Fans of Game of Thrones have reason to rejoice in this time of coronavirus pandemic. Hafthor Bjornsson, who portrayed Ser Gregor “The Mountain” Clegane in the HBO series, has set a world deadlifting record by lifting 501kg.

He set the record at his gym in his native Iceland.

The strongman lifted the barbell for two seconds, before dropping the weights and roaring in delight, according to BBC. The 31-year-old completed the lift as the barbell bent and strained under the weights.

The event was streamed by ESPN and filmed for Bjornsson's YouTube channel.

Bjornsson, who is 6ft 9in tall had earlier won the World's Strongest Man competition in 2018.

In a video posted on YouTube, Bjornsson said: “I’m extremely proud, you know. I'm extremely happy.

“It’s great - there's nothing better than proving people wrong. So many people didn't believe in me, so many people said ‘501kg is never going to go up’... But I also had a lot of support.”

He added: “I feel healthy, I feel good. I’m just absolutely speechless, even though I'm talking a lot now. But I'm excited, super excited - this is huge for me.”