It seems strength, fitness, and a commitment to excellence in the gym run deep in the Hall family. James Hall, the brother of 2017 World’s Strongest Man (WSM) champion Eddie Hall, has shown off his own unique athleticism for years. A former professional rugby player, most notably for the Bristol Bears in Bristol, England, James Hall now coaches and trains strength sports athletes. If that weren’t enough, he has a new World Record to his name, too.
On Oct. 28, 2022, Hall posted a video to his Instagram channel of himself capturing the 1,000-meter row World Record with a time of two minutes and 39.3 seconds. The mark surpasses the figure of Australian Olympian rower Samuel Loch, who recorded a time of two minutes and 39.5 seconds in July 2016.
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Hall has had his sights set on this World record 1,000-meter row milestone for a little while. Much of his recent social media clips feature the athlete training his proficiency on the rowing machine in preparation for an eventual record attempt. With that work having now paid off, Hall seemed overwhelmed with gratitude in his Instagram post while outlining his long journey.
“This time last year, I tried to go sub 2.40 on the SkiErg,” Hall started. “I fell just short, but the training and lessons I learned helped me achieve this today.”
As Hall made his return to rowing on the machine, he soon found he had plenty in the tank and pushed himself accordingly.
“When I started rowing back in August, I had the sole goal of going sub-six,” Hall explained. “My fitness soon came back, and I was able to improve my technique enough to achieve this in a short amount of time. What I discovered was that I was able to hold a similar pace but with less perceived effort.”
The comments of Hall’s post feature a familiar face offering hearty congratulations — his brother Eddie.
“Well done, bro, World Records run in the family,” Eddie Hall wrote in reaction.
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As for what the future holds, James Hall seems to be in a place where he can carve his own path as he pleases. With rugby out of the picture, Hall appears to be taking on any new fitness goals as they come on a regular basis. Yet, as this World Record shows, he’s not limiting himself in his ambitions. After all, he is the brother of a strongman legend, and that means he has to build his own great strength legacy by comparison.
Featured image: @hall_strength on Instagram
