Pro strongman who played the Mountain on Game of Thrones retires

Hafþór Björnsson played the Mountain on Game of Thrones between winning strongman competitions. After winning his latest title, he’s taking “a long break.”

Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson, best known to Game of Thrones fans as the Mountain That Rides (and who gouges the eyes out of people he beats his duels) has just won his tenth title in the Iceland’s Strongest Man competition. The latest award has gone up on his wall with the others:

And apparently, that’s enough for the professional strongman, as Björnsson announced that he’s taking “a long break” from the sport to focus on his family:

"Iceland’s Strongest Man for the 10th consecutive year. 6 events, 6 wins. Great way to finish my strongman career. Now a different journey starts and I’m super excited. It’s been a great time in the sport of strongman but I’ve decided that I’m going to take a long break from the sport. Maybe I’ll never return but never say never right. I’m still only 31 years old and could come back in few years if my heart wants it! Right now my heart tells me that I need to be healthy for my family and do what’s best for them! Thanks to you all for your support over the years. I appreciate you all!"

Björnsson may be most famous for his appearance on Game of Thrones, but he’s always remained committed to being a professional strongman. He’s also spun his notoriety even lots of other projects, including his own reality show, Beat the Mountain.

So even if he’s won’t be formally competing as a strongman for the moment, he has plenty of other things going on. And like he said, he could always return to the sport at some point. We hope he, his wife, and the Little Mountain they have on the way spend some quality time together.

And if you think this means that Björnsson is disappearing from the public eye, I wouldn’t worry too much:

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