Europe’s Strongest Man recently concluded, and Hafthor Bjornsson has earned back his title as he edged out Eddie Hall to claim first. Yesterday, Bjornsson announced that he had come down with Bell’s Palsy, but still planned to compete. Today he’s lifting a first place trophy as Europe’s Strongest Man.
It’s been an eventful few days for Bjornsson to say the least. This is Bjornsson’s third title as Europe’s Strongest Man, and he’s now tied Iceland to Poland with seven wins for his country.
The final standings showed Bjornsson with a final 63 point total, Hall with 61 points, and Terry Hollands holding third with 48. Laurence Shahlaei, who edged out Bjornsson last year, finished in eighth place with 20.5 points.
From the very first event, it seemed like Hall and Bjornsson were neck and neck. They both earned first and second for every event except two, which was the tire flip and bus pull (Hall claimed third on both of them). Bjornsson finished first and second in every single event.
This year’s Europe’s Strongest Man included six events and are shared below with their top three finishers.
- Bus Pull: Bjornsson 11 points, Hollands 10, and Hall 9.
- Max Axle: Hall 11 points, Bjornsson 10, and Matjaz Belsak 9.
- Tyre Flip: Bjornsson 11, Hollands 10, and Hall 9.
- Deadlift: Hall 11 points, Bjornsson 10, and Mark Felix 9.
- Car Walk: Hall 11 points, Bjornsson 10, and Hollands 9.
- Atlas Stones: Bjornsson 11 points, Hall 10, and Mark Felix 9.
Below is a clip of the final Atlas Stone event that decided the fate of first and second, which Bjornsson and Hall were battling for.
As you can see, Bjornsson closely edges out Hall, as Hall got slowed down by a fourth stone misplacement. Possibly the best part is at the end of the clip where they give each other congratulatory hugs, show each other respect, and end up ripping each other’s shirts off.
It’s always great seeing competitors with that much respect for each other, even after falling just short of first place. Will Bjornsson keep this momentum going, or will this second place finish push Hall even harder for the World’s Strongest Man? Time will tell.
Feature image from @gordanmcguiness Instagram page.