Is this the year 505kg will be lifted at last? Or will it be a case of déjà vu, and another Herculean attempt faltering just below the knees? The world’s greatest exponents of the world’s greatest test of strength have bent every muscle, sinew and ounce of will on achieving this now mythical lift. A successful pull, however, has eluded them all. No one said it was going to be easy!
On September 6th, the Giants Live Strongman Open returns to Birmingham’s Utlilta Arena and will feature the 10th edition of the World Deadlift Championships – one of the showpieces of the Official Strongman World Tour and the greatest deadlift contest anywhere on Earth! Tickets to watch what will be an unforgettable night of strength action are available at www.giants-live.com
If there was a reason to be optimistic that this will be the year, the efforts of last year’s joint winners have provided it. Trey Mitchell, Rauno Heinla, Ivan Makarov and Mitchell Hooper all completed 470kg lifts in Las Vegas – something that has never been seen in any deadlift contest anywhere. And who came closest to 505kg? Canada’s “Super” Mitchell Hooper, of course!
Hooper’s attempt in Vegas, coming from a non-specialist deadlifter, completing full shows – and winning pretty much all of them – was one of the best seen to date. The man seems capable of anything; who’d have thought a couple of seasons ago that he would eclipse Iron Biby’s Axle Press record? If the Moose locks in on a serious assault on the 505, surely he will succeed? He has stated: “I will lift 505kg in Birmingham,” and who would doubt him?
Of all the men with 505kg on their radar over the last 5 years, Makarov’s chances have looked most likely. If there was an athlete, above all others, who deserves to break the record, it would be the former circus strongman from Georgia who has raised the world record weight from the ground at four consecutive World Deadlift Championships. On each occasion, the massive load has stalled at his shins, with his first attempt in 2021 coming agonisingly close to passing his knees.
But does anyone else have a credible shot at making the lift? Giants Live will no doubt be making announcements about the line-up in the coming weeks and months. There are a few athletes that most would agree have a credible shot at the record, such as Makarov, Rauno Heinla, Graham Hicks and Trey Mitchell. A fully fit Pavlo Nakonechnyy, perhaps? Or an injury free Adam Bishop? And will there be any surprise lifters prepared to throw their hat in the ring, such as the Iranian Peiman Maheripour? His 485kg (1,069lb) is the third heaviest lift of all time.
One thing that history has shown us, is that there’s a big difference between looking capable of the lift and actually putting it together in competition. Many felt the record would fall to Hicks in Vegas, but sudden weight gain and an overtight lifting suit scuppered his chances. Hafthór Björnsson was all set to lift 501kg raw at the Arnold’s, but it remained rooted to the floor despite his best efforts. His 501kg pull from 2020 is the only lift to surpass Eddie Halls 500kg. But the 505kg in Birmingham will need to be completed in a full international contest, in front of thousands of fans, with all the added pressure and difficulty that entails.
Aside from the sheer magnitude of the load, one of the things that makes the lift so hard is navigating the increments in weight leading up to the record attempt. Too big a jump can prove fatal, as can an energy-sapping lift that’s too close to the record poundage. When Hall hit 500kg, he jumped 35kg from his previous effort. That’s nearly 80lb! Key to his success that night was how little the 465kg lift took out of him: it was a genuine speed rep!
World Deadlift Championships – A Short History
Whether successful or not, all the lifters who’ve had the courage and strength to attempt 505kg have played their part in the history of these World Championships. Hosted at many different cities, the contest began in 2014 at Leeds Headingley stadium as part of Europe’s Strongest Man.
2014
Benedikt Magnússon was the star of what was a thrilling contest as he and Eddie Hall went lift for lift. Benni had set a new Strongman record of 445kg at the FitX in Melbourne earlier that year. Lifting 446kg outdoors in Leeds, he looked good for more. Eddie matched the lift as the Icelander called for 461kg (1,016lb) – a weight that would eclipse his own 460kg all-time world record from 2011. Completing the lift in his usual berserker fashion, Magnússon had treated the crowds to the heaviest conventional deadlift in history. The Beast, however, was not yet done and proceeded to equal Benni’s new record, only to have the lift disqualified for dropping the bar. Magnússon would be the champion, but his days at the top looked numbered.
2015
Coming into the 2015 contest, held at Headlingley for the last time, Hall had already broken Benni’s record at the Arnold Classic Australia, pulling 462kg (1,019lb) in front of Arnold himself. There was no one to touch him as he made short work of 463kg (1,021lb). By now, the idea of a 500kg, half tonne deadlift was being talked about by Hall, but most believed it to be little more than wishful thinking. The record was inching up kilo by kilo and by now the crowds were expecting to see a new world record at each contest. Hafthór Björnsson improved his personal best to 450kg, showing for the first time that despite his height, he was an incredible deadlifter. Rauno Heinla & Jerry Pritchett shared third with 435kg.
2016
The First Direct Arena was the perfect venue for one of the greatest feats of strength ever performed. Over 10,000 fans produced an intense and electrifying atmosphere as Hall and Magnússon renewed their rivalry from 2014. The Englishman blasted through his opener and then entered the stage for what would be his last lift before the half tonne. The 465kg loaded onto the bar would be a new world record and Hall made it look like child’s play. Any doubters now began to realise that the 500kg might actually be possible. Magnússon and Jerry Pritchett both equalled the new record, meaning three men would attempt 500kg. The Beast was first and the venue erupted, as with blood pouring from his nose, he locked out the lift before lowering the weight and collapsing from the strain of it. Neither Magnússon nor Pritchett could raise the bar more than a few inches and Hall’s status was instantly elevated to that of a living legend!
2017
Moving to Manchester and featured within the World Tour Finals, the 2017 contest was an AMRAP with 400kg. It would be Benedikt Magnússon’s final appearance at the world championships as the competitors attempted to surpass his 5-rep record with 882lb. While Benni could complete no more than three reps, Canada’s Jean-François Caron and The Georgian Bull, Konstantine Janashia, completed 5-reps each to share both the title and the world record with the Icelander.
2019
This time the competition moved to London as part of the Giants Live Wembley contest. With Hall now retired, athletes such as Jerry Pritchett and Rauno Heinla looked the most likely to have a credible shot at breaking The Beast’s record. On the night, no one was able to exceed 455kg – a lift that was made to look very straightforward by Estonia’s Heinla. He and Pritchett shared the win, with Rob Kearney, Nedžim Ambešković and Adam Bishop both achieving 440kg pulls.
2021
With no competition in 2020, some serious contenders came to Manchester ready to take the record. With six men successfully lifting 1,000lb (453.5kg), the 2021 contest showcased a strength in depth that had not been witnessed before. Powerlifting world champion, Pavlo Nakonechnyy, took a shot at 505kg, but could barely move it, leaving Ivan Makarov to take the stage, having made 475kg look just comfortable enough to suggest he was truly capable of a new record. His attempt stalled just below his knees but remains his best effort to date.
2022
Moving venue to Cardiff, Makarov returned to the world championships more determined than ever to complete the lift that would be the defining moment of his career. Committing totally to the record attempt, the Georgian opted to skip the interim weight of 476kg (1,049lb), leaving Rauno Heinla to set a new Master’s world record. The 50kg jump proved too much for Makarov and his world title went to the Estonian. Graham Hicks, finishing in equal third with Nakonechnyy, joined the 1,000lb club and began to establish himself as a genuine contender for 505kg.
2023
Returning to Cardiff for the Strongman Open, Makarov and Heinla were the pre-event favourites, along with Hicks who was now concentrating almost exclusively on his attack on the world record. On this occasion it was Heinla who decided to bypass 470kg, along with Makarov, to give himself the best shot possible at 505kg. All three attempted the world record, but no one could budge the deflecting bar above their shins and another year came and went with no new record.
2024
Hooper’s deadlift personal best of 475kg (1,047lb) dates back from 2021, before he’d made his huge impact in Strongman. With the massive advances witnessed in his other lifts, it seemed logical that if he made it his focus, an attempt on the world record was by no means beyond his reach. As part of the USA Strongman Championships, the World Deadlift Championships moved to Las Vegas with all the main contenders in attendance. Hicks, it seemed, was the favourite to take the record but he would leave the arena disappointed after losing his balance and failing 470kg.
Trey Mitchell moved his personal best up to 470kg, which was matched by Heinla, Hooper and Makarov. With the Big Thickett bowing out, the trio of Makarov, Heinla and Hooper were left to go for the record. Hooper’s attempt looked most convincing and though the 505kg remained unvanquished for yet another year, the Canadian’s efforts seem to have left fans with a sense of renewed optimism.
2025..?
After the success of last season’s Strongman Open – the first Giants Live show to be held in England’s second city – the WDC’s will be coming to Birmingham. Since 2019, the world’s greatest deadlift specialists have pushed for the 505. All to no avail. But with Hooper, there is a sense that there’s nothing he’s not capable of. With so many of his predictions coming to pass, if he can prepare properly and unhindered for the September contest, who would bet against him?
