Why Has The Deadlift World Record Courted Controversy Again?

The deadlift is one of the most popular lifts in the world, to the point that it is not only considered to be one of the five main lifts that weightlifters should train in, but has become to strength athletics what the 100m dash has for running.

Much like how the 100m world record holder is considered to be the fastest human in the world, the holder of the deadlift world record is often considered to be the world’s strongest human.

It is also a discipline that inspired lifters to load up their barbells with Olympic weight plates and aim for a personal best, even if the world record is believed to be close to the limits of human strength.

At present, Hafthor Bjornsson holds the world record at 510kg, breaking his own record of 501kg in 2025. 

However, a 2026 attempt to break the world record has caused controversy, partly due to the nature of the lift attempts themselves, but also the competition in which the world record attempts were made.

Where Did The 2026 Deadlift World Record Attempt Take Place?

On 24th May 2026, Hafthor Bjornsson attempted to break his own deadlift world record against Canada’s Mitchell Hooper, a multi-time World’s Strongest Man winner with a deadlift personal best of 475 lbs.

The record attempt took place in a purpose-built arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, in a globally publicised event which promised spectacle, excitement and many broken world records that would usher in a new era of sport.

What made this controversial is that it was undertaken during the Enhanced Games, a bizarre experimental athletics event which allowed for the use of performance-enhancing substances, technological doping and other advantages.

Why Was Weightlifting At The Enhanced Games Controversial?

The Enhanced Games’ remit, aside from selling questionable treatments and espousing dystopian transhumanist rhetoric, was to answer the question of how far human potential could reach if they could take any performance-enhancing substance they want.

Universally condemned by various world athletics, aquatics and Olympic groups, The Enhanced Games intended to be a huge multi-day event that could compete with the Olympic Games, although ultimately only three disciplines took part due to complexities surrounding regulatory approval.

Rather embarrassingly, three athletes who were confirmed to be drug-free won their respective races, and the one world record that was broken by Kristian Gkolomeev required both doping and an infamously fast swimsuit that gave a significant advantage. Even then, it was only broken by 0.07 seconds.

The other weightlifting events, featuring Boady Santavy and Wesley Kitts, were abject failures, with both receiving fourth attempts to break the world record, something that would be unprecedented in legitimate competition. Neither could.

It was unclear whether Mr Bjornsson or Mr Hooper had taken any banned substances, although the former had admitted to taking steroids in the past, but outside of the dubious surroundings, their deadlift contest was similar to those seen around the world.

Was The Deadlift World Record Broken At The Enhanced Games?

No weightlifter came close to any weightlifting or powerlifting world record at the Enhanced Games, and even The Mountain himself could not come close to his own world record.

The deadlift contest itself started relatively similarly to any other deadlift contest, with the only exception being that the third and final lift had to be attempted at 515kg, 5kg above the world record.

Mr Bjornsson started with a 425kg lift, whilst Mr Hooper began with a 400kg lift, both well within their personal bests.

In the next round, Mr Bjornsson managed a 475kg lift, whilst Mr Hooper achieved 440kg. Whilst both lifts were impressive, they were also nowhere near the goal weight of 515kg.

Neither managed to lift it, with Mr Hooper dropping the weight almost immediately before clutching his core, and Mr Bjornsson relying on smelling salts before getting very close to a legal deadlift.

What Was Learned From The Controversial Deadlift Contest?

Given that the goal of the Enhanced Games was to sell testosterone products, supplements and other similar treatments generally banned as PEDs under anti-doping regulations, the rather embarrassing lesson is that there is no true shortcut to success in the sporting world.

The deadlift world record did not change this, and it defied earlier ambitious claims by Mr Bjornsson that he could potentially reach a deadlift world record of 550kg, given that 515 eluded him.

However, given the plummeting stock and erosion of interest in The Enhanced Games, it emphasises that the only true path to your fitness goals is the long, hard one, filled with determination, planning, work, fitness, diet and the right weights.