Magnús Ver Magnússon

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Magnús Ver Magnússon
Magnus Ver Magnusson.jpg
Magnús in October 2007
Born (1963-04-23) 23 April 1963 (age 58)
Egilsstaðir, Iceland
OccupationStrongman, powerlifter
Height190 cm (6 ft 3 in)
Children2
Competition record
Strongman
Representing  Iceland
World's Strongest Man
1st 1991 World's Strongest Man
2nd 1992 World's Strongest Man
2nd 1993 World's Strongest Man
1st 1994 World's Strongest Man
1st 1995 World's Strongest Man
1st 1996 World's Strongest Man
Qualified 1997 World's Strongest Man
Pure Strength
1st 1989 w/Hjalti Árnason
2nd 1990 w/Hjalti Árnason
World Strongman Challenge
2nd 1989
3rd 1990
2nd 1992
2nd 1993
2nd 1996
1st 1997
European Hercules
1st 1997
Europe's Strongest Man
1st 1992
1st 1994
3rd 1996
2nd 1997
2nd 1998
World Muscle Power Championships
3rd 1991
2nd 1992
2nd 1994
1st 1995
Le Defi Mark Ten International
2nd 1988
1st 1989
3rd 1990
Iceland's Strongest Man
3rd 1985
3rd 1987
1st 1988
1st 1989
1st 1993
1st 1994
1st 1995
1st 1996
1st 2001
1st 2004
1st 1995
Powerlifting
Representing  Iceland
EPF European Powerlifting Championships
2nd 1989 125kg
3rd 1990 125kg
1st 1991 125kg
IPF Junior World Championships
3rd 1985 110kg
EPF Junior European Championships
3rd 1985 110kg
3rd 1986 110kg

Magnús Ver Magnússon (born 23 April 1963) is an Icelandic former powerlifter and strongman competitor. He is a four-time World's Strongest Man, having won in 1991, 1994, 1995, and 1996.

Career[]

Powerlifting[]

Magnús began powerlifting in 1984. In 1985, he won a medal in the junior European and World Championships. He won the Senior European title in the 125 kg (276 lb) class in 1988 and 1990. His best lifts in competition include a 437.5 kg (964.5 lb) squat, 400 kg (882 lb) raw squat, 275 kg (605 lb) bench press with shirt and 250 kg raw bench press, 375 kg (827 lb) raw deadlift, and a raw total of 1015 kg (2238 lb). He once held the world record for a tire deadlift of 445 kg (981 lb).

Strongman[]

Magnús competed in his first strongman contest in 1985, finishing third in the Iceland's Strongest Man competition won by Jón Páll Sigmarsson. He decided to focus solely on strongman competition after he won the 1991 World's Strongest Man contest. His strongman victories include the 1989 Pure Strength contest in Scotland, the 1991 and 1993 International Power Challenge, the 1992 Scandinavian Strongest Man (Finland), the 1992 Nordic Strongest Man (Denmark), the 1994 Europe's Strongest Man, the 1995 World Muscle Power Championship, and the 1995 and 1997 Viking Challenge.

In addition to his four World's Strongest Man titles, Magnús was also runner-up in 1992 and 1993. He has also won the Iceland's strongest man competition many times and the West coast Viking (Vestfjarðavíkingurinn) of Iceland nine times. He is considered to be one of the first modern strongman competitors and is regarded by many to be one of the best strongmen of all time. He carried Jón Páll's formula of being athletic for the dynamic tests of strength and having tremendous static strength to outlift some of the best Powerlifters. He was able to easily out-deadlift the favoured O.D Wilson by 40 kg in 1991 and out-squatted the world record holder in the squat, Gerrit Badenhorst, in 1995. After Magnus squatted 437.5 kg, Badenhorst commented that he had previously underestimated Magnus' pure strength and that Magnus' squat was the greatest squat he had ever seen from someone of his bodyweight.

He competed in a one-off event at the Giants Live Strongman Championship 2019 held in Wembley against fellow strongman legend Bill Kazmaier in the Hercules Hold, with the weight being reduced by 20 kg on each side from what the professional athletes were working with. Despite having not competed in a strongman event since 2005, Magnusson stunned the capacity crowd with a time of 101.2 seconds (1m 41.2s), whilst Kazmaier could only manage just over 18 seconds.

Other[]

In 2008, Magnús made an appearance on Comedy Central's The Daily Show.[1] He also appeared in a Coors Light commercial as the "World's Strongest Man" which aired in the U.S.

Magnús frequently judges international powerlifting and strongman competitions. He owns a powerlifting and strongman gym in Kópavogur called Jakaból (Nest of Giants).

Personal record[]

In competition:

  • Squat - 437.5 kg (964.5 lbs) (World's Strongest Man 1995)[2] (not to competition depth)

See also[]

References[]

External links[]

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