Unusual Sporting Records that Probably Won’t Be Broken
This weekend saw British Olympic records being broken left, right and centre, whether it was Laura Trott becoming the first British woman to win 3 Olympic gold medals or Max Whitlock becoming the first ever British Gymnastics Olympic champion in not just one, but two events. But there are some sporting records out there that we suspect might not ever be broken, and not just because they don’t feature in the Olympics, as fun as some of these would be to watch. Yes, these particular sporting records are so unique, we can’t imagine anyone even having the inclination to attempt them. Apart from perhaps the people who set them in the first place…
Most T-Shirts Removed Whilst Heading a Football
First off, we didn’t even realise it was possible to remove one T-shirt whilst heading a football, let alone twenty-one. Yes, that is how many a Brazilian gentleman called Marcelo Ribeiro da Silva managed to take off while still keeping a football in the air – with his head – in 2009. And of course, being football-related, his nationality should come as no surprise.
Fastest 100-Year-Old Cyclist
Not only is there a 100-year-old man who can actually cycle, but there is a 100-year-old man who is probably faster on a bike that anyone reading this. Frenchman Robert Marchand achieved this remarkable feat by completing 300 laps of a track in Lyon in a little over 4 hours. We all know most of us wouldn’t get anywhere near this record at a fraction of his age, so bravo Monsieur Marchand.
Farthest Arrow Shot Using Feet
Why on earth would you want to shoot at a target using something as straightforward as your hands? Nancy Siefker shot at a 20 feet target in Los Angeles in 2013, not only managing to do it with her feet, but also getting it well within the 12 inch guidelines stipulated by the Guinness World Records guidelines – she managed it within an astonishing 5.5 inches.
Treadmill Running
Not that unusual at first glance, granted, but when you consider exactly how long this particular person spent on said treadmill then you might want to hold back on your judgement. 153.76 miles in 24 hours was run by a man named Christopher Bergland, and it won him the title of Stationary Record Holder for Treadmill Running. The fact that he is also a three-time Iron Man winner puts this into context somewhat.
Fastest 5 Metres on Front Paws by a Dog
If there were a Canine Olympics, we’re betting a mongrel called Konjo might feature on more than a few medal podiums, and no doubt he be balancing on them on his front paws because it turns out he can do that rather well. So well, in fact that he managed to run 5 metres in just 2.39 seconds in 2014. How he discovered he could do this remains a mystery.
Largest Rock, Paper, Scissors Tournament
Every dreamed of gathering together the most people ever to play rock, paper, scissors in one room? Well then you’d better have more than 1161 acquaintances because that’s how many people took part in a high school in Canada in 2009. Whether it was the rock, paper or scissors that won in the end we do not know.
Most Guinness World Records
And lastly an honourable mention for the man who has broken the most world records ever. They might not have all been sporting related, but who cares when you hold more than 120 of them? Ashrita Furman broke his first record in 1979 and since then he’s managed to do 27,000 jumping jacks in just under 7 hours as well as climb a mountain on stilts. A man of many talents indeed.
Fancy breaking your own sporting records, perhaps in a slightly less-bizarre fashion? Whether you’ve been inspired by one of the world’s many eccentrics and their unusual achievements or our 2016 Olympic heroes, you can get started on beating a few targets of your own with Chain Reaction Cycles and the latest Adidas discount vouchers.
By Anna Scott, 15th August 2016