World’s Strongest Man: Jon Pall Sigmarsson

Jón Páll Sigmarsson (April 28, 1960 – January 16, 1993) was an Iceland kid who succeeded as the World’s Strongest Man four times (1984, 1986, 1988, and 1990). He was a strength athlete, bodybuilder, weightlifter, and power lifter. His accomplishments in powerlifting also included Icelandic records in the bench press and the squat. However his finest routine were typically in the deadlift challenge, in which he set the European record consistently.

Jon’s well-known quotes were “I am in seventh heaven,” which he considered as his version of an Icelandic motto, and “Ekkert mal fyrir Jon Pall,” which approximately translates as “It is no haul for Jon Paul.” Jon stated that there is no point in being alive if you cannot do the dead lift, which is his famous saying. He frequently shouts, “I am not an Eskimo, I am a Viking!” Do you know that because of his personality he is the driving force of sports-comedy programme Cheap Seats in the episode “1985 World’s Strongest Man”? He was also regarded as a candidate for the Icelandic presidential elections in 1987, but he decided not to run because of his other obligations.

Jon died on January 16, 1993, due to a heart attack. It occurred while he was deadlifting in his gym in Iceland. The main cause was a tattered aorta that was connected to a damaged heart, a dilemma that was identified as hereditary. He will always be remembered as one of the greatest strength athletes of his time, a great showman, a sportsman and a champion