2017 World’s Strongest Man Eddie Hall was at the European Championships (CrossFit) in Colchester, England on February 23 to take part in a personal challenge. It may be strange to some that a strongman would be at a CrossFit event, but he was there to attempt to add another world record to his already impressive list.
Author’s Note: Prior to the start of the event, the organizers actually changed the workout Hall would perform from Grace to Isabel. Grace’s workout calls for stricter form when performing the clean and the jerk. Isabel allows a more loose form or to simply snatch the weight 30 times in the fastest time possible. Hall’s ability to lift the weight and lift it overhead with ease counted for a good rep under the rules of Isabel, whereas officials or judges may not have counted the reps if they were performed under Grace’s guidelines.
The first man to deadlift 500 kg was there set the world record for fastest time to complete the CrossFit workout, “Grace,” though organizers announced the effort would be changed to “Isabel.” This workout calls for the male athlete to snatch 135 pounds (61 kg) 30 times for time. The standard time cap for competitions is five minutes while elite athletes attempt to complete the set within two minutes. Hall was looking to complete this feat in less than 55 seconds, which was the time set by Laurence Shahlaei when he attempted the workout “Grace.”
As the video shows, Hall was able to complete the feat in an official time of 50.9 seconds. The announcer is heard saying 49 seconds, but a caption on the video clarifies the official time.
While he does complete 30 reps unbroken, the form in which he performed them could be subject to criticism by athletes or officials either in CrossFit or in Olympic weightlifting; some have noted the movements more closely resemble close-grip snatches. Nonetheless, in his remarks on the video, Hall puts out a challenge afterwards.
“I’m throwing the gauntlet down. If anyone in the CrossFit world or strongman world or powerlifting world thinks they can beat that, come on and have a go. Because I guarantee you’ll have a heart attack.”
There is no word on whether the record will be recognized by officials with CrossFit or any other sanctioning organization.
After his comments, Hall takes part in attempting to perform handstand walks and he also shares praise for the athletes that were competing in the weekend’s contest.
“Big respect to the CrossFitters. It’s a lot harder than people make out and they get flak from left, right, and center on social media but I can tell you now looking at the guys competing today, I genuinely believe it’s got to be one of the hardest sports on the planet to train for and compete in.”
Aside from the feat he accomplished at this event, Hall has been stepping outside of the strongman field to perform other feats of strength or athleticism. He has been working to achieve a 700 pound (317 kg) bench press and recently also trained to perform a backflip in a gymnastics center.
Featured Image: Instagram/eddiehallwsm by Hannah Felicity
