“Oh What a Shame, Hopefully a Speedy Recovery”: Strongman Giant Hafthor Bjornsson’s Pec Injury Leaves Bodybuilding World Concerned

After a short but successful stint in boxing, where Hafthor Bjornsson defeated his rival Eddie Hall, the former World’s Strongest Man announced his return to strength sports. The Icelandic champion announced his aim to break the all-time world record in powerlifting before returning to Strongman in 2024. However, fate seems to be not in tandem with The Moutain. Bjornsson suffered a setback during his very first powerlifting contest. On April 15, he organized a powerlifting meet in his gym and initially looked strong during his lifts. However, his third bench press attempt for the day ended in disaster.

Hafthor Bjornsson tore his pec muscle and was sidelined for the rest of the competition. However, he remained on the floor to boost the morale of other competitors. The 2018 World’s Strongest Man suffered the injury while attempting to hit the new benchpress personal best. His coach Sebastian Oreb took to Instagram with some insights on Thor’s injury.

Coach Sebastian Oreb reveals some details

Strength coach Sebastian Oreb posted a video of Bjornsson’s second and most successful benchpress attempt on Instagram. The former champion started with a 230-kilograms (507.1 lbs) bench press. The Icelander’s second attempt was 240 kilograms (529.1 lbs). After two successful lifts with relative ease, the strong man bumped the weight up by an additional 12.5 kilograms (27.5 lbs).

However, the last move proved to be too much for Thor. “Thor injured himself on the next attempt. He went for 252.5kg and his pec tore which put an end to the competition for Thor,” Oreb wrote in the caption of his video. During his third attempt, Bjornsson unracked 556.7 lbs, but while lowering to his chest, tore the muscle, and the spotters, including Oreb, helped him rerack the weight. 

“Time will tell what will be involved in his recovery as well as how it will impact his training moving forward,” revealed Thor’s coach. However, since the former champion hasn’t officially announced the news to his audience, Oreb decided not to post the video of the lift where The Mountain tore his pec. Concerned bodybuilding and powerlifting fans commented on his coach’s Instagram post.

Fans wish for a quick recovery for Hafthor Bjornsson

Hafthor Bjornsson’s fans showed their support for the legendary athlete:

“Best wishes to Thor. Hoping for a speedy recovery.”

‘Did he tear his pec muscle? Or pec tendon?”

“He’ll be back, no doubt about that.”

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“He was looking crazy strong on bench.”

“Oh what a shame, hopefully, a speedy recovery for @thorbjornsson.”

“He will be back STRONGER than ever.”

While neither Bjornsson nor his coach has revealed the extent of the injury, it’s a major setback for Thor’s future plans. It’ll be interesting to see if the former champion can stay on track with his goal of returning to professional Strongman in 2024.

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