The 2022 Western Canada’s Strongest Man (WCSM) champion Sean Hayes has eclipsed his Canadian record. On Oct. 30, 2022, the strongman from the north loaded 474 kilograms (1,045 pounds) on an axle bar and deadlifted it.
An axle deadlift is similar to a partial deadlift — an 18-inch pull but uses a thicker axle barbell rather than a standard Olympic barbell. Hayes is no stranger to massive partial deadlifts — he is a previous silver dollar deadlift world record holder with a 560-kilogram (1,235-pound) pull in April 2022. The current record is Rauno Heinla’s 580-kilogram (1,278.7-pound) partial deadlift.
Check out Hayes’ Canadian axle deadlift record in the video below, courtesy of his Instagram page:
[Related: Hafthor Björnsson Sets New Weight Over Bar World Record of 20 Feet, 3 Inches; Teases Competitive Return to Strongman]
While Hayes’ lifting session logged a new Canadian record, it wasn’t without cost. According to the caption of Hayes’ post, the above lift was part of a planned progression to exceed Gabe Peña’s axle bar deadlift world record of 500 kilograms (1,102.3 pounds).
Unfortunately, when Hayes loaded that world-record weight on the axle bar, his “Left SI popped out badly,” disabling Hayes from walking for a half hour. As such, Hayes’ next axle bar deadlift attempt was forcibly postponed. Hayes has not yet updated if the injury was momentary or if he will undergo additional medical intervention.
[Related: Oleksii Novikov Wins the 2022 Rogue Invitational Strongman Competition]
Sean Hayes Strongman Resume
According to Strongman Archives, Hayes has competed in two elite strongman competitions since winning the 2022 WCSM contest. He earned a fourth-place finish at the 2022 Shaw Classic Men’s Open competition and a fourth-place finish at the 2022 Canada’s Strongest Man (CSM) contest. Maxime Boudreault won the latter competition.
Hayes has five total strongman contests on his resume since making his competitive debut at the 2021 CSM contest, where he ranked third overall — only Wesley Derwinsky and overall winner Gabriel Rhéaume bested Hayes 120.5-point total. That same year, Hayes ranked seventh at the 2021 Official Strongman Games, won by 2022 World’s Strongest Man finalist Pavlo Kordiyaka.
Hayes acknowledged his coach, former WSM mainstay, and nine-time CSM champion JF Caron. When Hayes feels healthy to make another attempt at the axle bar deadlift world record, he will have the guidance of one of the sport’s greatest deadlifters in his corner.
Featured image: @sirseaningtoniii on Instagram
