Hafthor Björnsson Just Announced His Retirement from Strongman

Emily Shiffer
·3 min read

From Men's Health

Strongman Hafthor Björnsson, a.k.a. The Mountain, has announced that he is officially retiring from strongman competition. The announcement came over the weekend after he won his 10th consecutive Iceland’s Strongest Man title.

Björnsson shared a lengthy caption on an Instagram post while posing with his wife, Kelsey Henson.

"Iceland’s Strongest Man for the 10th consecutive year. 6 events, 6 wins. Great way to finish my strongman career. Now a different journey starts and I’m super excited. It’s been a great time in the sport of strongman but I’ve decided that I’m going to take a long break from the sport," he wrote.

While Björnsson admitted this may not be a firm retirement, he plans to spend time with his family. After all, he and Henson are expecting a child soon.

View this post on Instagram

Iceland’s Strongest Man for the 10th consecutive year. 6 events, 6 wins. Great way to finish my strongman career. Now a different journey starts and I’m super excited. It’s been a great time in the sport of strongman but I’ve decided that I’m going to take a long break from the sport. Maybe I’ll never return but never say never right. I’m still only 31 years old and could come back in few years if my heart wants it! Right now my heart tells me that I need to be healthy for my family and do what’s best for them! Thanks to you all for your support over the years. I appreciate you all! ❤️🙌🏼💪🏼. Also a massive thank you to the sponsors of this show- @roguefitness @reignbodyfuel @transparentlabs @sbdapparel @kindafitkindafat_apparel

A post shared by Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson (@thorbjornsson) on Aug 9, 2020 at 3:26pm PDT

"Maybe I’ll never return but never say never right. I’m still only 31 years old and could come back in few years if my heart wants it! Right now my heart tells me that I need to be healthy for my family and do what’s best for them!" he wrote.

He proudly placed his award on his trophy wall—next to all of his other hardware.

View this post on Instagram

My 10th title up on the wall! My grandfather and father were the first in the gym this morning to mount this bad boy. ❤️💪

A post shared by Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson (@thorbjornsson) on Aug 10, 2020 at 6:42am PDT

The announcement wasn't a total surprise, as Björnsson announced back in May 2020 that he would be not be competing in this year's World's Strongest Man competition (which was delayed by the pandemic until November). Björnsson is one of the most successful strongmen in recent years, winning the WSM outright in 2018, and helped to shine a spotlight on the sport to the wider world with his acting career and role in Game of Thrones.

While he may be stepping away from Strongman competitions, he is still competing in other arenas. He has a much-anticipated boxing match against his rival Eddie Hall that is scheduled to take place in Las Vegas in September 2021. "The next year and a half of my career will be solely dedicated towards this fight," he said then in an Instagram post.

Björnsson and Hall have exchanged words about the match, which was escalated after Björnsson broke Hall's previous world record for the heaviest deadlift, repping a massive 1,105 pounds, in May 2020. The two former World's Strongest Man champions have escalated their war of words—and posted an increasing number of training videos and social media callouts—as they continue to prep for their big event next year.

You Might Also Like