If you missed last weekend’s 501 kg deadlift, you’re going to want to look it up

In our house, the drought of professional sports has certainly been felt during this coronavirus pandemic. Nevermind the fact that the thing I’ve felt personally has largely been indifference.

It seems that sports fans across the country are clutching desperately to each new episode of “The Last Dance” just to have some connection to the world of sports during this time. (FYI, “The Last Dance” is a miniseries about Michael Jordan, just in case you’ve yet to be indoctrinated.)

While the Jordan stans may have been anxiously awaiting episodes V and VI this past weekend, I had my eye on a different athlete.

Hafþór Björnsson.

I’ll forgive you if you don’t recognize the name. Sometimes it’s transliterated as Hafthor — understandable since we no longer have a thorn in the English alphabet and all. (Thank you, liberal arts education.)

He has the fitting nickname of Thor, but he’s probably best known for his role as The Mountain in “Game of Thrones.” I’ve yet to actually watch GOT myself, but I’m quite the fan of Thor for his strongman feats.

Truth be told, I’m fascinated by the world of weightlifting. I don’t actually enjoy lifting the weights, mind you, but if there’s a documentary about Crossfit, bodybuilding or strongmen, I want to watch it. Seriously, send me your recommendations.

So when I heard that Thor would be attempting to break the deadlift world record, I was pumped. The existing record was held by Eddie Hall, an English strongman who pulled 500 kilograms in 2016. I highly recommend his documentary, “Eddie: Strongman.” When Eddie lifted 500 kilograms, he broke the record of 465, which he pulled earlier in the day. The new record was a mind-blowing leap forward — more than 77 pounds beyond what was previously held. Before that moment, many people thought we wouldn’t see a 500-kilogram deadlift in our lifetime.

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