Hafþór (Hafthor) began competing in strongman after an injury to his ankle ended his basketball career. In 2009, powerlifting star Benedikt Magnusson, saw Hafþór in the gym and encouraged him to compete in Iceland’s Strongest Viking which was being held the next day. So, Hafþór called Magnus Ver Magnusson who was running the event and Magnus allowed him to enter despite the short notice. With no real training, Hafþór won one event and made an Icelandic record in stone carrying. An Icelandic record, it should be noted is not insignificant as Magnus Ver Magnusson was a four-time winner of the TWI World‘s Strongest Man Contest and Jon Pall Sigmarsson won the event four times. No other country has done so well. After this auspicious beginning, Hafþór was hooked and began training solely for strongman competitions. Since 2009, he has won many competitions. He currently holds the titles of Iceland’s Strongest Man and Europe’s Strongest Man.

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Stephanie Sanzo is an Australian fitness celebrity and a personal trainer, known among her fans as “Steph Fit Mum”. As a young girl, Stephanie was never interested in the gym or physical exercise. However, after having two children, Stephanie gained over 25 kilograms, which made her feel insecure about her body. This led to her becoming a gym fanatic, and later, a personal trainer. After 3 years of weight training, dieting, and many ups and downs, Steph transformed her once-overweight figure into a strong physique. She’s also became a successful personal trainer along the way.

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Throughout his active career in international powerlifting competition Ed Coan has set over 71 world records in powerlifting.[5] He became the lightest person to cross the 2,400 lb. barrier in the powerlifting total (a sum of three lifts: the deadlift, bench, and squat). He set an all-time powerlifting record total at 2,463 pounds, even though at the time he was not in the heaviest weight class. Coan's best result in a drug tested international competition is 1,035 kg (2,282 lbs) in the 100 kg weight class at the 1994 IPF Senior World Championships.[6] establishing a new world record at the time. Even though serving a lifetime ban from the IPF for doping, today Coan is among some people still acknowledged and regarded a legend in the world of powerlifting and spends much of his time mentoring young lifters coming into the sport.

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Arguably the most consistent athlete the CrossFit Games has seen, Rebecca Voigt has competed in every CrossFit Games since 2008, giving her the all-time record for most consecutive individual CrossFit Games appearances. Not only has she competed in nine consecutive CrossFit Games, she has consistently finished in the top half of the field, taking third in 2011 and collecting five top-11 finishes across her career. Celebrated for her perseverance and positive spirit, Voigt was awarded the Spirit of the Games Award in 2014. A former collegiate basketball player, she owns CrossFit Training Yard in Toluca Lake, California, and at 35 was the oldest—and at five-foot-nine, tallest—individual female to compete in the 2016 Reebok CrossFit Games.

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In 2015, Ben Smith won the CrossFit Games. The title of Fittest Man on Earth was the fruit of seven years’ work: Smith has competed in every CrossFit Games since 2009, giving him the record of second most consecutive CrossFit Games appearances as of 2016. Across his eight-year CrossFit Games career, Smith has stood on the podium four times, taking third in 2011 and 2013, and second in 2016 in addition to his 2015 victory. With the exception of his debut appearance in 2009, he has never finished outside of the top 10. Smith owns CrossFit Krypton in Chesapeake, Virginia.

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Seven-year individual CrossFit Games veteran Camille Leblanc-Bazinet is one of CrossFit’s most enduring athletes. In 2014, she earned the title of Fittest Woman on Earth, and has finished in the top 10 in four out of her seven Games appearances, also winning five out of seven regional competitions. A former gymnast, Leblanc-Bazinet currently serves on the CrossFit Level 1 Seminar Staff. She also has a degree in chemical engineering.

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Born into poverty and a life of abuse, Kenneth “Flex” Wheeler has overcome endless roadblocks and setbacks and made a name for himself as one of the best bodybuilders throughout the 1990s’. Leaving bodybuilding behind to focus on his first passion – martial arts. Flex still dreams of competing and hopefully one day featuring in Hollywood movies. It’s clear to see that with all of his life’s struggles, Flex remained strong and dedicated to a life to positive progression and endless fitness endeavors.

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