Thor Bjornsson went to the Enhanced Games in Las Vegas on Saturday night to break his own deadlift world record. Spoiler alert: he didn’t – but the night delivered anyway (in deadlift terms, at least).
The Icelandic strongman, who holds the world record at 510kg, successfully locked out 475kg on his second attempt to secure the overall win over Canadian rival Mitchell Hooper.
When both men stepped up to 515kg in the final round, neither could complete the lift – so Thor’s record deadlift remains intact for now.
How Close Did They Both Get to a Record Deadlift?
Thor opened at 425kg before moving to 475kg, which proved enough to seal the Enhanced Games contest before the final round even began.
But the most talked-about moment of the night belonged to Hooper.
After hitting 440kg on his second attempt, most expected him to take a conservative final lift. Instead, he called for 515kg: beyond Thor’s existing world record, and well beyond anything Hooper has ever tried in competition.
The bar barely moved, but the call itself sent the crowd into a frenzy, and there was a huge amount of respect for the way Hooper attacked the record deadlift attempt.
What are the Enhanced Games
The inaugural Enhanced Games took place in Las Vegas on Sunday, 24 May.
The event openly permits (and encourages) competitors to use performance-enhancing drugs under medical supervision, in a bid to reach never-before-seen levels of human performance.
It’s a stance that has been deeply controversial since the event was first announced a couple of years ago. According to the organisation, 91% of athletes in the competition used testosterone, 79% used human growth hormone, and 29% used anabolic steroids.
Only one world record was broken, though, leading some pundits to label the event a flop.
