Hafthor Bjornsson Wins 2nd Straight Arnold Strongman Classic Crown
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Hafthor Bjornsson of Iceland won the Arnold Strongman Classic title for the second straight year with a dominating performance at the 2019 Arnold Sports Festival. The event also serves as the Arnold Pro Strongman World Championship.
Bjornsson was competing in the Arnold Strongman Classic for the ninth straight year. He won the title in 2018 after finishing second in 2017 and fifth in 2016. He won World’s Strongest Man in 2018 after finishing second three times in the previous four years.
Martins Licis of Los Angeles, who won two qualifying events in the Arnold Pro Strongman World Series, was second and the upstart Mateusz Kieliszkowski of Poland was third.
Bjornsson, who is best known in some circles as the actor who plays “The Mountain” on Game Of Thrones, dominated with three first-place finishes (ROGUE Elephant Bar, Husafell Stone Carry and Austrian Oak) and one second place finish (Conan’s Wheel of Pain) in the first four events to building a commanding 37.5-31.5 lead over Licis heading into the final event.
Bjornsson only had one rep in the Stone To Shoulder for third place, but by that time his second title had been secured. The highlight of the final event, though, was Kieliszkowski, who set a world record in the Stone To Shoulder with five reps at 410 pounds. The performance brought the sold-out Arnold Classic crowd to its feet.
In the competition’s first event, Bjornsson set a new world record in the ROGUE Elephant Bar Deadlift by locking in an amazing 1,045 pounds. He carried the 410-pound Husafell Stone an impressive 218 feet, 11 inches and pressed the 430-pound Austrian Oak twice to tie for first with Kieliszkowski and Licis.
Licis won the weekend’s most anticipated event, pushing the enormous Conan’s Wheel of Pain a stunning 119 feet, 9 inches. Bjornsson was second at 119-3.
For the victory, Bjornsson received congratulations from Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, $72,000 and the Louis Cyr Trophy. Licis earned $22,000 for finishing second.
The Arnold Pro Strongman World Series features qualifying events at Arnold Sports Festival events and select stand-alone competitions around the world, with winners advancing to compete in the Arnold Pro Strongman World Series Championship at the Arnold Sports Festival.
2019 Arnold Pro Strongman Final Results
- 1st place (45 points): Hafthor Bjornsson of Iceland, $72,000
- 2nd place (40.5): Martins Licis of Los Angeles, Calif., $22,000
- 3rd place (31.5): Mateusz Kieliszkowski of Poland, $17,000
- 4th place (30.5): Mikhail Shivlyakov of Russia, $12,000
- 5th place (28): Matjaz Belsak of Slovenia, $10,000.
- 6th place (27): Rauno Heinla of Estonia, $7,000
- 7th place (25): Oleksii Novikov of Ukraine, $6,000
- 8th place (21): Brian Shaw of Fort Lupton, Colo., $4,000.
- 9th place (14.5): Jerry Pritchett of Phoenix. Ariz., $3,000.
- 10th place (1): Jean-Francois Caron of Canada, $2,000
The 2019 Arnold Strongman Classic was contested over two days in five events: ROGUE Elephant Bar Deadlift, Husafell Stone Carry, Conan’s Wheel of Pain, Austrian Oak and Stone To Shoulder. The Stone To Shoulder was held at the Battelle Grand at the Greater Columbus Convention Center as part of the Arnold Classic, Bikini International and Arnold Men’s Physique Finals.
The 2019 Arnold Strongman Classic is sponsored by ROGUE Fitness.
