Virginia's
Bobby Thompson became the new American king of the log press yesterday, managing a 217 kg / 478.5 lb lift. Thompson was participating in an attempt to break the American record at the Clash on the Coast contest, in Hilton Head, South Carolina.
The record had previously been held by
Rob Kearney, who had set the mark at 216 kg last June during the 2020 WUS Feats of Strength. Before Thompson's lift, Kearney had been the American record holder for just over two years after his 214 kg lift in April 2019. As fate would have it, Kearney was the judge for yesterday's attempt. He and Thompson exchanged a brotherly hug after the lift, yet another display of the fantastic camaraderie the sport of strongman has to offer.
With the Max Log Lift being a rumored event at this year's World's Strongest Man contest, other athletes will certainly be wary of Bobby Thompson's fantastic overhead pressing power.