jon pall sigmarsson

Jón Páll Sigmarsson (April 28, 1960 – January 16, 1993) was a strongman, a powerlifter  , a bodybuilder and a weightlifter  from Iceland  who won the World’s Strongest Man Competition four times (1984, 1986, 1988, 1990). In 1984 Sigmarsson won the Icelandic bodybuilding  title in the +90 kg. class. His achievements in powerlifting also include Icelandic records in the bench press and the squat, but his best performances were usually in the deadlift  event, in which he set the European record many times and multiple world records in strongman competition deadlift variations, such as the rectangular handled wheel and one handed deadlift.

A famous quote from him is “there is no point in being alive if you cannot do the deadlift”. In a tragic irony, he died at the age of 32 while performing this exercise in the gym. He knew he had serious heart problems in his family and was aware of this weakness.

Once in a Strongman competition, someone in the audience called him an eskimo, then he shouted back: “I am not an Eskimo, I am a Viking!” Two other famous quotes are, “I am in seventh heaven” which was his translation of an Icelandic saying, and “Ekkert mál fyrir Jón Pál” which roughly translates as “It is no haul for Jon Paul”.

Competition history

Strength athletics

* World’s Strongest Man
o 1983 – 2nd
o 1984 – 1st
o 1985 – 2nd
o 1986 – 1st
o 1988 – 1st
o 1989 – 3rd
o 1990 – 1st

* World Muscle Power Championship
o 1985 – 1st
o 1986 – 1st
o 1987 – 2nd
o 1988 – 3rd
o 1989 – 1st
o 1990 – 1st
o 1991 – 1st
o 1992 – 3rd

* Europe’s Strongest Man
o 1983 – 3rd
o 1985 – 1st
o 1986 – 1st
o 1987 – 3rd
o 1988 – 2nd
o 1989 – 3rd
o 1990 – 4th
o 1992 – 4th

* Other contests
o 1982 Scandinavian Strongest Man – 1st
o 1985 Le Defi Mark Ten (Canada) – 3rd
o 1986 Le Defi Mark Ten (Canada) – 2nd
o 1987 Le Defi Mark Ten (Canada) – 5th
o 1987 Ultimate Challenge Competition – 1st
o 1987 Japan Grand Prix – 2nd
o 1987 Pure Strength – 1st
o 1989 Corby Great Eccleston (England) – 1st
o 1989 Iceland’s Kraftur Contest – 1st
o 1989 Scottish Power Challenge – 1st
o 1990 Nissan Power Cup – 1st
o 1990 European Muscle Power Championship
o 1991 European Hercules – 2nd
o 1992 European Hercules – 6th
o Iceland’s Strongest Man winner – 1985, 1990, 1991, 1992
o Finland’s Strongest Man winner – 1989, 1992

Powerlifting

* 1980 European Powerlifting Championships – 2nd
* 1981 European Powerlifting Championships – 2nd
* 1981 World Powerlifting Championships – 3rd
* 1983 European Powerlifting Championships – 1st

Highland games

* 1986 Carmunnock Highland Games (Scotland) – 7th
* 1986 Commonwealth Highland Games (Scotland) – 1st

Death

Jon Pall Sigmarsson died on the 16th January 1993 of a heart attack. He was working out in his gym in Iceland when he suffered the heart attack, caused, it is thought, by a torn aorta which was related to a weakened heart, a problem that was known to exist in his family.

Bill Kazmaier

Strength Sports

In 1978, Kazmaier won the American powerlifting championship and the IPF world powerlifting championship. He won the IPF world championship again in 1983. In 1981, Kazmaier became the first person to bench press 300kg in competition. The 1981 event was the same competition in which he totaled 1,100 kg (2,425 lb). Best lifts= Squat-925lbs (done without a suit) 661Lbs bench press, and an 887Lbs. deadlift.

Kazmaier won the World’s Strongest Man title three times, in 1980, 1981, and 1982. After these victories, Kazmaier chose not to compete in the 1983 WSM due to it being held outside the USA, but after this was not invited back to compete in the WSM contest again until 1988, when he finished second to Jón Páll Sigmarsson. He finished fourth in his final WSM appearance in 1989.

Pro wrestling career

Kazmaier wrestled during the 1980s for promotions such as Stampede Wrestling and Continental Championship Wrestling. His biggest national exposure came when he debuted for World Championship Wrestling in 1991 at Halloween Havoc. He received several shots at Lex Luger’s WCW World Heavyweight Championship but failed to win the title. He also briefly teamed with Rick Steiner, only to lose to The Enforcers in a tournament final for the WCW World Tag Team Championship.

Life after competition

After his WCW days, Kazmaier opened a fitness club in Auburn, Alabama. The gym closed in 2005. After Kaz Fitness Center in Auburn, AL closed in 2005, Kazmaier opened, and continues to operate, S.W.A.T. gym in Opelika, Alabama. In recent years, he has appeared on ESPN as a commentator on World’s Strongest Man broadcasts.

Achievements

Professional Competitive Record – [1st (14),2nd (3) ,3rd (3) - Out of Total(21)]
Performance Metric – .967 [American - .970 International - .966]

COMPLETED CONTESTS

* United Kingdom Pure Strength 4 Team Challenge – winner (1990)
* United Kingdom World’s Strongest Man – 4th place (1989)
* Scotland Pure Strength 3 Team Challenge – 2nd place (1989)
* Scotland Scottish Power Challenge – winner (1989)
* Iceland World’s Strongest Man – 2nd place (1988)

World Strongman Challenge – 3rd place (1988)

* United Kingdom Pure Strength 2 Team Challenge – winner (1988)

World Muscle Power Championships – winner (1988)

* Scotland Scottish Power Challenge – winner (1988)
* Scotland Pure Strength – Ultimate Challenge – 2nd place (1987)
* Canada Le Defi Mark Ten Challenge – winner (1987)
* Scotland Scottish Power Challenge – winner (1987)
* Scotland Scottish Power Challenge – winner (1986)

World Muscle Power Championships – 3rd place (1985)

* Scotland Scottish Power Challenge – winner (1985)
* Scotland Scottish Power Challenge – winner (1984)
* United States World’s Strongest Man – winner (1982)
* United States World’s Strongest Man – winner (1981)
* United Kingdom Strongbow Strongman – winner (1980)
* United States World’s Strongest Man – winner (1980)
* United States World’s Strongest Man – 3rd place (1979)