We are less than two months away from the 2019 World Deadlift Championships, and the hype around the competition continues to build. Besides watching athletes compete to potentially break Eddie Hall’s famed 500kg deadlift world record, fans will also get to witness two strongman legends come out of retirement for one day only in a first ever type of event.
At the Championships, strongman legends Bill Kazmaier and Magnus Ver Magnusson will be taking each other on in a head-to-head Hercules Hold, which is being deemed as Giants Live newest event the “Legends Challenge”.
Kazmaier, a three-time World’s Strongest Man competitor, went on Giants Live Instagram page calling out fellow strongman, and four-time World’s Strongest, Man Magnus Ver Magnusson.
In Giants Live Instagram video’s description they write, “FOR ONE NIGHT ONLY, Strongman legends Bill Kazmaier & Magnus Ver Magnusson will be coming out of retirement and going HEAD TO HEAD in the brand-new Giants Live Legends Challenge!”
Both of these strength legends, while still active in the sport of strongman judging and representing the sport, have not formally competed for quite some time.
Kazmaier, who is 65 now, had his last major competition in 1992 when he competed at the World Muscle Power Championships. And Magnusson, at a younger age of 56, last competed in 2004 at Iceland’s Strongest Man.
In their prime, these legends only had a few years of overlap during their competitive careers, but many still regard them as being rivals in the sport. After all, both dominated their respective eras and amassed seven total World’s Strongest Man titles.
So now the question remains, who will come out on top for the Hercules Hold?
The Giants Live Hercules Hold event debuted earlier this year at the Europe’s Strongest Man competition. The Hercules Hold is an event where athletes stand between two massive pillars and hold them upright with handles for time.
At this event, Mark Felix ended up setting the world record on this implement holding the massive pillars for an astounding 1 minute 22 seconds, however, Kazmaier stated in the video that he’ll be aiming to beat this record. We’ll be watching.
Feature image from @kamanaught Instagram page, and photo by @zoiephotography.
