As we kick off Day 2 of the World’s Strongest Man down in Bradenton, Florida, many strongman fans around the world were holding their breath waiting from news from last year’s champion
During the Super Yoke & Farmer’s Walk Medley event, Icelandic strongman phenomenon Hafthor Bjornsson competed alongside Rob Kearney and eagle-eyed viewers noticed that he was limping as he transitioned between the two movements. Take a look at the video below and watch the 1:33 mark.
[See the full list of athletes and events for the World’s Strongest Man here.]
His unusual gait and his failure to complete an unbroken yoke walk led many to believe that he dropped the weights on his foot when finishing the Farmer’s Walk. Bjornsson’s coach denied that this is what happened, he did admit that they were getting an MRI last night to assess any damage.
Today, Bjornsson broke his silence: he tore his plantar fascia, the fibrous tissue along the bottom of the foot that connects the heel and the toes.
But he’s not dropping out of the competition.
He wrote the following in an Instagram post, which features some pretty darn cool footage of his prep, warm up, and performance from yesterday.
Quick update guys. I had an MRI yesterday evening and was informed that I have torn my plantar fascia during the Farmers and Yoke medley. This injury will bring me a lot of pain and discomfort but the good news is I’m able to keep going with some pain management. Let’s do this!! 💪 #BackToBackChamp
Thanks for all the support guys I love you all.
Despite his injury, Bjornsson managed to finish at the top of his group yesterday, although he tied with two others: he, Luke Stoltman, and Raffael Gordzielik all finished with 7 points. Day 1 ended with Mateusz Kieliszkowski having the most points with 10, followed by Brian Shaw, Martins Licis, and Oleksii Novikov with 9 each.
[Read our full recap of The World’s Strongest Man Day 1!]
There’s no denying that a torn plantar fascia is going to make victory harder to achieve for Thor Bjornsson. We’re eager to see if he overcomes the odds and repeats as the World’s Strongest Man.
Featured image via @theworldsstrongestman on Instagram.
