Raúl Flores has beaten Hafþór Björnsson’s deadlift world record of 510kg. The Mexican lifter successfully pulled 511kg (1,126.6lb) at the recent 2026 World Deadlift Championships in Birmingham, England.
Here is the build up for his lift.
Flores began competing in strongman in 2021 and rapidly established himself as a formidable deadlift specialist. He won the Mike Strongman regional championship in consecutive years, taking the title in both 2023 and 2024.
His rise continued in 2025, when he became the first Mexican athlete to reach the final of the Arnold Strongman Pro/Am, where he finished inside the top five. Later that year, Flores pulled 480 kg, or 1,058 lb, at the Mike Strongman Aulex Forum qualifier while wearing a multi ply deadlift suit and using straps. The lift was reported as the heaviest deadlift performed under strongman rules in North or South America.
That performance earned Flores an invitation to the 2025 Giants Live World Deadlift Championships. He lifted 453.5 kg, or 1,000 lb, to finish joint fourth in a highly competitive field that included former all time deadlift world record holder Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson.
