Strongman history has been rewritten in Birmingham after Raul Flores produced a staggering 511kg deadlift to claim a new world record.
The Mexican strongman stepped up to the bar at Giants Live inside the Utilita Arena knowing exactly what was at stake.
Waiting for him was 511kg — or 1,126.5lbs — and the opportunity to go heavier than anyone had managed before.
Flores delivered.
At just 26 years old, he successfully completed the enormous lift and sent the Birmingham crowd into wild celebrations as a new name moved to the top of strongman’s deadlift record books.
The achievement saw Flores surpass the previous benchmark of 510kg, which had been set by Hafthor Björnsson in September 2025.
And there was an immediate show of respect from the man whose record had just fallen.
Following Flores’ successful attempt, Björnsson took to the microphone to congratulate the new record holder in front of the crowd.
Thor described Flores as “amazing” before encouraging those inside the Utilita Arena to applaud the Mexican for what he had just accomplished. Check out the moment below:
It was a fitting response to a moment which pushed one of strongman’s most famous lifts another kilogram further.
The significance of the achievement wasn’t lost on another legendary name, either.
Eddie Hall knows better than most what it means to push the deadlift into previously untouched territory.
Hall became the first man ever to deadlift 500kg, and following Flores’ new record, ‘The Beast’ delivered his own heartfelt response on Instagram.
But Hall wasn’t simply impressed with the 511kg number.
He’s already looking at what Flores might be capable of doing next.
Hall wrote: “Well done @tayzonstrongman on your 511kg deadlift WR’ at @giantslivestrongman so great to see the world record getting smashed by a 26yr old 👀 fair play brother and look forward to watching you add more and more weight to the bar over the coming years. 550kg barrier going next I reckon […] Watch the rest of the show over at @officialstrongman_ livestream. Big Love, The Beast™️”
The eye-catching part of Hall’s message was his prediction of where the deadlift could eventually be heading.
Flores has only just moved the record from 510kg to 511kg, but the man who famously became the first to reach the 500kg milestone is already talking about the possibility of another enormous barrier being broken.
550kg.
For now, though, 511kg is the number that matters.
Flores arrived at Giants Live with the chance to make history and walked away having done exactly that.
One kilogram was enough to take the record beyond Björnsson’s previous mark, trigger huge celebrations inside Birmingham’s Utilita Arena and earn public praise from two of the biggest names associated with heavyweight deadlifting.
And if Hall’s prediction proves anywhere close to the mark, Flores might not be finished adding weight to the bar just yet.
Featured image credit: Instagram/GiantsLiveStrongman (screenshots)
