Before I even begin covering this news, I must say I am liking how Giants Live is upping their Strongman game. They are bringing spectacle and sports together in one single event. This will bring in a bigger crowd to the event, which will bring in the popularity of the sports events, which will bring in more competitors and more money to the guys competing.
Kaz and Magnusson are old gunslingers of the Strongman game. They have both competed and won the prestigious title of World’s Strongest Man several times. Magnusson has won it 4 times, while Kaz won it 3 times. Kaz competed in the ’80s with his greatest rival being the late and great Iclenadic strength legend Jon Pall Sigmarsson. Magnusson’s days of glory came about a decade later during the ’90s.
These guys are so old school that they are both older than all of the current top 10 Strongman competitors. They are even older than the oldest guy competing, Mark Felix-who is 54! The current World’s Strongest Man/Zombie– Hafthor Bjornsson- wasn’t even born when Kaz was destroying guys in Strongman events left and right.
Kaz is best known for being one of the toughest and strongest guys to ever walk the planet. He won his 1981 WSM title with a torn pectoral muscle(he was bending a steel bar) and he is the first person to ever bench press 300kg in recorded history. He is also known for having the greatest set of traps ever.
Magnus, on the other hand, is an Icelandic Strongman….i should just stop there. Because that means that you are a)huge b) stronger than 90% of all living humans. This guy was so good at doing Strongman, that the first time he ever competed at the WSM contest he came in first. As a matter of fact, if you look at his long list of accomplishments on Wikipedia, you’ll notice he never placed lower than 3rd place in a competition! Much like Kaz, Magnus also competed in various powerlifting meets and some of his best numbers are; 437.5 kg/964.5 lb squat, 400 kg/882 lb raw squat, 275 kg/605 lb bench press with a bench press shirt, 250 kg raw bench press and a 375 kg/827 lb raw deadlift.
Since retiring from Strongman both Kaz and Magnus have taken a backstage role at Strongman events. Kaz can be found flexing his biceps with a mic in his hand and Magnus is probably one of the strictest Strongman judges today. However, that’s all about to change come July 6th because these old schoolers will be competing in the Hercules hold event. Just to refresh your memory, this is Mark Felix-who is just a couple of years younger than Magnus, setting a new world record on the Hercules hold.
To witness this live, go to Giants Live webpage and buy your tickets now! Because the top placing guys get a direct spot in next years WSM event and if that wasn’t enough, the elusive 500kg deadlift challenge is on the line!
