SA man claims to have skipped his way to world record
A PRETORIA man is confident that he has set a new world record for rope skipping.
SD Heijns, 21, completed 71 185 skips in eight hours.
The previous world record was 70 031 skips in eight hours – thus Heijns believes he has comfortably beat the record by 1 155 skips.
Heijns, who started skipping at age 12 as part of his kickboxing training, made the Guinness World Record attempt at Sun International’s Maslow Time Square Hotel in Pretoria.
While it was plain sailing physically for this very fit man, it did take its emotional toll. Heijns said he started off too fast, but later found his pace and slowed down a bit, which proved to be the winning recipe.
“Skipping formed an integral part of my personal training regime to stay fit during the Covid-19 lockdown and this is when I started toying with the idea of breaking the Guinness World Record,” Heijns said.
The record attempt was registered with the Guinness World Record body and monitored by the Sports Science Lab for verification purposes.
A pressure plate system mat counted the number of skips. There was also a system to ensure that the skipping rope made a complete revolution.
Two skipping ropes were used. Guinness must still declare it an official record.
This is only the first of three skipping stints, as Heijns will in six weeks’ time attempt a 12-hour skipping session.
His last stint will be six weeks later, when he will attempt to skip for a full 24 hours.
It is not yet known where these attempts will take place.
Asked why he is attempting this, Heijns replied: “To bring the record to South Africa, to test the limits of the human body, and to demonstrate the fitness potential of training with minimal equipment.”