Jón Valgeir Williams is a competitive

Strongman Strongman is a competitive strength sport which tests athletes' physical strength and endurance through a variety of heavy lifts and events. Strongman competitions are known for their intensity, pushing athletes to their physical and mental limit ...

and

Powerlifter Powerlifting is a competitive strength sport that consists of three attempts at maximal weight on three lifts: squat, bench press, and deadlift. As in the sport of Olympic weightlifting, it involves the athlete attempting a maximal weight singl ...

from

Iceland Iceland is a Nordic countries, Nordic island country between the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge between North America and Europe. It is culturally and politically linked with Europe and is the regi ...

Early life

Jón Valgeir was born in England to an English father and an Icelandic mother. At the age of 3, when his father tragically died in a diving accident, his mother moved with him to her native Iceland.

Career

Jón Valgeir played

Basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

and started strength training at a young age where he was spotted by Hjalti Árnason. Throughout the 2000s, he was

Magnús Ver Magnússon Magnús Ver Magnússon (born 23 April 1963) is an Icelandic former powerlifter and strongman competitor. He is a four-time World's Strongest Man, having won in 1991, 1994, 1995, 1996 and is widely regarded as one of the greatest strongmen o ...

's main training partner at

Jón Páll Sigmarsson Jón Páll Sigmarsson (28 April 1960 – 16 January 1993) was an Icelandic strongman, powerlifter and bodybuilder who was the first man to win the World's S ...

's 'Gym 80'. He emerged second place twice and third place thrice at the

Iceland's Strongest Viking Strength athletics in Iceland refers to the participation of Icelandic competitors and holding national strongman competitions. The sport's roots have a long and ancient history going back to – 1056, with sagas about Orm Storolfsson, Finnbogi ...

and won the 2002 Eastfjord Strongman Championships. Jón Valgeir is a two-time entrant to the

World's Strongest Man The World's Strongest Man is an international strongman competition held every year. Organized by American event management company IMG, a subsidiary of Endeavor, it is broadcast in the US during summers and in the UK around the end of Decemb ...

where he placed third in

2002 The effects of the September 11 attacks of the previous year had a significant impact on the affairs of 2002. The war on terror was a major political focus. Without settled international law, several nations engaged in anti-terror operation ...

group 4 in

Kuala Lampur Kuala Lumpur (KL), officially the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur, is the capital city and a federal territory of Malaysia. It is the largest city in the country, covering an area of with a census population of 2,075,600 . Greater Kuala Lu ...

Malaysia Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...

, and fifth in

2003 2003 was designated by the United Nations as the International Year of Fresh water, Freshwater. In 2003, a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition 2003 invasion of Iraq, invaded Iraq, starting the Iraq War. Demographic ...

group 4 in

Victoria Falls Victoria Falls (Lozi language, Lozi: ''Mosi-oa-Tunya'', "Thundering Smoke/Smoke that Rises"; Tonga language (Zambia and Zimbabwe), Tonga: ''Shungu Namutitima'', "Boiling Water") is a waterfall on the Zambezi River, located on the border betwe ...

Zambia Zambia, officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country at the crossroads of Central Africa, Central, Southern Africa, Southern and East Africa. It is typically referred to being in South-Central Africa or Southern Africa. It is bor ...

Personal records

* Atlas Stones – 5 Stones weighing 100–160 kg (220–353 lb) in 36.91 seconds (2002 Viking Challenge) *Viking press (for reps) – x 8 reps (2002 WSM Group 4) *Super Yoke – for 20 meters in 28.61 seconds (2002 IFSA Nordic Championships) *Tyre Flip – Tyre for 25 meters in 27.96 seconds (2003 WSM Group 4) *Fingal's Fingers – 5 fingers in 59.36 seconds (2002 WSM Group 4) *

Keg toss Keg-tossing (or keg toss) is a traditional strength sport that involves the heaving of a standard half-barrel beer keg or a similar implement. The basic technique involves swinging the keg in a pendulum like manner and releasing when it is at its a ...

– over (2004 Westfjord's Viking) * Train pull – for 16 meters in 74.78 seconds (2003 WSM Group 4)

Other ventures

Jón Valgeir is the founder of 'Valgeirs Strengthtrips' travel company which specializes in arranging customized guided tours to explore Icelandic

Viking Vikings were seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway, and Sweden), who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded, and settled throughout parts of Europe.Roesdahl, pp. 9� ...

culture Culture ( ) is a concept that encompasses the social behavior, institutions, and Social norm, norms found in human societies, as well as the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, Social norm, customs, capabilities, Attitude (psychology), attitudes ...

and stone lifting heritage.

External links

Valgeirs Strengthtrips
on Instagram

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, Jón Valgeir 1973 births Living people Jón Valgeir Williams