Icelandic powerlifter Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson placed third in the 2012 World’s Strongest Man (WSM) competition in Los Angeles on Monday. Hafþór has upped his game since last year, when he placed sixth, visir.is reports.

Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson. Source: theworldsstrongestman.com.

Two Lithuanians placed first and second: Zydrunas Savickas, who boasted his third WSM win and Vytautas Lalas, who came second.

Hafþór has also won the title Iceland’s Strongest Man three years in a row.

There is a strong tradition for Icelanders competing for the WSM title with two Icelanders having won it four times: Jón Páll Sigmarsson in 1984, 1986, 1988 and 1990, and Magnús Ver Magnússon in 1991 and 1994 through 1996.

Only one man has won the title more often, Mariusz Pudzianowski from Poland, who became WSM five times.

Click here to read a review of a documentary about Jón Páll, who became somewhat of a legend in Iceland—and among strongmen—after his premature death in 1993.

ESA