Svend Karlsen

Personal information
Birth name	Svend Ødegård Karlsen
Nickname	"The Viking"
Born	(1967-10-06) 6 October 1967 (age 57) Drammen, Norway
Occupation(s)	Strongman, Powerlifter, Bodybuilder
Height	188 cm (6 ft 2 in)
Spouse	Eun Lene Ekrem Karlsen 2002-2009 (her death)
Sport
Retired	2006
Medal record Strongman Representing  Norway World's Strongest Man Qualified 1996 World's Strongest Man 8th 1997 World's Strongest Man 3rd 1999 World's Strongest Man 2nd 2000 World's Strongest Man 1st 2001 World's Strongest Man 5th 2002 World's Strongest Man 9th 2003 World's Strongest Man 5th 2004 World's Strongest Man Arnold Strongman Classic 2nd 2002 Arnold Strongman Classic 2nd 2003 Arnold Strongman Classic 2nd 2004 Arnold Strongman Classic 6th 2005 Arnold Strongman Classic World Muscle Power Championships 2nd 2001 World Muscle Power Classic 1st 2002 World Muscle Power Classic Europe's Strongest Man 3rd 1998 Europe's Strongest Man 1st 2001 Europe's Strongest Man 3rd 2002 Europe's Strongest Man 6th 2003 Europe's Strongest Man IFSA Strongman World Championships Qualified 2005 IFSA World Championships IFSA World Open 2nd 2005 IFSA World Open IFSA Nordic Championships 1st 2005 IFSA Nordic Championships Strongman Super Series 3rd 2001 Holland Grand Prix 2nd 2001 Czech Grand Prix 3rd 2001 Sweden Grand Prix 3rd 2001 Overall 2nd 2002 Sweden Grand Prix 5th 2002 Hawaii Grand Prix 2nd 2002 Overall 9th 2003 Hawaii Grand Prix 4th 2003 Holland Grand Prix 3rd 2003 Canada Grand Prix 4th 2003 Finland Grand Prix 2nd 2004 Arnold Strongman Classic 4th 2003/04 Overall 5th 2004 Moscow Grand Prix 3rd 2004 Sweden Grand Prix World Strongman Challenge 3rd 1997 World Strongman Challenge 3rd 2000 World Strongman Challenge 3rd 2001 World Strongman Challenge Norway's Strongest Man 1st 2003 1st 2005 1st 2006

Svend Karlsen

Medal record Representing  Norway Powerlifting Representing  Norway IPF Junior World Championships[1] 3rd 1989 125 kg EPF European Powerlifting Championships[1] 4th 1989 110kg EPF Junior European Championships[1] 3rd 1986 125 kg 3rd 1989 125 kg

Svend 'Viking' Karlsen (born 6 October 1967) is a Norwegian former strongman, powerlifter, bodybuilder and 2001 World's Strongest Man.

Being a winner of the World's Strongest Man, the Europe's Strongest Man, the World Muscle Power Classic and 3 times runner up at the Arnold Strongman Classic, he is regarded as one of the greatest strongmen in history. He is also well known for shouting his catch phrase "Viking Power!" during competitions.

Born in Drammen, Karlsen was already a child with an unusual athleticism, and his mother recorded him in photos posing to show muscles at the age of three. After seeing a photo of Arnold Schwarzenegger Karlsen decided to train for muscles and strength at age 13, and soon spent six to eight hours of his day in the gym, training, making friends and learning from the more experienced.

Once he started showing remarkable strength gains, Karlsen started out as a powerlifter in 1986, winning a number of titles and setting 30 Norwegian records, 3 European records, and 1 world record by 1989.

Soon after, Karlsen began pursuing a career in bodybuilding. He traveled on the road doing posing exhibitions with some bodybuilding friends to help pay the bills. Karlsen won the Mr. Norway title, and took second place at the World Games. This victory earned him his IFBB pro card in 1993 and paved the way for him to compete as a professional. Karlsen moved to California to focus on his bodybuilding career, and his first pro show was the IFBB Night of Champions. Karlsen suffered a severe muscle tear that forced him to retire from bodybuilding, and in 1996 he quickly moved on to strongman competitions.

Karlsen competed in one of the 1996 World's Strongest Man qualifying heats and narrowly missed qualifying for the finals. In the 1997 World's Strongest Man contest, Karlsen qualified for his first of 7 consecutive finals from 1997, 1999-2004 (did not compete in 1998). After finishing second in the Húsafell Stone carry, Karlsen was leading the finals on points, but during the warm-up for the squat event, he tore his hamstring and had to withdraw from the rest of the contest. He won his first international podium at 1997 World Strongman Challenge.

In 1998 he emerged third at Atlantic Giant and IFSA Helsinki Grand Prix.

Karlsen returned to 1999 World's Strongest Man in Valletta, Malta, finishing in third place behind Jouko Ahola and Janne Virtanen. He managed to win the Super Yoke and final medley and emerged second at deadlift. The following year he promoted himself to second place in 2000 World's Strongest Man held in Sun City, South Africa behind Janne Virtanen. He won Super Yoke, Fingal's Fingers and Atlas Stones and was consistent across all the events. Karlsen finally became victorious at the 2001 World's Strongest Man competition in Victoria Falls, Zambia defeating his good friend Magnus Samuelsson and Janne Virtanen, becoming the thirteenth man to win the title. He won the squat and came second in carry & flip, vertical lift and came third in the Conan's Wheel before iconically celebrating by jumping into a swimming pool.

Some of Karlsen's other notable strongman titles include Europe's Strongest Man 2001, 3 time runner-up at the Arnold Strongman Classic 2002–04, World Muscle Power Championships 2001 winner, and 3 time Norway's Strongest Man in 2003, 2005 and 2006. Karlsen was the second athlete inducted into the World's Strongest Man Hall of Fame in 2010 as voted by the fans.

He has a larger than life personality and, similar to his Nordic strongman predecessor Jón Páll Sigmarsson, is known for his catchphrase "Viking Power". Karlsen was featured in the 2003 documentary 'The World's Strongest Arms',^[2] together with his good friend and fellow World's Strongest Man champion Magnus Samuelsson where they performed world class feats of strength.

Among his best lifts in his early years were a 400 kg squat, 260 kg bench press and a 412.5 kg deadlift. In an interview in 1997, he claimed his most notable feat of strength was deadlifting 400 kg for 3 repetitions.^[3]

• Deadlift – 425 kg (937 lb)
• Raw Deadlift – 400 kg (882 lb) x 3 reps
• Raw Squat – 400 kg (882 lb)
• Squat (tyres on machine) – 318 kg (701 lb) x 14 reps (2002 World's Strongest Man)
• X-Treme Squat – 551 kg (1,215 lb) (2003 X-Treme Strongman Championships) (World Record)
• Bench Press – 260 kg (573 lb)
• Log Press – 185 kg (408 lb) (2002 Sweden Grand Prix)
• Incline Log Press – 120 kg (265 lb) x 14 reps (2002 IFSA Finland Grand Prix)
• Axle Press – 170 kg (375 lb) (2002 Sweden Grand Prix)
• Axle Press (for reps) – 120 kg (265 lb) x 15 reps (2000 Beauty and the Beast Strongman Challenge) (Joint-World Record)
• Flintstone Press – 200 kg (441 lb) (1996 World's Strongest Man - Group 4)
• Atlas Stones – 120–180 kg (265–397 lb) (5 stones) in 18.74 seconds (2005 IFSA Nordic Championships)
• Húsafell Stone – 163 kg (359 lb) (87.5% of the original) for 86.66 metres (1997 World's Strongest Man)
• Front hold – 30 kg (66 lb) for 69.66 seconds (2000 IFSA Grand Prix Ireland)
• Crucifix hold – 25 kg (55 lb) for 63.26 seconds (2001 Europe's Strongest Man) (World Record)
• Farmer's walk – 138 kg (304 lb) in each hand (70 meter course) in 22.87 seconds (2003 Finland Grand Prix)
• Wheelbarrow carry – 330 kg (728 lb) for 30 metres in 19.72 s (2003 Finland Grand Prix)
• Tyre flip – 520 kg (1,146 lb) for 5 times (2004 Sweden Grand Prix)

Karlsen retired from competition in 2006, and began serving as presenter and producer of the Norwegian version of the World's Strongest Man contest and the qualifying tour Giants Live.

Karlsen is the event organizer for the Norway's Strongest Man competition, introducing events and commentating. Karlsen was a co-commentator for the final event at the 2010 Arnold Strongman Classic. Karlsen also ran the Viking Power Challenge event in Norway, which was a part of the Super Series and later Giants Live tour for qualification into the World's Strongest Man competition.

• Official web site