Eddie Hall is known around the world for one of the most iconic strength feats in history: becoming the first man ever to deadlift 500 kilograms — a record that stood for nearly a decade. But what many fans don’t realise is that The Beast also holds a lesser-known record in a sport that couldn’t be further from his Strongman roots: CrossFit.
Five years ago, at the CrossFit European Championships in Colchester, England, the 2017 World’s Strongest Man took on one of the sport’s most gruelling benchmark workouts — and completely destroyed it.
The event was meant to feature the CrossFit workout ‘Grace’ — 30 clean and jerks for time — but organisers made a last-minute switch to ‘Isabel’, a blistering test of speed and technique that involves 30 snatches with 135lbs (61kg) as quickly as possible.
Elite CrossFitters usually aim to finish under two minutes. Hall had a different number in mind: 55 seconds… a bold goal considering the record stood at 1 minute 20 seconds, per Muscle And Fitness.
However, he didn’t just beat that goal — he smashed it. Check out the video below:
With 30 consecutive snatches, Hall powered through the workout in a jaw-dropping 50.9 seconds, breaking the previous world-best time of 1 minute 20 seconds held by CrossFit icon Rich Froning. The crowd erupted as he completed his final rep, and the announcer’s initial shout of “49 seconds!” was later confirmed by officials to be 50.9 — still comfortably the fastest ever recorded.
In typical Eddie Hall fashion, he made it look effortless. But as his post-event YouTube clip revealed, the effort nearly floored him. “Just let me get my breath back. Doesn’t count if you die,” he joked, gasping for air moments after the record-breaking performance.
It was a display that left the CrossFit crowd stunned — and even Hall himself a little humbled. “Big respect to the CrossFitters,” he told the audience afterward, per BarBend. “It’s a lot harder than people make out and they get sl*gged off from left, right, and center on social media, but I can tell you now, looking at the guys competing today, I genuinely believe it’s got to be one of the hardest sports on the planet to train for and compete in.”
That combination of raw power, conditioning, and admiration for the sport made Hall’s record all the more remarkable. For context, Isabel has a five-minute time cap in official competitions, with most strong, experienced CrossFitters finishing between 1:30 and 3 minutes. Hall — a man who built his career around lifting Atlas stones and pulling planes, not sprinting through barbell cycles — went sub-51 seconds.
However, as Eddie said at the end of his video: “That’s me out of CrossFit”.
Critics were quick to debate the form, noting his snatches were close-grip and more functional than textbook Olympic style. But whether you’re a CrossFitter, powerlifter, or Strongman fan, one thing’s undeniable: Hall’s pace, control, and endurance that day were outrageous.
And in the half-decade since, nobody’s managed to take it from him.
Hall himself was first to issue the challenge: “So, I got a world record in CrossFit at the European Championships. So I’m happy with that. And again, if anyone thinks they can better that, then please get it on video and prove it. Because I thought, coming into this, I wasn’t gonna do it. But as you’ve just seen – put a camera on me, put an audience on me – I’ll take a step up and I’ll get it all done.”
So far, nobody’s been brave — or crazy — enough to prove him wrong.
Even fellow giants have tried. Powerlifting sensation Julius Maddox — who tips the scales at 440 pounds — attempted to beat Hall’s mark earlier this year. Despite a solid effort, Maddox hit 28 snatches before time expired, admitting on Instagram that Isabel is “a lot harder than it seems.” He added, “@eddiehallwsm did 30 reps in 50 sec. It’s a lot harder than it seems. Gotta be gas-station ready at all times.”
Fans online have been equally awed by Hall’s five-year-old feat, flooding social media with comments like: “I love that Eddie broke the record after being taught the rules while warming up.”
A second added: “I have not competed in a couple years… breaks the world record. Classic Eddie Hall.”
“This is just when you’ve beaten all the main missions and you go for the 100% completion,” wrote a third, with a fourth adding: “Imagine how fast he would have done it if he was hydrated.”
It’s classic Hall — walking into a different arena, learning the rules on the fly, and rewriting them before anyone else has time to react.
Five years on, Eddie Hall’s CrossFit record hasn’t been touched. And whether it’s the CrossFit floor, MMA cage, or boxing ring, Hall keeps proving that he can turn his hand to anything.
Featured Image Credit: YouTube/Eddie Hall The Best (screenshot)
