Sean Hayes Smashes Silver Dollar Deadlift World Record by Pulling 560 Kilograms (1,235 Pounds)

The Silver Dollar deadlift world record has a new king sitting on its throne. On April 2, 2022, Sean Hayes pulled a 560-kilogram (1,235-pound) silver dollar deadlift during the 2022 Strongman Corporation Canada King & Queen Of The Throne contest. The competition has several events, including, among others, a log press, but Hayes only participated in the “Silver Dollar Deady” event.

The Canadian athlete’s mark exceeds Anthony Pernice’s previous Silver Dollar deadlift record of 550 kilograms (1,212 pounds), set at the 2020 United States Strongman (USS) Farm Strong Record Breaker.

Watch Hayes’ record-breaking pull below — where he donned a lifting belt and lifting straps — courtesy of his Instagram profile:

Worth Every Dollar

While the Silver Dollar deadlift shares similarities with its close, more traditional cousin, its distinction is clear. Whereas an athlete performs a regular deadlift with a straight barbell (or trap bar), a Silver Dollar deadlift is a partial deadlift — an athlete moves the weight starting from 18 inches off the floor.

The modern nickname for the Silver Dollar deadlift comes from its presentation. Athletes often stack and encase weight plates attached to both ends of a barbell, giving the lift a unique appearance. It becomes a partial deadlift because of its starting position that has the boxes elevating the attached barbell.

According to Strongman.org, the Silver Dollar deadlift has deep, differentiating origins. Historic competitors once lifted crates full of actual silver dollars at the ends of their barbells. Over the years, top athletes have strived for identical records and marks, but some deployed different weight variations.

For example, when strongman Tom Magee held the 535-kilogram (1,187.4 pounds) record for over three decades (1983-2017), he filled his crates with bricks. When Pernice set the previous record of 539.7 kilograms (1,189.8 pounds), he encased regular weight plates in his boxes. Notably, using weight plates was also Hayes’ setup for his Silver Dollar deadlift.

A Strong Start

Hayes is a relative newcomer to the professional strongman scene. Per Strongman Archives, the Canadian-born athlete has competed in two events to date. Here are his results from the respective competitions:

2021 Official Strongman Games — Seventh place
2021 Canada’s Strongest Man — Third place

Hayes wrote that he tried to extend the world record further in his Instagram post. The strongman had a third Silver Dollar attempt to utilize and was ambitious by shooting for a 589.6-kilogram pull (1,300 pounds). He didn’t complete the lift.

Alas, despite the miss, Hayes managed to set himself apart. His record lift drew praise from perhaps the greatest strongman ever, Žydrūnas “Big Z” Savickas. Roughly a week after the lift, Hayes shared a recorded Cameo video message for him, sent by Savickas. The strongman legend seemed impressed and told Hayes, “For the future, I wish you more world records.”

Check out Savickas’ entire message for Hayes below: