Jón Páll Sigmarsson

Jón Páll was born in Hafnarfjörður on 28 April 1960, weighing 4 kilograms (8.8 lb) and measuring 52 centimetres (20 in). He was the first child of Dóra Jónsdóttir and Sigmar Jónsson.[6][7] He was raised by his mother and foster father Sveinn Guðmundsson.[8] The family moved to Stykkishólmur when he was two. He remained there until the age of nine, when the family relocated to Reykjavík.[9] Growing up, he spent his summers on Skáleyjar and was active as a farmhand. He worked from dawn until dusk, carrying pails of water and assisting his foster father on seal hunts.[10] He took up Glima, a traditional Icelandic form of wrestling, at the age of five and later played football and handball, as well as competing in swimming, middle-distance running,[11] and karate.[7]

Jón Páll was introduced to weight lifting in 1976, and began training at Jakaból in 1978.[7] In 1984 he won the Icelandic bodybuilding title in the +90 kg. class. His achievements in powerlifting also include Icelandic records in the bench press (with 192.5 kg (424 lb), 195 kg (430 lb), 210 kg (463 lb) and 222.5 kg (491 lb)) and the squat (with 320.5 kg (707 lb), 330 kg (728 lb), 342.5 kg (755 lb) and 357.5 kg (788 lb)), but his best performances were usually in the deadlift event, in which he set the European record many times (with 350 kg (772 lb), 352.5 kg (777 lb), 360 kg (794 lb), 362.5 kg (799 lb) and 370 kg (816 lb)) and multiple world records in strongman competition deadlift variations, such as the rectangular handled wheel and one handed deadlift.[12]

Jón Páll was invited to the World's Strongest Man competition for the first time in 1983, in which he came in second only to Geoff Capes. The following year, at age 24, he defeated Capes and secured the title. During the final armwrestling event, in which Jón Páll was up against him, Capes appeared to be winning, pulling Jón Páll's arm down convincingly, but sustained a muscle tear in his forearm as Jón Páll started to thrust his arm back. Right after winning the bout, Jón Páll shouted "The King has lost his crown!" and won his first World's Strongest Man title in 1984. Although Jón Páll was closely defeated by Capes at the 1985 World's Strongest Man, he managed to regain the title in 1986. During the deadlift event at the 1985 World's Strongest Man competition, someone in the audience called him an Eskimo. Jón Páll shouted back: "I am not an Eskimo. I am a Viking!" and successfully lifted the 495 kg (1,091 lb) cart.

In 1986, Jón Páll first wrestled English author and Guinness World Record Holder Brian Sterling-Vete in a demonstration match for the TV news and print media held at Finnur Karlsson's gymnasium in Reykjavík, Iceland. Halfway through the match Jón and Sterling had plotted to surprise the audience with a supposed angry outburst leading to the two of them demonstrating their skills as martial artists. This showmanship became synonymous with both Jón Páll and Sterling.

In 1987, Jón Páll clashed with his arguably greatest rival - 3 times World's Strongest Man winner Bill Kazmaier of Burlington, Wisconsin, USA, who had not been invited to compete at World's Strongest Man again after winning the competition 3 times in a row from 1980 to 1982. Kazmaier boasted some of the heaviest powerlifting lifts of that time including world records in the bench press with 300 kg (661 lb), deadlift with 402.5 kg (887 lb) and total 1,100 kg (2,425 lb) and had made his reputation in the 1980s as "the strongest man who ever lived" by breaking numerous strongman world records.

At Pure Strength 1987, a competition held in place of the absent World's Strongest Man competition of that year on the grounds of Huntly Castle in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, Geoff Capes, Bill Kazmaier and Jón Páll matched up to crown the strongest man on the planet.[13] Jón Páll, being in the shape of his life, won the contest convincingly by winning 8 out of 10 events and even managed to beat Kazmaier, who was making his comeback into the strongman sport after having worked and travelled as a professional wrestler.[3] A famous quote, "There is no reason to be alive if you can't do deadlift." was shouted by Jón Páll when he won the deadlift event at this contest with a strongman world record lift of 523 kg (1,153 lb) off a rectangular handled bar from knee height.

At the 1988 World's Strongest Man the two rivals clashed again. As expected Kazmaier dominated the static events while Jón Páll, who had shed body-weight to cater for all the dynamic tests of strength of World's Strongest Man instead of the latter statically orientated events of Pure Strength 1987, was often victorious in the more athletic, speed- and endurance-oriented events. Although Jón Páll was beaten by Kazmaier in the deadlift, log lift and sack race, he managed to win the "weight over the bar event" and the McGlashen Stones in the end to secure the overall victory and to become the World's Strongest Man for the third time, equaling Kazmaier's record. After his victory Jón Páll said: "I may be the fastest strongman in the world, but I think Bill [Kazmaier] is the strongest on his feet."

After a disappointing third place at the 1989 World's Strongest Man, Jón Páll was able to win the competition, while injured, for a record breaking fourth time in 1990. O.D. Wilson, who was leading the competition with a comfortable 5½ points before the last event (a 200 m race with a 100 kg weight on the back), weighed 180 kg (397 lb) and lacked the endurance and running speed to complete the course quickly enough and ended up losing by half a point to the much lighter and faster Jón Páll.

After battling with the injuries sustained during 1988, 1989, and 1990, which had affected his athleticism, his strength became progressively more static in his later years. Jón Páll was often challenged by fellow competitor Bill Kazmaier in feats of statically oriented events between contests because he believed the events were biased in Jón Páll's favour. This included Kaz challenging Jón Páll to a sledgehammer hold during Pure Strength 1987 where Jón Páll beat Kazmaier. Kazmaier had travelled to Nigeria for a strength exhibition with Douglas Edmunds to break the deadlift world record by deadlifting 414 kg (913 lb) with straps, Jón Páll then re-broke the record with a lift of 427.5 kg (942 lb) in his gym in Iceland in front of spectators in 1987 at his heaviest bodyweight in preparation for Pure Strength 1987.[14]

The 1990 World's Strongest Man was Jón Páll's last appearance on the World's Strongest Man stage. He was gradually passed on the world stage by fellow countryman Magnús Ver Magnússon, who won the Iceland's Strongest Man title in 1988 and 1989 and continued Sigmarsson's legacy by also winning 4 World's Strongest Man titles during the 1990's.

Although he was known for his energetic and boastful personality when competing, Jón Páll was a soft-spoken and bookish man in his personal life.[10] Jón Páll had one son, Sigmar Freyr (born 1983).[8]

On 16 January 1993, Jón Páll died of an aortic rupture while deadlifting in his gym, Gym 80 in Reykjavík.[15][16] This was likely the result of a congenital heart defect that affected other members of his family,[16] which may have been exacerbated by his use of anabolic steroids.[17] He had sought medical treatment in the United States the previous year due to heart problems. In Sölvi Tryggvason's 2013 biography of Jón Páll he stated he suspected Jón Páll knew he was close to death.[18]

Hjalti Árnason, a lifelong friend of Jón Páll's, created the Jón Páll Sigmarsson Classic international strongman contest in 2010 in honor of Jón Páll.[19] The event is held annually during the Icelandic fitness & health expo in Reykjavík, the inaugural winner was America's Brian Shaw in 2010[19] and the final winner was Iceland's very own Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson in 2012.[20]

Jón Páll was described in his life documentary "Larger than Life" by one of his former rivals Geoff Capes as "a new kind of guy on the block" and by David Webster equally in describing him as a man who boasted pure static strength as well as versatile athletic strength in all its forms, a combination that lead to his supreme performances. World's Strongest Man Director Colin Bryce called Jón Páll the greatest strongman of all time for not only his titles but also showmanship, stating "Strongman is entertainment. None of us would be here without Jón Páll".[21]

Powerlifting competition records:

done in official powerlifting meets[1]

• Squat - 365 kg (805 lb) raw in 1984[12]
• Equipped bench press - 247.5 kg (546 lb)[1] in early prototype bench shirt
• Raw bench press - 235 kg (518 lb)[12] raw in 1984
• Deadlift - 370 kg (816 lb)[12] raw in 1984
• Total - 970 kg (2,138 lb)[12]

* former European deadlift record in 1984

Strongman records:

• Rectangular-handled wheel deadlift - 523 kg (1,153 lb) - Pure Strength 1987, a strongman world record in 1987.[22]
• Ox-cart deadlift - 515 kg (1,135 lb) - World's Strongest Man 1985[22]
• Silver dollar deadlift (18 inches with wrist straps) - 525 kg (1,157 lb) - World's Strongest Man 1983[22]
• Single hand deadlift (Raw without wrist straps) - 250 kg (551 lb)[22]
• Log press - 165 kg (364 lb) - Iceland's Strongest Man 1987, a strongman world record in 1987.[22]
• Rock press - 125 kg (276 lb)[22]
• Wheel-barrow push - 1,360 kg (2,998 lb) for 3.06 m[23]

He also achieved world records in the Claymore Lift, McGlashen Stones and the Cannon Pull during Pure Strength 1987.[23] He was also the first man ever to load a 150 kg (331 lb) McGlashen stone and got into the Guinness Book of Records for lifting the world's largest whiskey bottle.[12]

Training bests:

• Bench press - 250 kg (551 lb) raw.
• Deadlift - 400 kg (882 lb) raw as an exhibition lift in 1986.
• Deadlift - 427.5 kg (942 lb) with wrist straps as an exhibition lift.
• Squat - 390 kg (860 lb) raw.

Wikiquote has quotations related to Jón Páll Sigmarsson.

• Official website (archived)
• Jón Páll Sigmarsson - The Viking Warrior