aka "The Mountain" on the hit HBO show, deadlifted a record 1,104 pounds at his Iceland home.
Björnsson bested the previous record of 1,102 pounds, set by Eddie Hall in 2016. It gives bragging rights back to Björnsson, also nicknamed "Thor," who was the World's Strongest Man runner-up behind the Englishman in 2017.
.@ThorBjornsson_ HAS DONE IT!
— ESPN (@espn) May 2, 2020
He just deadlifted 1,104 pounds, setting a new world record 😮💪 #TheOcho pic.twitter.com/YQzO5ULZ3S
"I'm speechless," Björnsson said after setting the record. "I'm just so happy and thankful that I got the opportunity to do this."
The 6-foot-9, 441-pound Björnsson won World's Strongest Man in 2018 and finished in the top three eight other times. He's been Iceland's Strongest Man for nine straight years and won Europe's Strongest Man each of the past three years.
Björnsson has done other acting besides playing "The Mountain." He has collected nine acting credits since beginning his on-screen career in 2015. Two works -- one a full-length feature, the other a short -- are still in development.
Björnsson said after the lift "I could have done more," but chose not to because he, along with his friends and family, were "happy" with the record-breaking result. When asked what's next, Björnsson said, "something new and big," citing what he said was a seven-figure contract offer from CoreSports.
With a world record and potentially $1 million coming his way, Björnsson sure is making the most of his time during the outbreak.
"Everything today, it went according to the plans," Björnsson said. "Like I said, I'm over the moon."
