Jón Páll Sigmarsson | |
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Born | 28 April 1960 Iceland |
Died | 16 January 1993 (Aged 32) |
Height | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) |
Weight | 294 pounds (133 kg) |
Children | Sigmar Jónsson |
Competition record | |||
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Highland Games | |||
Competitor for Iceland | |||
Commonwealth Highland Games | |||
1st | 1986 | ||
Strongman | |||
Competitor for Iceland | |||
World's Strongest Man | |||
2nd | 1983 World's Strongest Man | ||
1st | 1984 World's Strongest Man | ||
2nd | 1985 World's Strongest Man | ||
1st | 1986 World's Strongest Man | ||
1st | 1988 World's Strongest Man | ||
3rd | 1989 World's Strongest Man | ||
1st | 1990 World's Strongest Man | ||
World Muscle Power Championships | |||
1st | 1985 | ||
1st | 1986 | ||
2nd | 1987 | ||
3rd | 1988 | ||
1st | 1989 | ||
1st | 1990 | ||
1st | 1991 | ||
3rd | 1992 | ||
World Strongman Challenge | |||
3rd | 1987 | ||
2nd | 1988 | ||
Pure Strength | |||
1st | 1987 | ||
Europe's Strongest Man | |||
3rd | 1983 | ||
1st | 1985 | ||
1st | 1986 | ||
3rd | 1987 | ||
2nd | 1988 | ||
3rd | 1989 | ||
World Might Man | |||
9th | 1992 | ||
Battle of the Giants | |||
2nd | 1989 | ||
Le Defi Mark Ten International | |||
2nd | 1986 | ||
3rd | 1985 | ||
Iceland's Strongest Man | |||
1st | 1985 | ||
1st | 1986 | ||
1st | 1987 | ||
1st | 1990 | ||
1st | 1991 | ||
1st | 1992 | ||
Powerlifting | |||
Competitor for Iceland | |||
European Powerlifting Championships[1] | |||
2nd | 1980 | ||
2nd | 1981 | ||
1st | 1983 | ||
World Powerlifting Championships | |||
3rd | 1981 |
Jón Páll Sigmarsson (April 28, 1960 – January 16, 1993) was a strongman, a powerlifter , and a bodybuilder from Iceland who won the World's Strongest Man Competition four times (1984, 1986, 1988, 1990).[2] In 1984 Jón won the Icelandic bodybuilding title in the +90 kg. class. His achievements in powerlifting also include Icelandic records in the bench press and the squat, but his best performances were usually in the deadlift event, in which he set the European record many times and multiple world records in strongman competition deadlift variations, such as the rectangular handled wheel and one handed deadlift.
In 1986, Jón first wrestled English Author and Guinness World Record Holder Sir Brian Sterling-Vete in a demonstration match for the TV news and print media held at Finnur Karlsson’s gymnasium in Reykjavik, 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 very typical ‘showmanship’ became synonymous with both Jón and Sterling.
In 1987, a contest called Pure Strength '87 was held on the grounds of Huntly Castle in Aberdeenshire, Scotland.[3] In this event, Jón Páll, Bill Kazmaier and Geoff Capes competed to define the strongest man of all time, where Jón Páll won 8 out of 10 events.[2] A famous quote, "there is no reason to be alive if you can't do deadlift" was shouted by Jon Pall when he won the deadlift event at this contest.
During the deadlift event at the 1985 World's Strongest Man competition, someone in the audience called him an eskimo, then he shouted back: "I am not an Eskimo, I am a Viking!"
Two other famous quotes are, "I am in seventh heaven" which was his translation of an Icelandic saying, and "Ekkert mál fyrir Jón Pál" which roughly translates as "No problem for Jon Paul".
Jón Páll was namechecked in Iceland's entry to the Eurovision Song Contest 1988, "Sókrates" by Sverrir Stormsker.
Hjalti Arnason, a lifelong friend of Jon Pall, created the Jon Pall Sigmarsson Classic international strongman contest in 2010 in honor of Jon Pall.[4] The event is held annually during the Icelandic fitness & health expo in Reykjavik, the inaugural winner was America's Brian Shaw in 2010.[5]
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Jón Páll Sigmarsson died on the 16th January 1993 of a heart attack. He was deadlifting in his gym in Iceland when he suffered the heart attack, caused, it is thought, by a torn aorta which was related to a weakened heart, a problem that was known to exist in his family.
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