Jón Páll Sigmarsson

Portrait of Sigmarsson 1988

Jón Páll Sigmarsson (born April 28, 1960 in Hafnarfjörður , † January 16, 1993 in Reykjavík ) was an Icelandic strongman , powerlifter and bodybuilder . He was the first strongman to win the World's Strongest Man four times , making him one of the most successful strongmen of all time. In 1981 he was Iceland's Sportsman of the Year and was one of the most famous Icelandic athletes. In 2012 he was inducted into the World's Strongest Man Hall of Fame.

Life

Sigmarsson was born on April 28, 1960 on a farm in Solvangur , Iceland. He spent his youth hunting seals, collecting eggs and preparing them. His daily task was to carry two containers of water weighing 24 kg to the farm. His family worked from morning to night, but after dinner, Sigmarsson spent his free time reading books about strong people like Tarzan. The physical work in his youth led to the decision to become a carpenter. Even as a teenager, he took pride in getting physical hard work done quickly. The speed with which he got his job done became his key characteristic in his strongman career. He later spent his free time in the gym. Sigmarsson tried Olympic weightlifting, but switched to powerlifting because of problems with straightening an arm. Weight training became his main occupation. As a result, he stopped drinking alcohol even when his friends did. Ragnheiður Sverrisdóttir, the mother of Sigmarsson's son, was so impressed with his discipline that she stopped drinking herself. Sigmarsson ate a whole tray of eggs in one day. He continued to drink shakes made with tuna, eggs, bananas, and milk. In an interview, he said he had increased to 20,000 calories and also said that if he consumed less than 6,000 calories, he would lose body mass.

Career

Strongman competitions
World's Strongest Man
2.	1983
1.	1984
2.	1985
1.	1986
1.	1988
3.	1989
1.	1990
World Muscle Power Championships
1.	1985
1.	1986
2.	1987
3.	1988
1.	1989
1.	1990
1.	1991
3.	1992
World Strongman Challenge
3.	1987
2.	1988
Pure strength
1.	1987
Europe's Strongest Man
3.	1983
1.	1985
1.	1986
3.	1987
2.	1988
3.	1989
4th	1990
4th	1992
Le Defi Mark Ten International
3.	1985
2.	1986
5.	1987
Iceland's Strongest Man
1.	1985
1.	1986
1.	1987
1.	1990
1.	1991
1.	1992
World Mighty Man
9.	1992
Battle of the Giants
2.	1989

Powerlifting competitions
IPF World Powerlifting Championships
3.	1981	125 kg
EPF European Powerlifting Championships
2.	1980	125 kg
2.	1981	125 kg
1.	1983	125 kg
NPF Nordic Powerlifting Championships
2.	1983	+110 kg
1.	1983	+125 kg
1.	1983	+125 kg

Highland Games
Commonwealth Highland Games
1.	1986

He won the World Strongest Man for the first time at the age of 24. In the last discipline, he beat the reigning World's Strongest Man Geoff Capes in arm wrestling, screaming “The king, has lost, his crown!”. Sigmarsson's fame rose in his rivalry with Wisconsin strongman Bill Kazmaier . It was Sigmarsson's athleticism against Kazmaier's raw strength. The sport took its toll on Sigmarsson. In 1989 he was unable to participate in the WSM due to an injury. He returned in 1990 and won his fourth World Strongest Man title. He won razor-thin with half a point in the overall standings by winning the last discipline against the American strongman OD Wilson in the 200 m race with a 220 pound backpack. Sigmarsson was able to win the World's Strongest Man four times and was the first strongman to do so.

death

Sigmarsson took a break from competition and focused on building his own gym and to focus more on his son Sigmar. On January 16, 1993, he suffered a traumatic heart rupture while training the deadlift in his gym. As a result, Sigmarsson died of a heart attack at the age of 32.

Quotes

“I am not an Eskimo. I am a Viking! "

- Jón Páll Sigmarsson : World's Strongest Man , 1985

"There is no reason to be alive if you can't do deadlift."

- Jón Páll Sigmarsson : Pure Strength , 1987

"I may be the fastest strongman in the world, but I think Bill [Kazmaier] is the strongest on his feet."

- Jón Páll Sigmarsson : World's Strongest Man , 1988

Body measurements

At the age of 27, he weighed 138 kg at 1.90 m.

Personal records

Powerlifting

• Squat - 365 kg (804.69 pounds) Raw 1984
• Equipped bench press - 545.65 pounds (247.5 kg) in a prototype bench press shirt
• Bench Press - 235 kg (518.09 pounds) Raw 1984
• Deadlift - 370 kg (815.71 pounds) Raw 1984 (European record 1984)
• Deadlift - 400 kg (881 pounds) raw without pulling aids 1986
• Total - 970 kg (365/235/370) / 2138.48 pounds (804.69 / 518.09 / 815.71)

Sources: Jon-Pall Sigmarsson Tribute Page and allpowerlifting.com

Strongman

• rectangular deadlift bike - 523 kg (1153 pounds) - Pure Strength 1987 (world record 1987)
• Bullock Cart Deadlift - 515 kg (1133 pounds) - World's Strongest Man 1985
• Silver dollar Deadlift (18 inches with wrist straps) - 525 kg (1157 pounds) - World's Strongest Man 1983
• One-handed deadlift (Raw without wrist straps) - 250 kg (551 pounds)
• Log Lift - 165 kg (364 pounds) - Iceland's Strongest Man 1987 (world record 1987)
• Rock Lift - 125 kg
• Push Wheelbarrow - 3000 pounds (1361 kg) 3.06 meters

Sources: strongestman.billhenderson.org and tv.com

He also set the world records in the Claymore Lift, McGlashen Stones, and cannon pull during Pure Strength 1987. In the Guinness Book of World Records, it stands for lifting the largest whiskey bottle in the world.

Training records

• Bench Press - 250 kg (551 lb) Raw
• Deadlift - 427.5 kg (942.47 lb) with pull straps
• Squat - 390 kg (858 lb) Raw

Web links

• strongman.org
• physicalculturestudy
• World's Strongest Man Official Website

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Sportsman of the Year. sportpress.is, accessed on November 16, 2018 . 
2. ↑ hall of fame. theworldsstrongestman.com, accessed November 16, 2018 . 
3. ↑ ^{a b c} Guest Post: Jon Pall Sigmarsson . physicalculturestudy.com. Retrieved January 7, 2017.
4. ↑ ^{a b c} Pure Strength 1987 . worlds strongest man. Retrieved January 7, 2017.
5. ^ Jon-Pall Sigmarsson Tribute Page . archive.today. Archived from the original on February 23, 2005. Retrieved January 7, 2017.
6. ^ Sigmarsson Jón Páll . allpowerlifting.com. Retrieved January 7, 2017.
7. ^ Records . strongestman.billhenderson.org. Retrieved January 7, 2017.

Note: Icelanders are referred to by their first name or first and last name, but not just their surname. Further information can be found under Icelandic personal name .