Finnish finger wrestler breaks deadlift record by hoisting over 330 lbs with middle digit
When it comes to weight lifting, Juha Andersson (Finland) has more strength in one finger than most people have in their entire body.
On 31 December, the Finnish strongman challenged the popular record for the heaviest deadlift with one finger, a title which has changed hands (or fingers) three times within 2025 alone. Yet Juha was more than confident that he could take the crown due to his championship background in competitive finger pulling, and on the last day of the year, the ultimate showdown began to see who has the toughest middle digit in the world.
And turns out, Juha was right – because on his second attempt, he easily yanked 336.42 lbs (152.60 kg) off the ground with just one finger, narrowly beating Egmond Molina’s (Aruba) best of 334 lbs (151.5 kg) from four months prior.
These men are lifting weights as heavy as a panda bear using just one hand!
Speaking to GWR, Juha said that he started weightlifting in the 1990s, when he noticed that he had unusually good grip strength. A few years later, he competed in his first hand grip strength competition, and quickly found his way into finger hook/finger pulling competitions in the early 2000s.
And yes, competitive finger-pulling is a thing – in Germany it’s called “fingerhakeln” and the Finnish version is named “sormikoukku” – though Juha would know best, because he’s a two-time German champion and the 2025 winner of the sormikoukku world cup.
Though both versions of the sport are slightly different, the general concept is that two participants are trying to pull each other over to their side of the table with just one finger, and the event can get surprisingly heated!
Like a finger-pulling supervillain, the 44-year-old says he trains by doing one-finger pull ups, and working on the mental side of the sport. He told us that one of the most important areas of focus is being able to “tolerate incredibly intense pain”, and controlling your mind as your body does the work.
And after an easy recovery following the finger hook world championships in November, Juha wanted to finish the year strong by achieving one of his lifelong goals.
“Since I was a child, I have dreamed of becoming a Guinness World Records title holder,” he said. “Based on this idea, I finally decided that I wanted to try to set a record for the heaviest deadlift with one finger.”
Read more stories about record-breaking athletes in our dedicated Sports and Fitness section!
So on New Year’s Eve, the strong-fingered weightlifter showed up to the CrossFit gym in Riihimäki, Finland, ready to win himself another award.
Supported by a group of six witnesses and an audience of 10 curious spectators, Juha prepared his weights and dusted off his hands before the attempt, carefully making sure that all the event guidelines were being followed.
After racking up the weights on to his wrist, Juha made his first attempt – but he says he felt front-weighted, and tipped forward slightly, throwing off his balance and requiring him to rest for a little bit before making another stab at the record.
Finally, on his second attempt, Juha was able to lock into a strong supportive position, securely pulling the weight from the ground and holding it for just over eight seconds to take the crown!
Thrusting his fists in the air, and celebrating with the crowd of excited spectators, Juha was overjoyed to find out that he finally made his childhood dream come true. Yet despite his incredible performance, the athlete later told us: “I felt like I could have continued for a few more seconds, and even felt a little sad that I could have put even more weight on this attempt.”
However, he didn’t rule out making another shot at the record at a later date, adding: “Well, next time, then.”
So congratulations on your first Guinness World Records title, Juha, and we hope to see you back in the record books sometime soon – you (and your middle finger) are Officially Amazing!