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Former World’s Strongest Man champion Thor Bjornsson, aka The Mountain, confirmed that he would be returning to the world of competitive strength sports earlier this year. Not just that, but he announced his intention to set a new world record in powerlifting by lifting a combined weight of more than 2,606 pounds across the squat, deadlift, and bench press—a goal which has now suffered a pretty considerable setback.
During a powerlifting meet on April 15, Bjornsson tore his left pectoral while attempting to bench press 556 pounds. He has since shared footage of the moment when his upper chest muscle detached from the bone (which he is describing as the worst injury of his entire career) in a YouTube video of the event.
“It doesn’t hurt a lot now,” he said shortly after sustaining the injury. “Tomorrow is going to be worse, probably, when the blood all comes out. Now, recovery. I have a smile on my face, because we’ve got to stay positive, guys, we’ve got to stay positive, we’ve got to hope for the best.”
“I think the chest is completely ripped off. It feels that way.”
Bjornsson acknowledged that this means he will, in all likelihood, have to suspend his training for now and postpone his plans to chase that new powerlifting world record, as he will definitely require surgery and spend sufficient time recovering.
“It sucks, but it’s part of the journey,” he said. “It’s obviously very frustrating, because now I’m not going to compete in December. Now I’m going to need to have three or four months off.”
He jokingly added that this is “a very annoying injury” as he is left-handed.
In a separate video filmed after his MRI, Bjornsson shared another update, confirming that he will be undergoing surgery as soon as possible in Los Angeles. In his doctor’s professional opinion, it is “almost certain that it’s possible to repair most of the tendon.”
Philip Ellis is a freelance writer and journalist from the United Kingdom covering pop culture, relationships and LGBTQ+ issues. His work has appeared in GQ, Teen Vogue, Man Repeller and MTV.
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